CCaaS vs. CPaaS: What's Best for Your Business?

Today’s businesses have different operational trends than those that have come before them. Many companies are taking advantage of cloud technology and migrating to the virtual world, which invites them into a whole new selection of providers to assist them along the way. Known as “as a service” solutions, these are helping provide a better customer experience and improve business communications in the cloud. 

Understanding which of these solutions is best for your business will start with learning about what each one is and what it offers. With all the lingo and acronyms out there, it can be hard to keep up. In this guide, we’ll take a look at CCaaS and CPaaS, including what they are, how they work, and which is the better solution for your business.

What is CCaaS?

CCaaS stands for Contact Center as a Service, which is a platform designed to ease the job for companies who are trying to communicate with customers. These platforms, or companies providing the platforms, can be summoned for all kinds of backend communication solutions, offering cost-effective, flexible options for the modern business. 

These platforms come in all different shapes and sizes. The goal is to connect and interact with customers more easily than ever before. CCaaS enhances the continuity of communications throughout the customer journey, even when you outsource some of the work. Most platforms include features like:

• Virtual attendants
• Advanced reporting tools
• Call recording options
• Agent coaching and live monitoring
• Softphone for inbound and outbound dialing
• Automated call routing and distribution

CCaaS offers a quick startup and a good value for the money, with plenty of different features available. You can even monitor performance and track calls. Plus, the majority of these platforms are “plug and play,” which means they can be used from the moment of installation. They also come with customization features for those who want them. If you have the means to provide the team, this could be the way to manage your communications more effectively. 

What is CPaaS?

Communications Platform as a Service, rather than an actual contact center platform, is a communications tool that is based in the cloud and designed to help organizations improve communication abilities. Using customizable APIs, businesses can communicate with video, voice, or messaging and customers expect those options to be available in the most efficient ways possible. 

In this “instant gratification” society where customers expect queries to be resolved quickly and effectively, it’s up to you to provide that solution. CPaaS allows you to create your own communications platform without having to build and fund the entire tech stack. There are sample code resources included, along with pre-built applications and integrations, and an API that makes it easy to download and add solutions. 

CPaaS allows you to create a more personalized, one-on-one customer experience. You can use tools like appointment reminders, help desk solutions, and more. You can even integrate this with your CRM to ensure that your agents have all the information about inbound callers that they need to provide the most personalized experience possible. As a bonus, it can also help you track engagement and find areas to improve. 

This is essentially an extension of CCaaS and UCaaS (Unified Communications as a Service, another solution), allowing you to add just what you need to your existing hardware or tech stack. These platforms are sometimes more expensive and generally have more bells and whistles than some SMBs need. However, they do offer affordable, customizable solutions that will scale and grow with your business. 

Perhaps another major perk that companies note is that they have minimal training and input since their employees only have to learn a new software tool, not a brand new tech ecosystem. There are plenty of perks to be had here for the business that just needs a little help. 

How can I choose the right solution?

There isn’t a formula that you can use or a flowchart that will lead you to the exact right answer here (or anywhere in business, for that matter). However, if you want to be sure that you’re choosing the right tools and services, consider things like:

• How much time you have to manage the communications on your own
• Do you have a team of people to run the software?
• Are you looking for an inclusive communication solution or just a cloud-based calling solution?
• What other collaboration tools do you want?
• Does the platform/solution integrate with your existing tools and applications?
• What’s your budget like?

For example, if you’re on a tight budget and you don’t really have the means to manage everything, CCaaS or even UCaaS could be the ideal choice. However, if you want something that you can add to your existing ecosystem to enhance your communications, CPaaS could provide everything that you need. 

Feel free to check things out and talk to different providers and vendors to see what their solutions offer. Typically, you’ll find all kinds of platforms and products out there that can help you streamline communications in the cloud. In fact, there’s so much out there today that narrowing down your choices will prove to be more difficult than finding resources in the first place. 

Partner with Smith.ai and worry less about your business communications 

Today’s business world is all about creating the most effective, unified solutions for communications, marketing, sales, and everything in between. If you’re trying to take advantage of the “as a service” industry to improve your business, consider a partnership with the dedicated virtual receptionists at Smith.ai. Our 24/7 answering service solutions can be combined with our resources for live chat, lead intake, and appointment scheduling.

We can even go one step further and help with your outreach campaigns and outbound sales to get the leads flowing in the first place. And whatever we do, we’ll work with you to customize a strategy to ensure that we can manage it all. 

To learn more, schedule a consultation to discuss what the 24/7 virtual receptionists at Smith.ai can do for your business. You can also reach us at hello@smith.ai or (650) 727-6484.