November 21, 2011
IVR in the Cloud with Plum Voice
By Susan J. Campbell, TMCnet Contributing Editor
The hype in the technology space is a migration to the cloud, but is this a trend for all businesses, or merely something readily embraced by the small- and mid-sized business (SMB)? While it’s true that nearly half of all SMBs have started to adopt cloud services, a number of large corporations adopted cloud services, both public and private, early on due to the inherent ease of use and cost benefits. Whether accounting services or IVR, the cloud can make sense for any organization.
For its part, Plum Voice offers both hosted and onsite interactive voice response (IVR) systems. And, while the cloud does offer benefits, the onsite deployment option can also be beneficial in the right environment. These onsite systems are built primarily for those who prefer managing their own equipment. IVR systems offered by Plum Voice are built in-house by Plum’s engineers and equipped with carrier-grade servers and limitless scalability. As a result, IVR customers can receive solid systems with unlimited upgrade capabilities.
The hosted IVR solutions offered by Plum Voice are built on the Plum VoiceXML platform and managed by the company’s experienced engineer team. All systems are hosted in the company’s world-class data centers in the U.S. and Europe, providing necessary IVR features such as disaster recovery, fault tolerance, 24x7 operations and unlimited port capacity.
Plum Voice noted a significant customer migration within the market to hosted IVR applications. While hosted applications are Plum’s version of the cloud, they are built and managed remotely by Plum’s professionals. Now, customers are enjoying the benefits of a system that is managed offsite by industry professionals, eliminating the need to take up space onsite or employing in-house IT experts to manage the system.
The hosted IVR platform from Plum Voice includes all features of the onsite systems, including a 99.999 percent uptime guarantee. Customers also enjoy 24x7 support from Plum’s professional services team. With the benefits associated with hosted IVR, a number of Plum’s onsite customers are making the transition to the hosted world.
As SMBs continue to adopt cloud technology and implement this deployment model for IVR in their day-to-day business operations, they are also leveraging emerging technologies such as the tablet. Plus, with the fluctuations of the economy, technology budgets can be uncertain and the cloud is proving to be a more cost effective option, contributing to its growth. Companies of all sizes can also benefit from the ease of adoption and the flexibility of IVR in the cloud, scaling as necessary to accommodate growth, market changes and even the seasonality of specific industries. In partnering with Plum Voice, users can ensure their IVR deployment matches their strategic goals and delivers a satisfying experience for all users.
Susan J. Campbell is a contributing editor for TMCnet and has also written for eastbiz.com. To read more of Susan’s articles, please visit her columnist page.
Edited by Juliana Kenny
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