In today's digital era, companies are faced with a big decision: on-premise vs. cloud contact centers.
We therefore highlight the advantages and disadvantages of both solutions to help you make the right choice.
The trend is clear: more companies are switching to the cloud. However, attention should be paid to the specific needs and objectives of your own contact center. Accordingly, it does not always make sense to take this step.
On-Premise vs. Cloud Contact Center:
The advantages and disadvantages
On-Premise
An on-premise solution is a classic local model: all hardware and software components are hosted and managed by the company itself in its own facilities.
Advantages
A major advantage of on-premise solutions is the complete control over the data and the infrastructure. From security to data protection and compliance regulations, everything remains in your own network. Companies that have to comply with numerous international and national data protection laws therefore benefit in particular.
With on-premise solutions, the data is available even if the internet connection fails. This largely prevents loss of productivity.
Specific requirements for the systems needed can be easily implemented depending on the company. This results in individual solutions that are created to suit requirements. This also results in low dependency and short latency times in the event of changes.
Instead of a monthly payment to a cloud service provider, the costs of on-premise systems are transparent and do not hold any surprises.
Disadvantages
With an on-premise solution, however, companies must expect higher acquisition and operating costs. This includes both the hardware and the human resources for maintenance and support.
If more or fewer resources are required in the company over time, the infrastructure itself must be adapted, which entails additional costs.
To ensure that the on-premise solution is reliable, regular and professional maintenance is particularly important. A dedicated IT support team is indispensable in this case.
Cloud Contact Center
With a cloud contact center, all customer communication is handled by an external provider and made available via the Internet.
Advantages
Cloud services score points above all with their rapid implementation. They can be up and running within a short amount of time and are also significantly cheaper to purchase than on-premise solutions.
With a cloud solution, contact center employees can work from any location. This creates a flexible working environment and makes the company more attractive to employees.
The system is automatically hosted by the provider. This means that companies do not have to worry about maintenance, updates and licenses themselves.
Capacities and resources can be adapted dynamically. This saves high costs and a great deal of time for ongoing changes.
Disadvantages
The more complex a company’s requirements, the more difficult it is to adapt flexibly in the cloud. Even the selection of a suitable provider is often a challenge.
If there is an interruption to your own internet or the cloud service itself, the system cannot be used. This can potentially lead to unproductive downtime in the company.
Although the monthly costs for a cloud subscription remain stable, companies have no overview of the exact breakdown of usage fees.
On-Premise vs. Cloud Contact Center – which is better?
It is therefore not possible to give a general answer as to which solution is the right one for your company. As a first step, it is important to consider all relevant factors, from costs and existing infrastructure to data protection and software requirements, in order to make the best decision.
The best of both worlds: Hybrid contact centers
In our experience, hybrid contact center systems are the best solution for most companies. The advantages of on-premise vs. cloud systems can be ideally combined and easily adapted to your own needs.
While sensitive data is stored locally, cloud-based services can be used at the same time to increase efficiency in the contact center. With a hybrid solution, you also have all options open: There is no dependency on one technology and therefore switching is possible at any time.
Flexible components that serve different interfaces are crucial here. The modular LinkThat CUBE individually connects all common systems and thus ensures a tailor-made contact center solution. The CUBE has been successfully in use for over 10 years and creates seamless integrations.