Business owners are constantly looking for innovative ways to save money while improving productivity in the workplace. Though there are plenty of technological resources that can accommodate both of these needs, determining which one will benefit your business the most can be trying. While every business has different needs, one thing that remains the same is the need for a communication system.
Having the means to communicate with customers, investors, distributors, and other organizations is a must, but can also get pretty costly. The good news is technology can help in this department too. In recent developments, many businesses are switching to hosted telephony communication systems. Here's a look at why:
Internet Based Phone System
The cloud has taken business operations to new heights by providing cost effective solutions without skimping on quality. Internet based or hosted business phone systems have become a growing trend for businesses of all sizes. Simply put, a hosted or internet based phone system is one that is operated through the internet as opposed to through a landline. Once installed, the system seamlessly routes inbound and outbound calls through an internet server allowing for enhanced communication features and improved quality.
Benefits of a Hosted Phone System
Now that you have a general understanding of what hosted and internet based business phone systems are, let's look at some of the reasons why you should consider investing in one for your business:
- Lowered Operational Costs - Traditional communication systems, while useful in their own right can cost a bit more to set up. Investing in the necessary equipment, servers, and systems can add up. Hosted communications, however, don't cost as much. Essentially, you're investing in a VoIP (voice over IP) phone and you're good to go.
- User Friendly – There are some phone systems that can be very complicated to learn. However, hosted phone systems are designed to be user friendly thus making it a lot easier to operate. Users are able to easily configure their own settings and features to customize the needs of their business.
- Enhanced Features – Since your business phone system would be literally "in the cloud" you are automatically provided with features you wouldn't get from a traditional land line. Calls can be forwarded to mobile devices for traveling employees or business owners, the phone system can be accessed from any device with internet access, a unified mailbox to retrieve all of your messages and much more. What's great about these enhanced features is that many of them are included in the cost of service and do not cost extra as they might with a traditional phone service.
- Great for Travelers - Do you have several business locations? Or maybe you and your staff frequently travel for business purposes? Whatever the case is, many find that having a hosted phone system makes staying in touch a lot easier. Since there is no hardware that the system relies on, your phone system has no real limits on location. Anyone who is given access to the system can connect and receive services from remotely anywhere there is an internet connection.
- Scalability - When looking into business investments, scalability is always a plus. As your business needs to evolve, having services and systems in place that can evolve with you is a life saver. Whatever your company communication needs happen to be in the future, hosted phone systems can easily be customized to meet those needs. What's also beneficial is that many of your needs can be instantly changed by your service provider keeping you up to date.
- Disaster Recovery –Disaster is one of those things most businesses hope to never experience (quite frankly no one wants to experience). However, in reality it is a real possibility that something could go wrong. An employee gets upset and sets the place on fire (hopefully not), a pipe bursts causing a flood, or even really bad weather disrupting your lines of communication can be enough to disrupt productivity and even disappoint your customers. Hosted phone systems however, ensure that you have uninterrupted communication with whomever you need to as the hardware for your system is stored at a secure data center. Calls can easily be forwarded to other phones through the server allowing you to continually provide service.
- One More Thing Off Your Plate - At the end of the day, if you have to spend all of your time and money worrying about your communication system, you're not able to spend time on what's most important - making money. Therefore, having a hosted phone system that's user-friendly, easily customizable, and easy to maintain takes one more stressor off of your plate allowing you to focus on other matters of business.
Whether you're looking to save money, streamline processes, or find ways to operate your business from anywhere around the world hosted phone systems could be just the thing to help you out. Though it certainly won't solve all the stresses of being a business owner, it can assure that your business communications will run seamlessly without interruption. A company that can communicate from virtually anywhere, anytime, in any type of weather…if that doesn't give you an "A" plus in customer service and determination, who knows what will.
