The way we shop for products has changed in the past couple decades, thanks to the Internet. This applies to everyone from consumers to CTOs: We want to research products and pricing on our own – at least in the preliminary stages – without having to sit through a sales pitch from every vendor out there.

Unfortunately, this is not always easy with tech purchases, including cloud-based call center software. Many vendors don’t publish pricing on their websites – or even complete details about product features. You have to call to get that information, and in many cases they require you to provide your business name, phone number and email address in trade for the information. After that, you’ll be fielding sales calls for weeks, even if all you wanted was basic information.

(BTW: We recently called a variety of vendors to collect better pricing info and make it public. Check out that blog here.)

So…why all the secrecy? 

To be fair, we can understand the thought process that goes in to wanting to entice a customer to call. It’s easier to sell someone on the merits of your products when you can talk to them. If all the information about pricing and features is posted on your website, some potential customers might rule you out based on what they see. They might never call to learn more about the product or schedule a demo.

We also think the secrecy goes back to the days when cloud software didn’t exist and on-premise systems were the only option. Prices for on-premise software are tougher to predict because they depend heavily on the type of hardware you choose and local installation costs. There’s far less variability with cloud pricing because there’s no hardware or installation required, but many legacy vendors that now offer cloud versions of their products don’t reveal pricing for those cloud products either. They’ve always operated that way, and old habits die hard.

Finally, there has always been an element of sticker shock attached to on-premise systems, which can cost tens or hundreds of thousands of dollars upfront. Publishing those figures might have scared customers off. That’s not much of a concern with cloud software because the monthly rates are low and little if any money is due upfront. But again, change can be difficult, particularly for vendors who have operated a certain way for many decades.

Why transparency is better 

We believe in transparency when it comes to pricing for a variety of reasons, and we think more vendors should operate that way. Here are some of the potential pitfalls of not being upfront about pricing.

• As we said earlier, buying behaviors have changed. We’re living in an age of information, and business customers expect transparency from their vendors. The lack of it frustrates them. If you’re making customers jump through hoops just to get basic information, you might turn them off before you have the chance to sell them anything.

• Assuming customers aren’t capable of evaluating your product on their own underestimates them. Sure, they’ll eventually need to chat with salespeople and do a demo if they’re interested in the software, but comparing features versus pricing among vendors on a basic, preliminary level is something they can do without help. Armed with the right information, tech buyers know how to weed out what doesn’t fit.

• If your prices and features aren’t clearly advertised, some potential customers might bypass you altogether. They’ll want to do their own research and then approach a few vendors that seem best suited based on what they find. If they can’t get enough information to make a decision about you one way or the other, you might get skipped over.

Kunnect sells 100% cloud-based call center software that includes a predictive dialer to businesses and political campaigns. Our software, hosted seamlessly in the Amazon platform, manages all inbound and outbound calling for a flat rate of $125 per agent per month with a flat deposit of $125 per user. There are no hidden fees. In addition to the predictive dialer, features include: inbound and outbound calling, CRM integration, call scripting, call recording, ACD, skills-based routing, IVR, live monitoring, real-time statistics, historical reporting and more.

Any company can move critical systems and business applications to the cloud, but that’s half the battle. Jumping on the cloud bandwagon without giving serious consideration to how you’ll succeed in the cloud is shortsighted. Here are our best tips for making the cloud transition work for you – both now and in the long run.

1. Don’t make it all about money – Yes, the cloud is lauded for its affordability compared to on-premise software. But if you make the transition all about money, you might be selling yourself short. Think first in terms of features and functionality – the system has to work for you or it’s not worth much. Cost is important, but it should never be the only consideration.

2. Rethink your strategy – Don’t just transfer all of your existing software and applications to cloud versions. Think about how you would design your IT infrastructure if you could start from scratch. Transitioning to the cloud is a great time to think about what might work better. What apps and features do you need? Are there some that aren’t working or others you would like to have?

3. Pay attention to security – Security should be a major consideration when transitioning to the cloud. Most established vendors offer a very high level of security, but you shouldn’t take their word for it. Get a copy of their security policy and review it in detail. How is your data stored and protected? Is it encrypted? Who is allowed to access your data and when – both internally and on the vendor side?

4. Think about your customers – These days, IT is not just about making things work internally. It’s also about making the customer experience seamless. How will cloud technology improve the customer experience? How will it enable your employees to provide better and faster service? Technology should always strive to improve the customer experience, not hamper it.

5. Prepare for a learning curve – Any sort of IT transition comes with a break-in period. Despite the benefits of cloud, almost no transition goes off without a hitch. Plan for and expect this. Perhaps you staff extra IT employees during the transition or offer overtime. Discuss with the vendor what challenges could possibly come up, and don’t make the transition until you’ve decided how to address them. Decide in advance what business tasks might be put on the back burner to free time to address issues that arise.

6. Prepare employees for the change – The more educated your employees are on why you’re making the change, the more invested they will be in making sure you’re successful. Educate employees on what the new technology will bring and how it will ultimately improve their work experience. Simply deploying the technology without much communication as to why can make the transition more difficult. Employees should be part of the process, not an afterthought.

7. Choose vendors wisely – Before you start searching for vendors, decide what kind of partners you want. The values and ideals of your partners should be closely aligned to your own. What is their mission, and how do they go about achieving it? What are their future plans for growth, development and product improvement? You want a technology partner with similar goals and standards. Trust your instinct on this one. If the vendor doesn’t seem like a good fit, they’re probably not. You many also want to avoid very niche players or less established vendors that haven’t proven their reliability.