It takes a lot of money to run a call center. Managers often have to stretch their budget pretty far, and it can work against the overall customer experience. That’s why the last decade has seen such major adoption of call-saving measures like cloud call center solutions.
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Aside from saving big piles of money, shifting resources to the cloud has major advantages for security and productivity.
In this article, we’re going to take a look at some of those advantages, as well as how the money you’ll save could be put to better use.
(Ice cream machine? Cocktail bar? An indoor swimming pool? Or perhaps something more practical… )
Firstly, let's check out how cloud computing helps you save money!
5 Ways cloud computing saves call centers money
Cloud call center solution can help you in multiple ways, but here are 5 big advantages:
#1 Increased productivity
Cloud computing is quick and easy to install compared to traditional systems. It can take as little as a few hours to deploy, while standard copper wire installation may take weeks or even months.
This reduces disruption and means your employees don’t need to wait for the new systems; they can right to work. In addition, they can access cloud systems storage from anywhere in the world, needing just an internet connection.
That enhances employee productivity enormously and is an ideal option for companies with multiple remote employees.
#2 Reduced maintenance cost
Installing a cloud call center solution cuts out major maintenance costs. That means less time and money put into repairs and upgrades.
Your team members can focus on business operations without worrying about routine maintenance. Meanwhile, you won't need a third-party hardware repair, and your IT department can refocus away from daily firefighting.
#3 Improved energy efficient
It might not be something you’ve thought of before, but cloud systems make far smaller demands from you in terms of electricity consumption.
Energy costs can be the last straw, especially for smaller businesses. In a call center, the lion’s share of this overhead is the on-site hardware that you have to keep running 24/7.
The good news? Cloud call center systems effectively outsource that cost to the provider. That’s great for businesses because a large and highly variable cost becomes a small, fixed cost.
It’s actually great for the environment as well; that’s because cloud software providers benefit from economies of scale which enable them to run far more efficiently than individual businesses can.
#4 Reduced hiring cost
A major part of the typical contact center spend goes on recruitment. This high cost is driven by a long training period in most roles, and a very bad rate of retention!
Research from IBM found that in a standard 6-minute call only 90 seconds was conversation. The rest was spent on manual research, generally the result of old and inadequate systems.
The associated frustration (for customers and for agents!) is known to be a major contributor to agent burnout. Solving this problem will keep more agents around for longer, and cut costs.
Research has also shown that IT professionals are among the most expensive people in the contact center. Switching to cloud computing can keep down the number of IT experts required to maintain call center operations.
#5 Better Data Security
Cyber crimes are among the most common kinds of crime in the developed world. Call centers are often the target of this kind of crime as they hold a vast amount of personal information, including payment information.
Maintaining full compliance with modern security regulations is… well, nearly impossible these days.
Cloud systems reduce this burden by centralizing the compliance obligation around a software provider (like babelforce). Let them worry about it!
How can you spend the money you’ll save?
As you see, cloud computing cuts down your expenses to a great extent. Later on, you can invest this money in improving your customer service and brand reputation. Here we have listed two important areas where you should invest your savings to get high returns.
Customer Knowledge Base
Customer knowledge can do wonders for you, so it will be beneficial for you to invest in it. They can predict ahead of time what kind of information your customer will need; this way, you can make better strategies to help them.
For instance, if you get most of the calls for help in using a specific product feature, then it's safe to create content on it in advance. You can also create blogs around these hot topics to provide killer customer service.
This way, the customer will find a straightforward solution to their problems. Hence, it is wise to create content on the issues that your customers face very often.
Reduce Call Handling Time
When an agent takes a call, the other customers have to wait in a queue for their turn. This is often frustrating – in fact, more than half of customers say that reduced hold time is the number one way to improve service.
For this, you have to analyze your agent's performance. You may find out that some agents spend more time on their introduction, or successfully record data during the call instead of after. You can train them to effectively reduce call length – without impacting CX – you’ll be doing yourself a huge favor in the long run.
Takeaway
Cloud call center solutions not only enhance the productivity of your employees but also reduce maintenance costs and improve customer experience. It enhances your company's performance and is cost-efficient, so what else could you ask for?