Best Cloud Communication Platform for Your Team in 2023

More or less, remote teams have encountered communication issues from their recently evolved way of working. Challenges can range from micro examples like employees handling too many tools to macro ones like the information technology (IT) team managing all of the following:

• Global communication systems
• Contact centres
• Communication apps

Such communication concerns can clog up workflows—with a broader impact on employee collaboration, efficiency, and connectivity. This type of situation requires a flexible solution. And that's where a cloud communications platform comes in.

Stick with us to learn more about this service and how to spot the best cloud based communication platform for your business.

What Is a Cloud Communications Platform?

You probably have an idea about cloud communication, the internet-based form of communication that has replaced the Public Switched Telephone Network (PSTN). Its channels include live chat, web calls, video calls, and emails.

So, a cloud communications platform refers to the delivery model that allows you to:

1. Tailor your communication services according to what your team needs or  

2. Combine multiple channels in one place to optimise team experiences

CPaaS vs UCaaS: Which Should You Choose?

The first functionality mentioned above is what cloud communication platform as a service (CPaaS) is known for. Thanks to its customisation feature, CPaaS adds brilliant capabilities to your team communications, such as voice calls, video calls, text messages or short messaging service (SMS), conference calls, and multimedia file-sharing.

Now, the second functionality, called unified communications as a service (UCaaS), takes it to the next level. How? By bringing all those capabilities together within a single cloud-based platform. Not only does it prevent overwhelm among employees this way, but it also frees up your IT team from managing bulky infrastructure on-site and saves your business money.

What Features Are Included in a Cloud Communications Platform?

With UCaaS being the more comprehensive solution, let's focus on some of the features it comes with:

Ability to Connect Services

A reliable enterprise cloud communications platform lets your team seamlessly reach out to internal and external parties. Thus, it should be able to provide access to popular messaging channels like SMS, email, Messenger, Line, and WhatsApp.  

At the same time, a powerful unified communications platform should be able to convert between PSTN and VoIP or from voice call to live chat seamlessly and enable your staff to switch effortlessly between voice, chat, video, and conferencing.

Foolproof Profile Administration

This part is a simple yet perfect example of how onboarding new technological tools should be done. Frustration with a tool can contribute to a subpar employee experience, which in turn ripples throughout the organisation.  

And so, it's crucial to pick a cloud communications platform that unifies customer experience (CX) and employee experience (EX), supporting team collaboration on the same platform. This makes it easy to set up administrator and staff profiles. Admins can create and manage profiles for your agents, directing their focus toward more essential tasks. It's a win-win for both the business and employees since it establishes a secure environment, boosts satisfaction, and increases productivity.

Excellent Security

Speaking of security, expect the best cloud communications platform to have it built into its most basic plan. It should have data encryption capability, which allows you to store all interaction data, such as chats, calls, conferences, and files, without you worrying about data breaches.

Also, a UCaaS worth its salt will let you manage roles and permissions to set appropriate data access, while logging a record of who's accessing data and letting you monitor changes to the system.

Exceptional Scalability

Without being tied up to on-premises services, a cloud-based communications platform lends itself to easy scalability. You can scale it up or down according to your needs. In the context of global teams, you can efficiently connect your staff across the world as your business grows.  

Solid Reporting and Analytics

A platform won't be a true cloud-based or digital solution without the ability to collate data from various sources in a meaningful way. But an outstanding one will also empower you to do it yourself: transforming raw data into actionable insights.

Here are some examples of reports that our very own UCaaS, CINNOX, generates for your teams:

• Enquiry Detail Report
• Call Report
• Conference Report
• Chat Report
• Visitor Report

• Visitor Report
• Staff Report*
• SMS Report

* Use the Staff Report to monitor your employees and start a conversation about gaps and opportunities in their day-to-day schedule.

Impressive Practicality and Cost-Effectiveness

With new features and enhancements available automatically to your team, you can continuously perform tasks and serve customers. There's also no need to switch between tools that often because you can access all of them on one platform.

Moreover, it’s entirely possible to set up the platform without involving the IT team. It can get up and running in minutes since it doesn’t require complicated codes.

How To Choose the Best Cloud Communication Platform?

On top of ticking the features off the list above, there are a few more things to keep in mind when shortlisting and choosing from the best mobile cloud communication platforms:

Combines Digital and Telecom Channels

In aiming to leverage a cloud communication platform for business transformation, your employees should engage customers through the latter's preferred channels. This situation is not limited to digital channels like email, web, and social media—reports say many consumers still want to speak with a support representative via phone and receive SMS offers.

So, don't settle for anything less than a platform that combines traditional telephony and digital channels. Go for a cloud communication platform for business that can convert an offline conversation into an online chat or call.

Enables Jumping on Calls To Help a Staff Member or Colleague

Sometimes, it may need more than one agent to solve a customer enquiry. In this case, the customer-facing staff member can add an expert, their boss, or a colleague to an ongoing discussion. Really, anyone more knowledgeable about the matter. The same expert can also take over the interaction if the need arises.

At CINNOX, we have both features for joining an ongoing interaction and enquiry takeover during chat, voice, or video call. Either way, the host employee's goal is to resolve a customer's issue by collaborating with another employee as soon as possible. This allows a team or even cross-functional teams to work together to deliver customer delight and business success.

Respects Privacy and Demonstrates Compliance

Last but not least, the best cloud communications platform should prioritise protecting customers' privacy. That's why we maintain strong and compliant privacy protections in line with the provisions of the Hong Kong Personal Data (Privacy) Ordinance (CAP 486), and the General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR). We value your trust in us, so we ensure our information's privacy will remain private and in the right hands.

Further, we can support global businesses as we meet global compliance standards, including:

• ISO 9001
• ISO 27001
• ISO 20000  
• ISO 27017

Learn more about our privacy and compliance efforts.

Design an Extraordinary Team Experience

Don’t wait until your team’s collaboration, efficiency, and connectivity suffer due to complicated or fragmented communications solutions. With a unified cloud communications platform, you can create a winning moment for your team, so they can be empowered to make your customers the happiest.

Find the right platform for your team to flourish. Get started with CINNOX today.