If you own a business, you know that the key to success is more than just brand recognition, marketing, and customer service. It’s also about having appropriate infrastructure in place that allows your company to do what it needs to do on a day-to-day basis. One of the most important pieces of infrastructure for any business organization is a phone system.
Traditionally, businesses have relied on on-premises PBX systems to handle their telephone needs. However, in recent years there’s been a shift towards cloud-hosted VoIP phone systems as the preferred option. There are many reasons for this, but perhaps the most compelling one is that a VoIP phone system can save you and your business money, as well as benefit you in many other ways.
What’s not always made clear is just what these are and how exactly they help you and your business. We’ll discuss some of the ways in which you can expect to improve your business’ productivity and profitability by getting on board with a cloud-hosted phone system.
1) Business continuity and disaster recovery: The first major benefit of going with a VoIP hosted phone system is the peace of mind you get from knowing that your business’ telephone infrastructure will be up and running at all times, even during natural disasters. If you have a traditional on-premises PBX system, it’s only a matter of time before you’ll have to use your backup phone system because the primary one has gone down.
With cloud-hosted VoIP phone systems, though, this is never an issue. If anything ever happens to your primary server or Internet connection that prevents you from using your phone system, the hosted provider will have a secondary server or connection up and running within minutes.
2) Accessibility: When you have a traditional on-premises PBX system, it can be difficult to access outside of normal business hours. This is especially true if you have technicians on staff who need to perform updates or maintenance on the system. With a cloud-hosted VoIP phone system, though, there’s no need for such technicians.
Since all of the work is done by the provider, you and your staff can access your phones at any time, from anywhere in the world. This means that you can take calls from clients or customers no matter where you are.
3) Scalability: Traditional on-premises PBX systems can be difficult to scale up or down as your business needs change. This can often lead to wasted money and resources, as businesses end up with more phone system capacity than they need. Cloud-hosted VoIP phone systems, on the other hand, can be scaled up or down as needed without wasting your time and resources.
When you start out with a hosted phone system, you simply rent enough capacity to meet your business’ needs at that point in time. If those needs change, the provider will automatically scale up or down your plan so that it meets them. There’s no need to purchase new hardware or software, and you won’t have to waste time on maintenance.
4) Cost savings: One of the biggest reasons that businesses are moving towards cloud-hosted VoIP phone systems is the cost savings they offer. With a hosted system, you don’t have to purchase or maintain any hardware or software, which can save you a lot of money in the long run.
In addition, cloud-hosted VoIP systems are often much cheaper than traditional on-premises PBX systems. This is because you’re only paying for the capacity that you need at any given time, rather than purchasing a system that will be overkill for your business.
5) Mobility: With a traditional on-premises PBX system, you’re limited to making and receiving calls from within your office or at home. If you need to take a call while you’re out of the office, you have to use your cell phone or find a public phone.
With a cloud-hosted VoIP phone system, though, you can take calls from anywhere in the world. This is especially useful for businesses that have remote employees or that do a lot of work on the go.
6) Productivity enhancements: Finally, cloud-hosted VoIP phone systems offer a number of productivity enhancements that can increase your profitability and make doing business easier. One example of this is the free auto attendant on some systems, which allows you to customize a menu for callers that guides them through your company’s process without having to hire an additional receptionist or administrative assistant.
In addition, some cloud-hosted VoIP phone systems allow you to use features like voicemail-to-email, which can save you time by allowing you to read and respond to voicemails without having to call into your voicemail system.
As you can see, there are a number of reasons why cloud-hosted VoIP phone systems should be at the top of your list when you’re looking for ways to improve your business’ productivity and profitability. To learn more about these systems or to get a quote for one, contact menetalk – leading business VoIP providers UK.
