Business Continuity: Advantages of the Cloud for Contact Centers
Contact centers looking to move their operations from premises-based systems to the cloud often get caught up in trying to understand exactly what “the cloud” is and what that means as far as where their data is located. However, the real concern for contact centers should be what benefits can be gained from moving to the cloud and why use it.
A significant advantage of cloud hosted contact center solutions over premises-based equivalents is geographic immunity and business continuity in disaster situations. The infrastructure of a cloud solution is vastly different than that of one run on site. For instance, a premises-based solution is dependent on hardware at the single office location, which means a disaster can shut a business now. Redundant power and network connections are rare for these solutions, simply because the cost and difficulty of maintaining them makes them unrealistic for many contact centers.
In contrast, a cloud hosted solution is supported by multiple data centers that are geographically separated. This means that the service is not affected by a disaster in the same area as the contact center itself. Even if one data center is affected, then others in different locations remain operational. The addition of redundant connections to service providers means that this setup has no single point of failure. If something happens, then systems dynamically reroute to alternate available connections.
In the event that a disaster or other scenario shuts down the physical contact center location, a business using a premises-based solution is out of luck. Not so for one using the cloud. Many cloud contact center software options are browser-based, which means they are available on any device with an Internet connection without the need for a software download. So agents can work from home, a coffee shop, or any other location, while supervisors can administer the solution in real-time through a web-based interface.
A further benefit for cloud hosted contact centers is greater levels of reliability and flexibility. Multi-platform design means that contact centers can easily be moved between platforms to maintain service without interruption. This is extremely useful for dynamic upgrades, where a contact center can simply be transferred over to a platform that is already updated and so no downtime is needed for upgrades to be installed. Though problems are rare, if one does arise then the previous platform is still there to roll back to.
These are just a few of the advantages that the cloud provides to contact centers. Far from being an empty buzzword, the cloud deserves serious consideration by any business looking to safeguard its operations.
Carl Noblitt
VP Account Management
AireSpring
carl.noblitt@airespring.com