The 8 Most-Asked Questions About Cloud Communications – Answered

81% of CIOs believe IT is entering a new era of customer-driven initiatives. Businesses are increasingly embracing cloud communications to craft better customer experiences. Some IT executives, failing to recognize the opportunities cloud solutions can bring to their businesses, are reluctant to adopt this new communications platform. Savvy CIOs view it as a key enabler of a more agile, connected employee and customer experience. They recognize that providing employees with a more aligned communications platform will empower them to deliver a superior experience for customers. As with any new technology, there are several misconceptions and questions to consider.

These 8 most-asked questions will shed some light on how transformative cloud communications can be for your business:

1. Is it cost-effective? Cloud is more agile and requires less infrastructure than its on-premises counterpart. You only pay for what you use, allowing most companies to reap the benefits of savings while gaining in highly desirable collaboration, mobility and customer engagement features for employees.

2. Is cloud right for my size business? Not all cloud solutions offer robust capabilities and reliable platform to work as a successful communications model for companies. 8×8’s Cloud Communications and Contact Center platform supports 50,000 global businesses of all sizes, with a cloud solution that can grow with you, easily scaling up or down without compromising features.

3. How reliable is a cloud solution? Again, this depends on the solution you deploy, but cloud solutions are far more reliable than on-site hosted phone systems. 8×8’s Cloud Communications and Contact Center platform can increase your uptime significantly. Their agreements include a money-backed guarantee of 99.99% uptime.  Can your PBX provider offer the same?

4. Will I get global call capabilities? With 15 redundant data centers distributed across the globe, 8×8’s Cloud Communications and Contact Center platform offers international local, toll-free and local number transfer services in over 80 countries. Plus, 8×8’s patented geo-routing algorithm delivers the highest call quality regardless of where the caller is in the world.

5. How accessible is it? If it is a complete cloud communications solution, the solution delivers the full breadth of UC and contact center capabilities with the flexibility to add capabilities and users as needed. This includes contact centers and calling platforms. With a cloud communications system from 8×8, everything is accessible anytime, anywhere from any device.

6. Can it do what my phone does now? Nobody wants you to give up capabilities. A cloud communications solution from 8×8 offers you the full breadth of capabilities you depend on today including voice, video, messaging, meetings and customer engagement tools to improve productivity and revenues for your company.

7. Is a cloud solution secure and compliant with government regulations? It should be! 8×8’s Cloud Communications and Contact Center platform is backed with industry-leading security and compliance standards and has passed third-party audits for compliance with HIPAA, PCI-DSS, FISMA and other U.S. regulations.

8. How do you pay for the cloud? Cloud solutions are often more accessible to businesses of any size because instead of a capital outlay, they can be paid for monthly as an operating expense. 8×8‘s flexible mix of service packages provides more cost-effective solutions, while also reducing the amount of specialized IT skills and resources required to make the phones work.

Not all cloud communications solutions are created equal. A single Cloud Communications and Contact Center solution from 8×8 offers companies ONE platform that aligns and engages on all channels, creating a harmonized platform that empowers employees to deliver exceptional customer experiences.

Everyone’s talking about cloud solutions. Get the facts first. Contact us to learn more.