The incredible pace of emerging technology means that telephony has changed beyond recognition. Traditional telephone services demand a physical switchboard, hardwiring and extension numbers that relate to specific sockets next to desks.
In the past few years, this has undergone a complete revolution, and using a cloud phone system there is now the capability for telephony that can much better meet the needs of progressive businesses.
Some of the key benefits of cloud-based telephony apps include calls from your business number, from any location; the ability to work from a variety of locations; always being available for business; scaling your business with ease; integration with video conferencing, and disaster recovery.
Let’s consider each of these:
Calls from your business number, from any location
Cloud-based phone services enable your team members to make calls from your company number whatever their location, using Android, iPhone and desktop apps.
These sophisticated apps, used as part of cloud-based telephony, massively improve the versatility of your phone system. For example, colleagues can work from home and dial an extension number on their app, to contact a team member direct at the office. They can also track missed calls, and record and store calls coming into their handset.
Working from a variety of locations
It’s now common for colleagues to work from a number of locations, including working from home. A cloud-based telephony system offers seamless call management, so that calls received to your main office number can be redirected to them in a completely different location. App technology means that iPhone and Android handsets can now double as voice over internet protocol (VOIP) handsets.
Available for business
If you have colleagues who are regularly out of the office, working from home, or on the road, it’s important that customers can reach them with ease.
Cloud-based technology, and automatically re-directed calls, mean that customers can reach your colleagues without having to go through a switchboard, speak to one of their team and request a mobile number.
This all adds to ‘being present’ for your customers – able to receive their calls, and deal with their business. The commercial benefits of cloud-based telephony system apps are quickly realisable.
Monitoring your remote workers
Many business owners and managers are concerned that with their colleagues possibly working away from the office, it can be difficult to monitor the quality of what’s being said. Also, for some industries such as financial services or advice lines, it’s important to keep track of what’s being said. With many cloud apps using both smartphones and desktops, the call can be recorded just as easily as it can be for the desk phones of office workers.
Scaling your business
Received wisdom says that growing your business means increasing the capacity of your telephone switchboard and number of physical lines across your office. This is no longer the case.
Cloud-based VOIP telephone means that new telephone users can quickly be added to your system, without the need for additional lines into your business and new extension hardware.
Integration
Cloud-based telephony systems can be easily and seamlessly integrated with video chat and video conference facilities. This makes connections between your teams and clients easy and quick, and fosters collaboration and loyalty amongst colleagues and customers.
Disaster recovery
Even if you are an eternal optimist, it’s always good to plan for the worst. Disaster recovery is an important item on any company agenda. Cloud-based telephony provides the opportunity for disaster recovery to be built into your phone system. The sudden closure of your office would not mean lost calls and lost business. Instead, calls can be automatically transferred to a new location or multiple handsets, enabling your business to continue despite an office closure.
If you would like to learn more about cloud phone system apps, Time Communications would be happy to talk you through the options available to you. Contact Time Communications’ expert team on 0113 2059640, you can request a callback on our home page, email at [email protected] or message us here.