These days, customers expect to receive helpful assistance over the phone immediately.

What seems like a reasonable and straightforward request on the side of the customer is actually much more complicated for the business. Therefore, entrepreneurs need to carefully consider which call centre model [1] best suits their needs. Nowadays, there are a few options available for small to medium-sized companies, so it’s imperative you do your research.

Let's take a look at what hybrid hosting actually is and how it balances the advantages and drawbacks of other call centre models.

On-Premise Call Centres

There are a few obvious reasons why storing servers on-site [2] is advantageous. It offers businesses complete control over the software they use and ad-hoc strategies they could implement. But an on-premise solution isn’t possible for everyone.

Businesses require enough physical space to store their servers (which not everyone has). Not to mention, the one-off installation comes with a costly price tag.

To then run the call centre, a company also needs to hire staff to provide instant responses customers expect. As a result, business mobility is lessened. The company is also solely responsible for maintaining and assuring a reliable service — needless to say, this can be a headache at times.

Cloud-Based Solutions

An alternative to the on-premise call centre solution is a cloud-based system [3]. Their pay-as-you-go model makes them much more flexible for scaling businesses and they better accommodate a mobile work-force.

Cloud-based solutions are also entirely secure, with backups occurring as often as every 15 minutes (depending on the quality of your provider).

The cloud is reliant on a Wi-Fi connection, which can be an issue if your internet goes down. Also, for larger businesses, this could put a massive strain on your bandwidth. So just like the on-premise solution, there are certainly pros and cons to using a cloud-based system.

Hybrid Call Centres

If the drawbacks to the models we’ve just discussed are concerning you, never fear. This is where the hybrid approach comes into its own.

Hybrid hosting means you still have on-premise servers. However, these are usually only for storing your most sensitive data. In addition to that, you’ll also harness the power of a cloud-based solution. That way, you have the option of increasing both your capacity and bandwidth.

The benefit of hybrid hosting is especially notable for companies moving from on-premise to cloud-based solutions. This smoothes out the transition process by making good use out of your existing facilities. As such, you shouldn’t experience any downtime during the switch.

Don’t Limit Your Options

In summary, choose an on-premise call centre solution if you want more control over your comms system. For greater flexibility and scalability, a cloud-based system is the order of the day.

However, there’s a good chance you’ll want to take advantage of the perks both of these systems offer. As such, usually the ideal solution is no specific model, but a mixture in the form of a hybrid system. No one knows the needs of your brand like you do, so do your research and pick the model that best suits you.

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