Cloud Times provided a great article to show how call centers can leverage cloud computing:
When it comes to the call center industry, people are wondering about cloud technology’s effects, mainly because the two are working under the same principles. Call centers, particularly offshore ones, are basically doing to manpower what cloud computing is doing to computing power. The many ways in which cloud computing technology has been used to help call centers is outlined below.
Cloud computing technology is offering internal and outsourced call centers the opportunity to improve and extend their existing capabilities, and has given them a more efficient and cost-effective means to run their business, with minimal drawbacks or disadvantages.
One of the best benefits of Cloud Computing technology – that of the ability to pay exactly for what you use, and when you use it – still applies to call centers. This allows call center companies to drastically reduce the amount they spend on maintenance and upgrades of conventional IT systems.
In the past, when companies needed specific software that is not part of their original suite of tools, they had to buy or get in-house coders to develop new ones, which is not only time-consuming, but also very expensive. With the cloud, integration with various free services such as social media tools Twitter and Facebook are not only cost-efficient, but also requires minimal technical know-how, so there is no need to employ the services of an entire IT shop just to extend their reach.
In the past, employees of call centers have had to work onsite – basically working under the model that humans must go to where the technology is. This could be problematic in situations where a disaster prevents employees from reaching the office (which is especially made worse by the fact that many call centers are located in calamity-prone countries), therefore stopping or at least slowing down operations. With cloud computing technology, the model is reversed – technology can now go to where the humans are, which means recovery from a disaster is much faster, if not instant, as employees have the option to work from home if need be.
