It seems like every new IT product or service has to have the word cloud in front of it, especially if it’s targeted to organizations. Many technology companies are actively moving away from on-premise software or applications. So now you can buy subscriptions to cloud services instead of purchasing licenses for applications that came on a CD. Today you can get services ranging from office software to video editing suites over the cloud.
Enterprise phone systems have also made the move to the cloud. Generally companies purchase services from a phone carrier which are delivered over trunks or bundles of copper wires like PRI or ISDN. These connect to a PBX system that sits in a closet or small office. The PBX handles incoming and outgoing calls for the entire organization and provides features like call routing, call hold etc.
But there are downsides to that arrangement. Companies have to buy, manage and maintain the phone system on their own. Small businesses often can’t afford many of the advanced features even though it can really help them. You have to budget for upgrades and even get expensive service contracts. Hosted VoIP services can solve many communication issues for enterprises. Moving over to a cloud PBX can really help companies of all sizes in any industry.
How Can Cloud PBX Help Your Business?
Cost
One way VoIP can help set your business free is to make your calls free! Yes, that’s right. With a cloud PBX, certain types of calls are free of cost to your business. Any call made by employees to each other is free with most VoIP services. It doesn’t matter if they’re at the head office, working from home or sitting on the other side of the world. Imagine how much more productive your staff can be if they don’t have to worry about phone bills all the time!
The cost of international calling is another great benefit for companies. Since cloud PBX services send voice calls over the Internet, the vendor doesn’t have to pay connection charges for using the PSTN. Only the part of the call that touches the PSTN at any point is charged. So international calls cost only a fraction of the price you’re used to paying. Again your employees can accomplish so much more without the thought of high phone bills hanging over their head.
Advanced Features
Traditional PBX systems are also held back because of the analog technology on which they are based. Business processes like file storage, document collaboration, email etc are all products of the past few decades while our phone systems have been largely the same for over a hundred years. So analog PBX boxes don’t really work well with other technology systems.
Cloud PBX services play well with other business systems. You can connect your voicemail to your email, send faxes from your computer and even answer calls on your computer. You couldn’t really do such things with analog PBX boxes. A cloud PBX also brings other new features to your business like the ability to integrate calling with your company website!
Now your business doesn’t have to be constrained by what your phone system can or cannot do. You can augment your customer support teams or your sales department with the extra capabilities of a truly 21st century enterprise phone system.
Improve Productivity and Effectiveness
Businesses are always looking for ways to streamline processes and improve productivity. In an increasingly connected economy, every company is competing with others around the globe. Any advantage you can give yourself can be valuable to staying profitable. A cloud PBX service can be just the extra edge you need.
A cloud PBX is more than just making voice calls. It also brings together other communication tools like video conferencing and group calls. It brings together many tools like ‘find em follow me’ or presence information together so your employees aren’t constantly interrupted by trivial calls. A user can set their presence to ‘busy’ so that incoming calls are directed to a colleague or voicemail. You can even set exceptions so that only calls from your boss or client ring your devices, while the rest are redirected.
You will always be able to contact your staff regardless of where they are. This is especially useful for sales teams. Customers don’t have to know which number to call or wonder if the sales agent is busy. Your staff can answer calls on their desktops, laptops, mobile phones or even tablets. You can read voicemails in your inbox with automatic transcription or set up group inboxes for teams.
This is only the beginning of what’s possible with cloud PBX services. Innovation in this industry is fast paced and vendors are very quick to deploy new features. So try out cloud PBX systems and see the benefits for yourself!
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