Cloud Center Cloud Migration: 10 Questions To Ask Before Moving

What Is Contact Center Cloud Migration?

Migrating your contact center to the cloud involves shifting your communication infrastructure like voice, messaging, email, chat, and analytics from on-premise systems to cloud-hosted platforms. A well-planned contact center cloud migration offers greater scalability, flexibility, and reduced overhead, but requires careful evaluation of technology, processes, and people.

Moving your contact center to the cloud is a big step for any business, and it’s important to make sure you’re prepared. While there are many benefits to be gained from switching to a cloud-based contact center – such as improved efficiency, higher customer satisfaction, and reduced costs – choosing the wrong solution can create significant challenges in the long term.

Key Benefits of Contact Center Cloud Migration

Shifting from on-premise systems to a cloud contact center isn’t just a technical upgrade. It’s a strategic move that can dramatically improve service, reduce costs, and future-proof your operations. Below are the core benefits of contact center cloud migration:

1. Enhanced Flexibility & Scalability

Cloud platforms allow you to scale your contact center up or down based on seasonal demand or business growth without investing in new hardware or infrastructure. Whether you’re opening new locations or adding remote agents, cloud-based solutions adapt instantly.

2. Cost Savings and Operational Efficiency

By eliminating physical infrastructure, businesses reduce capital expenses (CapEx) and ongoing maintenance costs. With cloud contact center solutions, you only pay for what you use, which helps you control costs and improve ROI.

3. Improved Customer Experience with Omnichannel Support

Cloud platforms enable seamless omnichannel communication across voice, chat, email, SMS, and social media. Customers enjoy faster resolutions, consistent experiences, and the ability to switch channels without repeating themselves.

4. Faster Deployment and Easier Management

Traditional contact center setups can take months to deploy. In contrast, a cloud contact center can be implemented in weeks or even days. Centralized management tools also simplify agent onboarding, workflow customization, and performance monitoring.

5. Built-In Business Continuity and Disaster Recovery

Cloud systems offer better uptime and built-in redundancy. Even if your primary location is affected by an outage, your agents can continue operating remotely, minimizing service disruption and ensuring business continuity.

6. Remote-Ready and Future-Proof

A cloud contact center empowers remote and hybrid workforces, which not only improves employee satisfaction and retention but also ensures your business remains resilient and competitive in a distributed work environment.

7. Security and Compliance at Scale

Leading providers offer enterprise-grade security features such as encryption, multi-factor authentication, and role-based access, plus compliance with regulations like HIPAA, PCI-DSS, or GDPR. This makes it easier to protect sensitive data while meeting industry-specific requirements.

Before migrating to the cloud, you should identify your needs and current capabilities to see what gaps the right cloud provider can fill. Talking through any concerns you may have with your potential provider can help you develop a plan for success and ensure you avoid purchasing a cloud contact center that isn’t a good fit.

10 Questions to Ask Before Moving Your Contact Center to the Cloud

To help you make the best decision for your business, we’re sharing 10 questions you should consider before migrating your call center to the cloud.

1. Do You Need an Omnichannel Contact Center?

The term “omnichannel” has become a buzzword over the past couple of years, but there’s a good reason for it. 57% of customers prefer to engage with businesses through digital channels,1 so providing multiple channels for customers to reach your business is critical for improving customer satisfaction. With an omnichannel contact center, customers will have consistent experiences with your agents regardless of whether they’re using voice, email, chat, or text.

2. What Is Your Budget?

Cloud-based contact center solutions often cost less than on-premise call centers, which require expensive hardware, installation, and ongoing maintenance. However, costs can vary significantly depending on your chosen provider and solution. As with any big technology purchase, it’s important to have a set budget in mind before meeting with potential cloud vendors.

3. What Are Your Security and Compliance Needs?

Considering hackers can penetrate 93% of corporate networks,2 security and data privacy should be top of mind when choosing a cloud contact center solution. Without effective cyber security measures to prevent unauthorized access, your call center data could fall victim to a malicious user – who might then be able to access the rest of your network. Be sure to ask your potential solution provider what security features they offer to keep your data safe in the cloud.

Additionally, consider whether your business is subject to specific regulations. If so, you’ll need to check that your contact center provider is compliant – or risk facing potential fines or other penalties for failing to meet regulatory requirements.

