What is a Hosted Contact Center

What does a hosted contact center mean?

A hosted, or cloud contact center is a type of contact center that is managed remotely by a third-party provider. This setup uses offsite servers and cloud infrastructure, eliminating the need for on-premises hardware and software. The third-party provider handles hosting, updates and scaling, allowing agents to work from any location with internet access, ensuring flexibility and convenience.

Here’s a quick rundown of the differences between a hosted contact center and an on-premise contact center.

Feature	Hosted Contact Center	On-Premise Contact Center
Infrastructure Location	Offsite, managed by a third-party provider	Onsite, within the organization's facilities
Cost Structure	Lower initial costs, subscription-based	Higher initial investment, capital expenditure
Maintenance and Updates	Handled by the provider	Handled internally by the organization
Scalability	Easily scalable through subscription adjustments	Limited by physical capacity and resources
Flexibility	Accessible from anywhere with internet	Access restricted to physical location
Security	Dependent on the provider's security protocols	Directly managed and controlled by the organization
Reliability	Depends on provider’s uptime and redundancy	Depends on in-house systems and backup strategies

Now that you understand what a hosted contact center is, let’s jump into the factors you need to consider when moving to a hosted contact center.

What to consider when choosing a hosted contact center solution?

Here are the factors to consider when choosing a hosted contact center solution.

Cost: Assess all expenses, including setup, integrations and long-term operational costs.
Security compliance: Verify robust security protocols and compliance with standards like GDPR and PCI.
Essential features: Ensure AI-first compatibility, agent assist features and seamless integrations.
Omnichannel support: Choose a solution that empowers you with a unified customer profile for holistic, contextual service experiences.
Reliability and uptime: Confirm the provider's service reliability, uptime guarantees, and geographic redundancy options.

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