Cloud telephony unifies employees, customers, and partners from wherever they are, on any device. But the benefits of cloud communications don't stop there!
1. Enable a mobile workforce with cloud communications
We're always busy, but not always productive. We spend several hours every week checking emails, calendars and voicemails on multiple devices (nearly 70% of employees use their personal device for email) just to make sure we’re not missing something. However, managing content on multiple devices leaves you prone to missing something.
Cloud communications allow teams to be as productive outside the office as they are in it, thanks to a single cloud‐based application where everything is stored for easy access.
Life is mobile, and your communications system should be too. You should be able to be as productive on your mobile phone as you are at your desk.
2. Supporting multiple locations with cloud communications
Modern business communications systems need to support remote workers. Unlike mobile workers, remote workers perform their work from a fixed location outside of your main office, yet without the same equipment, connectivity, and support.
Instead of remote workers working with residential phones that lack the functionality of a business communications system, they may also be required to connect to the main office over a virtual private network (VPN) connection, which can negatively impact voice quality.
Cloud telephony creates a virtual communications system across all remote locations, extending the solutions available for both mobile and remote workers, to include mobile, desk and soft phones, in addition to contact centre agents. Cloud communications treats office, mobile and remote workers all the same, providing each user with the same features, regardless of location.
3. Reducing costs with cloud communications
The cloud offers a better path for growth than premises-based communications solutions, reducing overall costs.
It not only saves you money through economy of scale, but also it scales cost-effectively as you grow. You never have to worry about adding more servers and switches as you add more employees. You simply add another seat in the cloud at a fixed monthly cost and have the assurance that new employees are connected into all of your business communications from day one.
There’s no costly, upfront investments in servers (and the considerable expense to rent and cool the space to store it) and underutilised hardware, while software updates are automatically downloaded as soon as they are available.
The cloud gives you the flexibility to react to internal and external requirements. There’s no worrying about constantly upgrading to the latest technology, how it suits your clients’ future needs.
The original thought behind premises‐based communications systems was to keep costs down by owning the solution. But as those systems have aged, businesses find themselves owning the problem of maintaining, upgrading, and expanding those systems. With the cloud, you’re future proofing your business regardless of how business growth will pan out in the short and long-term.
4. Focusing on business, not infrastructure
Technology can transform your business and drive innovation. But it can also prove counter-productive if all you’re doing is putting out fires to maintain the status quo. Think of it this way: Would you rather have your engineers fixing the phones or finding new solutions to delight your customers?
Cloud‐based communications are exactly that: solutions. Fixing bugs and repairing hardware should lie with the cloud provider, ensuring it never becomes a problem for customers by guaranteeing systems uptime and availability in their service level agreements (SLAs).
Innovation is the key to continued growth in today’s business environment. Cloud‐based communications ensure your business is on the leading edge and in tune with the millennial workforce that will drive your business into the future.
5. Staying current with evergreen cloud-based software
Keeping your communications systems current is vital in making sure your business takes advantage of the full functionality on offer, while also ensuring security and stability.
However, software and firmware upgrades can be challenging due to the meticulous coordination required; maintenance windows must be carefully planned and downtime is never acceptable, even when it’s scheduled.
Most premises‐based communications solutions offer software maintenance for an added cost. But the risk and hassle of actually performing the upgrade belongs to the customer, which also brings various costs.
The current state of the system must be documented, the upgrade must be downloaded and tested, the maintenance window has to be scheduled and communicated, contingency and back out plans prepared, and extended support provided for “the morning after.”
A cloud communications solution also requires regular upgrades, but the risk belongs squarely with the service provider. Of course, if the upgrade goes awry, your business may suffer, but your service provider should have the resources in place to minimise the likelihood, as well as service‐level agreements (SLAs) to mitigate the impact.
For more information please contact Onecom at info@onecom.co.uk or see our solutions.