4. What Are Your Scalability Needs?

Improved scalability is one of the key benefits of moving your call center to the cloud – but you need to make sure the solution you choose can grow with your business as your needs change. Consider your plans for future growth, such as opening new locations or onboarding more staff. If a solution doesn’t make it easy to add users, you’ll likely face difficulty when it’s time to scale your business.

5. Does Your Provider Have an Uptime Guarantee?

Unplanned downtime can be disastrous for businesses of all sizes, with over 60% of outages resulting in at least $100,000 in losses.3 The right cloud provider should offer peace of mind with an uptime guarantee and proactive steps to resolve issues in the event of a failure. Plus, consider whether you need a disaster recovery plan and business continuity plan to ensure you can get your business back up and running no matter what.

6. Do You Need to Integrate With Existing Systems?

If your agents rely on existing systems, such as a CRM or reporting software, you need to make sure your contact center solution can integrate with them. Not all solutions offer seamless integrations, so remember to ask about a potential solution’s integration capabilities.

7. What Level of Support Is Provided?

Many business operations depend on your contact center working effectively, so support is an important consideration when choosing a cloud provider. If you encounter an issue or outage, your provider must be available to deliver fast, responsive support whenever you need it.

8. Does Your Solution Facilitate Remote Work?

Cloud contact centers let employees work remotely, which can dramatically reduce turnover. Research shows that the retention rate for remote workers is 80%, versus only 25% for on-premise call center agents.4 And while happier employees provide better customer service, cloud contact center solutions also simplify staff management regardless of location. If you’ve opted for a hybrid work environment, keeping track of onsite and work-from-anywhere teams is easy.

9. What Features Are Included?

Of course, not all businesses are alike, and the same is true for contact center features. Basic features like voice, text, and instant messaging are fundamental, but more advanced services like call routing, call recording, and reporting can make a big impact on the effectiveness of your contact center solution. 

10. Is Your Provider Reputable?

Last but not least, check whether you’re choosing an experienced, trusted cloud provider. Look for independent reviews and customer feedback to see if they have a good track record in delivering quality technology and support. You can also ask for references from past customers and reach out to learn about their experiences with the provider. Ultimately, you want to work with a company with a solid reputation for providing reliable, high-quality service.

Contact Center Cloud Migration Challenges to Watch For

While migrating your contact center to the cloud offers significant benefits, the process isn’t without challenges. Understanding these early can help you plan ahead, avoid delays, and ensure a smooth transition.

1. Legacy System Compatibility

One of the biggest hurdles is integrating legacy on-premise systems with modern cloud contact center platforms. Custom-built tools, outdated CRMs, or non-standard telephony setups may not migrate cleanly, requiring custom integrations or phased replacements.

2. Data Migration Risks

Migrating large volumes of customer data, call recordings, and interaction history comes with risks. Data loss, corruption, or compliance issues can arise without a clear data migration strategy and backup plan.

3. Downtime and Service Disruption

Poor planning or rushed implementation can lead to service outages, dropped calls, or unresponsive channels during the migration window. Mitigate this with a detailed migration plan, rollback strategy, and staged cutover.

4. Training and User Adoption

Agents and supervisors accustomed to legacy systems may struggle with a new interface or features. Without proper training, productivity can suffer and resistance to adoption may grow.

5. Security and Compliance Gaps

Transitioning to a cloud environment may expose your business to new security risks. If the new provider lacks robust encryption, access controls, or compliance certifications (like HIPAA or PCI-DSS), your organization could face legal or reputational risks.

6. Unexpected Costs

While cloud solutions reduce infrastructure spending, hidden costs such as premium support, additional user licenses, API access fees, or custom development can inflate your budget post-migration.

7. Vendor Lock-In

Some providers use proprietary systems that make it difficult or costly to switch platforms later. It’s important to assess long-term flexibility and portability before committing to a specific cloud contact center vendor.

On-Premise to Cloud Contact Center Migration Checklist

Migrating your contact center from on-premise infrastructure to the cloud requires careful planning to avoid disruption and ensure long-term success. Use this checklist to guide your cloud contact center migration process:

1. Assess Your Current Contact Center Environment

Take inventory of your existing systems, hardware, and communication tools. Identify what can be migrated, what needs replacement, and any current limitations or performance issues.

2. Define Clear Objectives

Clarify your migration objectives from the start. Whether it's reducing costs, enabling remote teams, improving scalability, or elevating the customer experience, your goals should guide both your cloud strategy and provider selection.

3. Set a Realistic Budget

Calculate the total cost of ownership (TCO), including subscription fees, integrations, training, and potential downtime. Compare costs to your existing on-premise infrastructure.

