Some organizations experience a jump in the number of documents they produce or the volume of pages they generate at year-end. Banks and credit unions, for example, may produce year-end or zero-balance statements. They may be required to produce statements for accounts that have been closed throughout the year. These practices generate extra volume they don’t encounter on regular monthly cycles.

At the end of the year, lenders and employers create tax documents such as 1099s, 1098s, or W2s. Retail businesses may also produce a large volume of documents at year-end for inventory and sales reports. Other organizations that may produce a high volume of documents at year-end include government agencies, insurers, schools, and hospitals. This flood of extra work can put a strain on computing resources.

Companies running on-premise customer communication management (CCM) systems often have no choice but to purchase excess processing capabilities to handle their highest volume periods. They pay for that unused capacity for the rest of the year. This results in a significant waste of resources, as the excess capacity sits idle most of the time. Instead of squandering their limited budgets on seldom-used computing capacity, companies could consider alternative solutions, such as utilizing cloud computing or implementing systems that can scale up and down as needed to meet changing demand. By doing so, they can avoid paying for unused excess capacity and reduce their overall costs.

Cloud vs. On-Premise

Companies with document volume peaks have several reasons to consider using cloud-based CCM solutions:

1. Scalability: Cloud-based CCM solutions can quickly and easily scale up to handle high-volume periods, such as year-end, with no expensive infrastructure investments. This allows companies to better manage their document production needs without overbuying capacity.
2. Cost-effectiveness: Cloud-based CCM solutions typically offer a pay-as-you-go pricing model, so companies only pay for the resources they use. This can be more cost-effective than purchasing and maintaining on-premise infrastructure, especially during periods of low volume when excess capacity is not being used.
3. Flexibility: Cloud-based CCM solutions offer the flexibility to access and manage documents from anywhere with an internet connection. This can be particularly useful for companies with employees working remotely or in multiple locations.
4. Security: Cloud-based CCM solutions typically feature robust security measures in place to protect sensitive documents and data. This can give companies peace of mind that their documents are secure and compliant with relevant regulations.
5. Improved reliability: Cloud-based solutions are typically backed by service level agreements (SLAs) that guarantee uptime and availability, which can be more reliable than on-premise infrastructure.

Business Benefits of Cloud-Based Solutions

Besides the obvious benefits to companies who create year-end documents, many well-known companies adopt cloud-based solutions in place of on-premise infrastructure because it allows them to offer their customers better products or helps them maintain a competitive advantage.

1. Netflix was one of the first companies to adopt a cloud-based infrastructure, using Amazon Web Services (AWS) to power its streaming service.
2. Dropbox migrated its entire infrastructure to the cloud to take advantage of the scalability, reliability, and cost-effectiveness of cloud-based storage.
3. Spotify uses a combination of cloud-based infrastructure and on-premise data centers to power its music streaming service.
4. Airbnb uses a variety of cloud-based solutions, including AWS and Google Cloud, to power its online marketplace for vacation rentals.
5. Salesforce was a pioneer in the cloud-based software-as-a-service (SaaS) industry, offering a range of cloud-based solutions for customer relationship management and other business needs.

Cloud-based solutions like Quickcoms can easily scale up to meet the increased demand at year end, and offer a pay-as-you-go pricing model that can be more cost-effective than maintaining an on-premise infrastructure sized to handle year-end document processing workloads. These solutions also offer the flexibility to access and manage documents from anywhere with an internet connection, and offer robust security measures to protect sensitive documents and data. Overall, the Quickcoms cloud-based CCM solution offers a flexible, cost-effective, and secure way to manage document volume peaks and other changing business needs.