UCaaS vs. CCaaS: Which Does Your Business Need?

Today, businesses have several options to choose from when considering a digital cloud solution. However, the decision between UCaaS vs. CCaaS is one of the latest leading issues in customer support solutions.

We understand. It can be challenging to select an “as a Service” solution due to its complex and versatile concept.

At LDI Connect, we want our customers to feel good about the cloud-based solution they choose to implement.

To ensure that your company is implementing the right solution for your needs and capabilities, our cloud services division first assesses your current network infrastructure. After an assessment, we recommend either UCaaS solutions or CCaaS solutions to meet your particular cloud communication needs.

In this article, we will first define both UCaaS and CCaaS. Then we will address the differences between both solutions to help you understand which is a better fit for your business.

After reading this article, your business will better grasp who and what each cloud-based solution is for.

 

What Is UCaaS? 

UCaaS (Unified-Communications-as-a-Service) is a cloud-based platform that includes communication channels such as video conferencing, messaging, and VoIP (voice over IP).

UCaaS is delivered “as a service” through a service agreement with a cloud services provider or unified communications vendor.

You can think of UCaaS as a way for organizations to use one single streamlined platform to communicate efficiently.

With UCaaS, businesses can now use one platform to integrate all communication channels and data. Rather than use one video conferencing tool from one provider and a separate direct messaging tool with another.

For example, Microsoft Teams is a UCaaS platform that businesses streamline communication. Microsoft Teams includes video conferencing, direct messaging and supports VoIP phone calls to anyone.

With UCaaS, users can send and receive messages using a single platform that can work on any computing device.

 

What Is CCaaS? 

Even though CCaaS may appear like UCaaS, it has a different role.

For businesses interested in going beyond phone support, CCaaS offers a streamlined multi-channel alternative.

CCaaS, also known as Contact Center as a Service, is a cloud-based platform that improves customer support and communication.

Organizations use CCaaS platforms to create flexible and personalized customer experiences. So whether you have an on-site or distributed customer support center, a CCaaS platform is a great option.

While you don’t need a CCaaS solution to have a UCaaS solution, you typically need a UCaaS solution for operating a CCaaS Solution. Let’s discuss.

Take Microsoft Teams as an example. As we outline above, Microsoft Teams is a UCaaS solution. However, contact center integration for Microsoft Teams allows customer service teams to integrate a CCaaS solution into Teams.

Zoom Phone is another excellent example of a feature-rich CCaaS solution for businesses of all sizes. With Zoom Phone’s Microsoft Teams integration, your business can incorporate Zoom Phone and Zoom Meetings within your pre-existing Teams workflow.

Zoom Phone features call transfer, call forwarding, call recording, call delegation, voicemail, salesforce integration, shared line groups, Listen (Monitor), Elevate to Meeting, and several other features to help your team support customers.

In addition, the advanced analytics feature can support your monitoring of dashboards and call detail reporting, which enables users to monitor and troubleshoot call quality issues.

CCaaS functionality is helpful for businesses with customer support and sales call centers needing more than just phone support. The right integrations work with a CCaaS solution to provide a complete set of tools to enhance your customer’s experience.

 

2 Differences Between UCaaS & CCaaS? 

 

 

Here are two critical differences between UCaaS and CCaaS to consider for your business to adopt.

 

1. They’re Used For Different Purposes

Even though UCaaS and CCaaS are designed similarly, they each have a different purpose.

Companies use CCaaS to streamline and enhance interactions with customers.

The primary focus of CCaaS is to help sales and customer support employees create a better customer experience.

Whereas UCaaS facilitates communication between employees within the same company. Aside from typical calls, users can use emails, video conferences, chats, and messengers and switch between them.

UCaaS can offer employees a simple way of accessing a database of information and resources that inform them of what is going on to know when to jump in and help out a fellow employee.

 

2. Different Set of Features

A UCaaS platform can consolidate an organization’s enterprise communication applications like voice, messaging, conferencing, and video into one cloud-based platform. 

With the primary goal of enhancing the communication between your team members, UCaaS has a different set of tools and features.

A CCaaS system can boost customer support due to the many support channels. These channels help outbound salespeople or inbound service representatives save time and energy.

Let’s break down a few features between both so that you can see what you’re getting from both solutions.

UCaaS Features

• Voice Calls
• Call Conferences
• Text Chat
• Video Solutions
• Call Routing and Forwarding
• Voicemail-to-Email Transcription
• Conference Bridging

CCaaS Features

• Integration of Existing Tools
• Call Routing Services
• Automatic Call Distribution
• Customer Authentication
• Software Analytics Tracking
• Customer Experience Tracking

CCaaS includes analytics-based features to help understand how to improve calls moving forward.

Depending on the integration and subscription model, the features may vary for each solution.

 

Ready Is A Better Fit For Your Business’s Needs? 

UCaaS and CCaaS are great cloud-based solutions for businesses looking to improve communication and enhance business operations.

Yet, it all comes down to your reasoning to decide which is a better fit for your organization.

For example, suppose your business does not have a solution for your employees to communicate with one another. In that case, a UCaaS solution may better fit your needs.

Now let’s say your organization is looking to help your sales team track customer calls and create analytics reports after every call. In that case, integrating a CCaaS solution may better fit your business needs.

LDI Connect offers both UCaaS and CCaaS solutions for customers looking to implement cloud communication solutions. More specifically we offer LDI Elevate, Microsoft Teams, and Zoom. We also offer contact centers integration options such as Teams Calling and Zoom Phone.

If your business needs more help deciding, reach out to an LDI Connect representative today. We are here to help you choose the right cloud-based solution for your business.