4. Choose the Right Cloud Contact Center Provider

Evaluate vendors based on uptime guarantees, security certifications, compliance support, scalability, and integration capabilities. Ask for demos and references.

5. Ensure Security and Compliance Readiness

Confirm that the provider meets your industry’s security standards (e.g., HIPAA, PCI, GDPR) and that your data will be protected in transit and at rest.

6. Plan for Integration With Existing Systems

Make sure the new cloud solution integrates with your CRM, ticketing platforms, analytics tools, and other critical systems to avoid workflow disruptions.

7. Develop a Migration Timeline & Communication Plan

Create a phased migration plan with clear milestones and fallback procedures. Communicate timelines with internal teams and prepare your support staff accordingly.

8. Test Before Full Deployment

Run a pilot program or soft launch. Test integrations, call quality, routing logic, analytics, and security protocols to identify and resolve issues early.

9. Train Your Agents and Admins

Provide comprehensive training to contact center agents and managers on the new platform’s interface, features, and processes to reduce ramp-up time.

10. Monitor, Optimize, and Scale

After deployment, monitor performance using built-in analytics. Collect feedback, optimize call flows, and scale as needed to support growth.

Contact Center Cloud Migration Best Practices

A successful cloud contact center migration goes beyond switching platforms It requires cross-functional planning, clear communication, and a focus on long-term scalability. Follow these best practices to reduce risk and maximize ROI:

1. Align Migration Goals With Business Objectives

Before making any changes, define clear goals tied to business outcomes. Whether it’s reducing operational costs, enabling remote work, improving customer experience, or supporting growth. These objectives should shape your entire migration strategy.

2. Involve Key Stakeholders Early

Engage IT, customer service managers, compliance officers, and front-line agents early in the process. Their insights can help identify risks, integration needs, and workflow improvements that may not be obvious from a top-down view.

3. Choose a Scalable, Future-Ready Platform

Select a cloud contact center solution that supports your future needs, not just your current ones. Look for built-in omnichannel capabilities, AI features, integration flexibility, and vendor support that can grow with your business.

4. Prioritize Data Security and Compliance

Work closely with your provider to ensure data privacy, security, and compliance with industry regulations (e.g., HIPAA, PCI-DSS, GDPR). Verify encryption standards, access controls, and the provider’s incident response protocols.

5. Run a Pilot Before Full Rollout

Test the new system with a select team of users or departments. Use this phase to validate call quality, workflows, reporting tools, and integrations. Make adjustments before expanding to your entire contact center.

6. Invest in Training and Change Management

Prepare your team with hands-on training sessions tailored to different user roles such as agents, supervisors, and admins. Offer ongoing support and documentation to ensure full adoption and minimize downtime.

7. Monitor Performance and Iterate

After go-live, track KPIs like call resolution time, customer satisfaction, and agent productivity. Use real-time analytics to identify issues and continuously optimize your cloud contact center environment.

Ready to Migrate Your Contact Center to the Cloud? UniVoIP Makes It Easy

Migrating to a cloud-based contact center can take your customer service to the next level, improve agent productivity, lower costs, and much more. But if you’re still struggling to find a best-fit cloud contact center solution for your business, UniVoIP is here to help. 

We offer a customer-centric cloud contact center with all the features you need to provide a seamless, omnichannel experience. Our one-stop solution integrates voice, text, email, and chat alongside advanced tools like interactive voice response (IVR) to ensure your customers get the support they need. Real-time and historical reporting data provide full transparency across all channels to improve customer service, and traffic analysis makes it easy to know when more staff are needed.

Contact UniVoIP today to learn more about how we can help you move your call center to the cloud with a scalable, omnichannel cloud contact center solution. 

Sources:

1. https://www.salesforce.com/content/dam/web/en_us/www/documents/research/salesforce-state-of-the-connected-customer-fifth-ed.pdf
2. https://www.forbes.com/sites/chuckbrooks/2022/06/03/alarming-cyber-statistics-for-mid-year-2022-that-you-need-to-know/
3. https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20220608005265/en/Uptime-Institute%E2%80%99s-2022-Outage-Analysis-Finds-Downtime-Costs-and-Consequences-Worsening-as-Industry-Efforts-to-Curb-Outage-Frequency-Fall-Short
4. https://www.frost.com/files/7314/0985/8803/At-Home_Agents_A_Model_for_the_Future.pdf