The Top 5 Cloud Telephony Business Benefits
Cloud seems to be all the rage these days and understandably so. There is no doubt that cloud based solution deliver numerous benefits to businesses of all sizes.
The move to the cloud has been well documented over recent years and much has been made of these business benefits. However, what about the benefits of cloud telephony?
Simplicity
Unlike an on-premise VoIP phone system solution, cloud telephony does not require any additional onsite hardware or virtualization infrastructure. By eliminating these infrastructure requirements, telephony systems are simplified, freeing up IT administrators to focus one other tasks or projects.
Furthermore, not needing any hardware also greatly simplifies your phone system’s initial setup and deployment, which means you can get connected almost straight away.
In fact, by choosing a top of the range cloud based telephony solution such as pascom’s which offers businesses a fully integrated softphone, companies can even do away with their desktop phones and get their team communicating immediately.
Mobility
By hosting their telephony services in the cloud, business can also greatly simplify how system users connect. Non hosted solutions require additional Virtual Private Network (VPN) applications. Cloud based telephony solutions remove this need and in doing so promote employee mobility and productivity.
Provided users have an internet connection, they will simply be able to log on from anywhere at anytime meaning that your team stays contactable and productive as well as enabling more efficient telecommuting strategies which in turn can help boost employee motivation and job satisfaction.
Obviously, hauling a desktop phone around with you everywhere you go is not ideal, which is why full featured cloud based solution like pascom’s provide additional mobility options including integrated softphones as well as smartphone clients for Android and iOS, making keeping your team moving and connected to your business easy.
Greater Scalability
Businesses are particularly attracted to cloud solutions thanks to the scalability that they offer. Cloud telephony solutions are no different, providing companies with the ability to grow their system in-line with business growth. Adding new users and new extensions could not be simpler and new devices can be provisioned with a matter of minutes. What’s more, all your system users do not need to be in the same office as cloud based solutions help break down geographical barriers, which offers additional business success benefits, i.e. increasing geographical reach and presence.
One common argument for an on premise telephony solution as opposed to a cloud based offering is that often cloud telephony providers do not allow businesses to fully manage their telephony services. Such limitations include restricting VoIP provider options to just those of the hosted platform provider, not having access to user management tools and so. However, some solutions such as pascom’s, do not suffer from the same limitations, meaning businesses can manage, modify and customise their telephony platform to match their business needs exactly.
Redundancy
An often overlooked business benefit of cloud telephony is that such solutions provide businesses with an additional layer of redundancy. Should you be operating an on-premise solution and your office be unfortunately affected by an unforeseen event such as power cuts and strikes or, worse still, a natural disaster such as a storm or fire, it is often the case that your business communication lines are also affected and not only for those team members who are based in the office.
However, by switching to a cloud solution, all your telephony services will still be accessible to remote employees, branch offices and even your office based team will be able to continue working from home or using their mobile applications while your central office is out of commission.
Cost Efficiencies
As cloud based solutions are subscription based, companies only pay a nice, easy to manage monthly fee for the number of users that they need, supporting them with spreading costs. What’s more, cloud telephony solutions also require significantly less up front capital expenditure on server hardware and (Virtual Private Network) VPN infrastructures, greatly reducing a purchase decisions impact on the business cash flow.
Further to this, as cloud telephony supports businesses in greatly reducing the complexity of their IT environments, additional on going cost savings can be realised by minimising your IT department’s time spent managing your phone system and freeing up your IT resources to focus on other business priorities.
Summary
When considering switching to a cloud based telephony solution, the above business benefits may sway you into making a quicker decision than you normally would. However, it is important to realise that not every cloud solution is created equally.
Some hosted solution providers restrict a business' ability to fully manage their system while others generate vendor lock-in by forcing businesses to converge their hosted telephony platform with their telecommunications voice provider (VoIP provider), which obviously can affect not only a business' ability to remain competitive but also the overall solution cost effectiveness.
For more information about pascom phone systems and cloud telephony solutions and how they can support you in growing your business, give us a call +49 (0) 991 29691 201 or check out our website.