While businesses of all sizes are discovering the benefits of using cloud-based solutions, the model is particularly compelling for small businesses. These companies, which don’t have large amounts of capital to lay out on technology investments, can use cloud-based solutions to achieve results similar to those of larger organizations, but without the cost. The cloud is particularly attractive for customer support.

Once upon a time, most small businesses probably couldn’t afford what might be termed a “call center.” There might be one or two people designated to answer the phone, but the process was inefficient and often frustrating for customers. A cloud-based customer support solution, which small companies can use without a large upfront investment and simply a monthly subscription fee, can help bridge the gap between what customers expect and what the company has the capability to offer, according to a recent blog post on the Web site Rhonda’s Virtual Office.

“In a nutshell, US-based call center software allows you to be able to have greater control of your customer service process in a more standardized way,” wrote the blogger. “Clients hate not being able to get the answers they need when they need it.”

While some small companies may turn to a third-party organization to handle calls or billing requests, it’s important that the small business and its subcontractors are working from the same place, according to Rhonda’s Virtual Office.

“For example, if you are selling a membership service on your Web site as a part of a product or service that you offer, then you need a customer service department that can handle calls regarding billing, general inquiries and help desk questions,” wrote the blogger. “If you hire all these subcontractors to do this service without a central platform for them to operate from it can create utter chaos for your business.”

A cloud-based contact center solution designed for small businesses can allow your company to manage your customer service needs with a high degree of flexibility and a good feature set, all while saving time, money and adhering to telecommunications rules and regulations. Because the solution is cloud-based, it will be updated and maintained by the solution provider (who is also responsible for security), and you can scale up or down as your business grows, or seasonality causes it to contract.

Small businesses already have many challenges they need to overcome. Being able to serve customers to their expectations shouldn’t be one of them.