In short: A cloud contact centre (CCaaS) is contact centre software run by a provider in the cloud. It routes calls and messages through IVR menus and queues to the right agent, gives supervisors live wallboards and monitoring tools, and records and reports on every interaction. Agents can work from the office or home with an app and headset.
What a cloud contact centre does
A contact centre is the part of an organisation that handles customer conversations at volume: sales lines, service desks, booking teams, helplines and reception for a group of sites. Contact centre as a service (CCaaS) moves the software that runs it into the provider's cloud, so there are no routing servers, recorders or reporting databases to buy and maintain.
Most platforms share the same building blocks:
- IVR (interactive voice response). Menus that greet callers and send them to the right team, out-of-hours messages and holiday schedules.
- Queues and skills-based routing. Calls wait in a queue and are offered to the most suitable available agent, by skill, priority or ring strategy.
- Agent states. Agents log in and out of queues and show as available, busy or in wrap-up, so the system only offers calls to people who can take them.
- Callback. Callers can leave the queue and be called back when an agent is free, instead of waiting on hold.
- Supervisor tools. Listen in silently, whisper to an agent without the caller hearing, or barge in to help on a difficult call.
- Wallboards and reporting. Live screens for calls waiting, longest wait and agent availability, plus historical reports on service levels and busy periods.
- Recording. Automatic recording of queue calls for quality, training and disputes. See business call recording.
- Digital channels. Live chat, WhatsApp, Facebook and SMS where the platform offers them, routed to the same agents.
The terms vary between vendors, so our phone system features glossary explains each one in plain English.
Contact centre or call centre phone system?
Not every customer-facing team needs a full contact centre. If your agents mainly handle phone calls, a business phone system with good call-centre features (queues, ring strategies, wallboards, recording) is often enough and simpler to run. We cover that route on our call centre phone system page.
A cloud contact centre earns its place when you need more: several channels in one queue, routing by skill across many teams, longer recording retention, detailed service-level reporting, or deep integration with a CRM so agents see the customer's history as the call arrives. Our phone system CRM integration guide explains what that integration looks like.
Contact centre options we supply
We are vendor-neutral, so we can compare several contact centre routes side by side. Summary:
| Option | What it is | Often suits |
|---|---|---|
| Forever Group Cloud Contact Center | Forever Group's Cisco-based cloud contact centre: IVR menus, queues with agent log in and out, recording kept for up to 7 years, live wallboards, executive reporting and remote agents as standard | Teams that want a managed contact centre with long recording retention and no equipment on site |
| Hosted 3CX PRO or AI edition | 3CX call queues with ring strategies, callback, wallboards, SLA alerts and CRM integration; the AI edition adds skills-based routing, AI Agents, full call transcription, summaries and sentiment analysis | Organisations that want the phone system and contact centre in one platform, with live chat, WhatsApp, Facebook and SMS |
| Webex Calling Customer Assist and Webex Contact Center | Cisco's options for Webex Calling: Customer Assist upgrades Webex Calling queues with agent and supervisor tools, and Webex Contact Center is Cisco's full cloud contact centre | Organisations already standardised on Cisco and Webex |
| Contact centre for Microsoft Teams | Teams Phone call queues, the Queues app in Teams Premium, Dynamics 365 Contact Center or a third-party contact centre certified for Teams | Organisations whose staff already work in Microsoft Teams all day |
| Forever UC Contact | Forever Group's top hosted phone system tier: call queues, call recording kept for 180 days, executive call reporting and live contact centre reports | Smaller service teams that need queues and live reporting without a separate contact centre |
The 3CX editions differ a lot in contact centre depth, so read 3CX editions compared before choosing one.
What to compare between platforms
Feature lists look similar. These are the questions that separate one platform from another in practice:
| Area | What to ask |
|---|---|
| Routing | Can calls route by skill, priority and time of day? Is callback available, and does it keep the caller's place? |
| Channels | Which channels share a queue with voice today, and which are on the roadmap? |
| Supervisors | Can supervisors listen, whisper and barge from the app they already use? Can they change agent states remotely? |
| Reporting | Are wallboards live? How far back does historical reporting go, and can it be exported? |
| Recording | Is recording automatic per queue? How long are recordings kept, where are they stored and who can search them? |
| CRM | Is there a native integration for your CRM, or does it need a connector or custom work? |
| Agents | Do agents need a desk phone, or can they work in a browser or app with a headset? |
| Numbers | Can you keep your existing numbers? See number porting. |
Who each route suits
A few patterns we see often:
- A handful of agents, phone only. A call centre phone system such as Forever UC Contact, 3CX PRO or Teams call queues usually covers it.
