Thinking about moving to a cloud telephony system? Not sure why you should bother? There are myriad benefits from such a migration – here are just ten.
Cost upfront…
Like any cloud-based technology, cloud telephony systems require next to no initial outlay. If you’ve got a strong and reliable internet connection, then the foundation for your system is already in place. Simple! Your staff can continue using their existing devices or even bring in their own.
…And cost per month
The cost savings don’t stop with lower initial outlay; most cloud telephony systems also generate cost savings month on month. This is for a variety of reasons – less maintenance and repair work, no requirements to upgrade your hardware regularly, and no need to pay for telephony that you aren’t using. Cloud-based telephony systems generally mean far more predictably monthly telecom expenditure, based on number of users rather than call volumes.
Rich features
Most on-premise telephony systems come with fairly limited feature sets, and many of those features require specific hardware components – which in turn means higher costs. Cloud-based telephony systems open up a wide range of rich features relating to everything from CRM to business workflows and collaboration tools – all fully integrated. Adding new features is often is simple as clicking a button.
Seamless scale
A huge bonus of any cloud-based technology solution is its ability to flex and scale as your business grows. Rather than paying for a huge amount of hardware that you don’t need now but might in the future, or restricting yourself to a system that can only handle a business of your size and will struggle as soon as you expand, you can pay for what you need and your telephony solution grows with you. This scalability can be just as seamless internationally.
Seamless upgrades
Because a cloud telephony system is entirely software-based and delivered to you over the internet, upgrading it is far simpler, smoother and faster than replacing cumbersome pieces of physical kit. Furthermore, the responsibility for those upgrades is entirely shifted to your telephony provider. There’s no more onus on you to identify when your equipment is out of date and organise an upgrade.
A unified approach
Cloud telephony is typically part of a broader unified communications productivity suite. With everything from voice to video, SMS to file-sharing managed via a single communications platform you can simply vendor manage, streamline internal working processes and drive greater collaboration both internally and externally.
Mobility and flexibility
If you are trying to enable more mobile, remote and flexible working practices, then a cloud telephony solution could be a fantastic enabler. Telecommuting workers or those based in multiple locations can sign in as usual to accept their calls. Outgoing calls are channelled through each user’s ID, so that the recipients of their call see them as office-based. Even within your premises, it becomes far easier to enable hotdesking and therefore more collaborative approaches to work.
Simpler disaster recovery
Hosted technology solutions are generally far quicker and easier to restore after a problem – and cloud telephony solutions are no exception. Most cloud telephony solutions offer regular and automatic backups of the information collected through your corporate communications, so you can quickly restore them if needed. And because the telephony is hosted offsite, if you have a problem onsite, your communications may well continue as normal anyway.
Quality and reliability of service
It’s a simple point, but one bearing in mind. Cloud telephony solutions generally offer better uptime and redundancy than on-premise telephony, thanks to their multiple, remotely-hosted datacentres.
Future-proof your organisation
Digital transformation is no longer a buzz phrase – it is the reality for every forward-looking organisation. Migrations to the cloud are happening in all areas of enterprise technology and the benefits are well-established. Migrating to a cloud telephony system will set up your organisation for a more integrated and digital-led approach to enterprise technology today.
APH offers cloud telephony options. To explore your options, get in touch.
