Five Reasons Why Switching to the Call Center Cloud Saves You Money

The cloud offers big promises: lower upfront costs, less maintenance, and, in the case of call center technology, fewer calling limitations. If you need to add seats for new call center agents, you can do so, easily and quickly, with a cloud-based platform such as TCN’s.

The benefits don’t stop there. With modern call center technology, you see other cost-savings. To understand them, you should perform a call center cost analysis. Most calls fall into one of five buckets, which follow below.

Save on Out-of-Pocket Costs

With a traditional call center, you have to purchase equipment and software. It tends to feature an expensive price tag. Latest estimates rest somewhere around $300,000 per dialer. The problem becomes apparent relatively soon: hardware goes extinct or lags behind newer cloud-based counterparts and services.

Turning to the cloud makes perfect sense. It cuts down on, if not eliminates, capital costs. The software integrates with existing equipment and applications, meaning less equipment for you to purchase and install. It typically also works on a subscription basis, too, which saves you even more money in the long run.

Scale Call Center Operations as Needed

A traditional dialer comes with a fixed number of seats, or lines. If inbound calls increase, there’s little you can do. You either a) struggle to keep up with demand, increasing customer and employee frustration, or b) upgrade the dialer.

Both solutions prove problematic. Dissatisfied employees and customers seek employment and services elsewhere. The second solution stands little better. Once inbound calls decrease, you’re stuck with a solution that no longer fits call center needs.

Cloud-based call center technology begins with flexibility and scalability in mind. It allows you to respond to changing conditions, whether they are increased or decreased calls. As a result, everyone stays happy and satisfied—you because of lessened capacity costs, and customers and employees because of improved services and workflows.

Lower Maintenance Costs

With an on-premise solution, you remain responsible for upgrades and maintenance. The costs vary but can range near 20 percent of the total purchase cost. The fees add up, cutting into your bottom and top line. The time adds up, too. In some instances, upgrading old equipment results in downtime and interruptions to service that have a negative effect not only on operations but also customer retention.

Again, hosted solutions offer a different story. Modern call center technologies continuously upgrade, similar to versioning for your smartphone. When new software or updates come out, your cloud-based system automatically shifts to them, keeping call center operations up and running at all times.

Reduce Hiring Costs

Some on-premise dialers require ongoing IT support, adding a cost rather than subtracting one. You need IT, of course — they keep software running smoothly and oversee cybersecurity practices and procedures — but you may not wish to add a role solely dedicated to the call center application.

With a cloud-based platform, your existing IT staff can oversee, not manage on a day-to-day basis, ensuring it runs as promised. The fact benefits you in two ways: one, you prevent hiring needs from consuming the annual budget. Two, existing employees can focus on work that impacts the business, from the call center agent to the IT technician.

Lessen Support Costs

Some on-premise dialers limit customer service support. If the dialer goes down, it’s down until you can get in touch with the third-party provider and request assistance. The delays aggravate employees who can’t do their jobs, and they irritate customers. They have no idea why they can’t pay their bill or reach an agent; they only know that you’re not answering the phone.

A modern call center technology doesn’t necessarily feature 24/7 customer support, either, unless you work with TCN. They stay at the ready for your call, be it an emergency or a question about adding seats. With TCN, you’re always up and able to answer customers’ questions.

Switching to cloud-based call center technology is smart, but you should do a cost analysis to prove the case. Compare capital costs, operating expenses, hiring and training needs, and any other costs. When you do, the right purchasing decision will be easy to see and make.

Click here to check out the other benefits of switching to cloud-based call center technology in our Increasing Profits eBook!