Offering shoppers a pleasant and efficient customer service experience is an essential part of running any business.
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.
[4]
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Gazette and Channel Coast News 2003 -
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