Latin America. A few years ago, on-premises PBX phone systems were functional, when staff relied on desktop computers and landlines to keep their communications and office tasks integrated and coordinated. But we now live in a digital age, where business telephony in particular and communications in general demand instant access and real-time connectivity, in a work environment that expands beyond the office that encompasses mobile and remote staff using laptops, tablets and smartphones.
However, on-premise phone systems cannot be adapted to cope with all that is required of today's expansive work environments. For this and other reasons, it is beneficial to migrate business telephony to the cloud.
According to the latest industry data, globally between 60% and 70% of companies will make a decision to migrate to the cloud by 2019. [1] Today, 25% of them already use some system in the cloud, but will consider new providers as service offerings evolve.
An advanced phone system for everyone
VoIP (Voice over Internet Protocol) is a technology that converts voice signals into digital data that can be transmitted just like any other information over the Internet. It is also the means that enables telecommunications infrastructure and associated software to be located on remote and virtual servers in the cloud, rather than limited to the hardware and cabling of an on-premise PBX.
This means that the functions of a hosted VoIP or virtual PBX system can be available as data and applications from the cloud, so that a complete business telephony system is accessible not only to users of office phones and desktop computers, but to anyone in an organization with a mobile device (smartphone, tablet, laptop, etc.) that is able to connect to the internet. Therefore, branch offices, franchises and remote and mobile workers can benefit from the same advanced features. These typically include call routing and forwarding, voicemail to email transcription, fax, automated assistants (virtual receptionists), call monitoring, video conferencing, and instant messaging.
The ability to expand and connect
A cloud telephony system provides a centralized platform for managing business communications. Therefore, companies with a global presence can easily link all their operations centers into one. This facilitates monitoring and enables centralized, automated billing. Lines and extensions can be added or removed through the administrative portal, in response to an organization's changing circumstances or changes in market conditions.
Mobility and integrated applications
Cloud telephony deployments typically include specific mobile applications through which customers can gain full access to the system. Mobility is a common feature of these apps, allowing workers to associate their business phone numbers with their mobile phones so that customers receive calls and texts from a device, regardless of the time of day or place. Business phone apps can also include visibility features like presence dashboards, which allow workers to track the phone status of their colleagues and contacts (unavailable, on a call, etc.) and convenience features like "click-to-dial" phone book entries. The fact that voice and other types of data coexist on the Internet cloud platform also enables integration with office productivity applications and resources, such as document sharing platforms and collaboration software.
Lower costs and time savings
Routing voice data over the Internet results in significant savings in call charges for users of cloud-based telephony systems. Monthly subscription charges for hosted VoIP are extremely competitive, and standard business savings are 50% or more annually, due to low rates for international, long-distance calls, and free or very low rates for calls within the same network. Simple setup procedures, ease of management, and streamlining business operations through integrated functions also generate significant time savings, which can be employed in business improvement-related processes.
Better customer service
Integrating enterprise telephony with on-premises or cloud-based features such as UC-One and CC-One empowers organizations to better coordinate their business processes, supply lines, and consumer touchpoints, thus providing a more satisfying customer experience.
BroadSoft's UC-One provides advanced unified mobile communications for businesses of all sizes. Users can communicate and collaborate with colleagues, partners, and customers anywhere, from any device. The BroadSoft CC-One application enables companies to transform their customer engagement strategy, with an efficient omni-channel solution and analytics that greatly improve customer interactions.
It's up to organizations to not only compare hosted services and pricing options across multiple vendors, but also understand the benefits of cloud over on-premises. In some cases, especially in companies with multiple locations, it may even be better to have a hybrid solution that uses both cloud and on-premises. BroadSoft recommends pre-analyzing vendors that offer a true hybrid option that uses the same platform and features, as this will simplify integration for customers.
Text written by Heather Hancock, Senior Marketing Manager – Mid and Large Market for BroadSoft
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