- A growing service team with chat and messaging. 3CX PRO or AI brings voice, live chat, WhatsApp, Facebook and SMS together on one platform.
- Regulated or complaint-heavy work. Long recording retention and strong reporting point towards Forever Group Cloud Contact Center or a dedicated contact centre product.
- A Microsoft 365 organisation. Start with Teams Phone call queues, then add the Queues app, Dynamics 365 Contact Center or a certified contact centre as needs grow.
- A Cisco estate. Webex Calling with Webex Calling Customer Assist or Webex Contact Center keeps everything in one vendor's tools.
If you are still choosing the phone platform itself, see our cloud phone system comparison.
Moving to a cloud contact centre
- Map today's call flows. Numbers, menus, queues, opening hours, overflow rules and who answers what.
- Design queues and skills. Group agents by skill and decide ring strategies, callback rules and service-level targets.
- Plan numbers. Port existing numbers or add new ones, with diverts in place while the port completes.
- Connect the CRM. Agree what pops on screen, what is logged and where recordings are attached.
- Set the recording policy. Which calls are recorded, how callers are told, how long recordings are kept and who can access them.
- Check the network and devices. Connectivity, voice priority on the office network and headsets for home agents. See hosted VoIP.
- Pilot, train and go live. Test with one team first, train agents and supervisors, then move the rest.
How Forever Systems helps
We compare the contact centre options against your call volumes, channels and CRM, then design, build and support the one you choose. We handle numbers, porting, headsets, CRM connection and training, and we stay involved after go-live for changes to queues and reporting.
For pricing, ask us for a quote: costs depend on the platform, number of agents, channels, recording retention and contract term. Contact us to start.
More on cloud contact centres
Why choose your cloud phone system with Forever Systems
We are vendor-neutral. Forever Group supplies and supports several cloud phone platforms, so we recommend the one that fits how your organisation works rather than the one we happen to sell.
- Side-by-side comparison of hosted 3CX, Microsoft Teams Phone, Forever UC, Forever Teams and Webex Calling for your users
- Contact centre and call recording options matched to your call volumes and CRM
- Number porting, handsets and set-up handled for you, including the move off analogue and ISDN lines
- Connectivity checked so call quality is right from day one
- UK support for moves, adds, changes and faults
- For BT Cloud Voice, see our BT Business Partner site cloudvoice.cloud
We work with businesses, schools, charities and public sector organisations. We do not sell consumer phone services.
Want a vendor-neutral cloud phone system comparison and quote?
Tell Forever Systems what you need and we will come back to you by email with options, not a hard sell.
Contact usFrequently asked questions
What is the difference between a contact centre and a call centre?
A call centre handles phone calls. A contact centre handles several channels, such as calls, live chat, messaging apps and SMS, usually with routing by skill, supervisor tools and CRM integration. Many smaller teams only need call centre features, which most business phone systems now include.
What does CCaaS stand for?
CCaaS means contact centre as a service. The contact centre software (routing, queues, recording, reporting) runs in the provider's cloud and is billed as a subscription, so there are no servers to install or maintain on site.
Can contact centre agents work from home?
Yes. Cloud contact centres are built for it. Agents log in through a browser, desktop app or mobile app with a headset, and supervisors see them on the same wallboards and reports as office-based agents.
Can a cloud contact centre integrate with our CRM?
Usually, yes. Many platforms offer ready-made integrations for common CRMs such as Salesforce, HubSpot, Microsoft Dynamics 365 and Zoho, plus APIs for others. The depth varies, so check that screen pop, call logging and recording links work with your CRM.
How much does a cloud contact centre cost?
It depends on the platform, the number of agents and supervisors, the channels you need, recording retention and contract length. Ask us for a quote and we will compare the options side by side.