No matter the size of your business, you rely on your phone system to communicate with your clients and customers as well as for efficient collaboration among your team of employees. Your traditional phone infrastructure is no longer the best or smart option for business communication – more businesses are opting for cloud-based telephony to ensure they don’t start lagging behind their competition when it comes to productivity and customer satisfaction.
Is it time for you to make the move to a cloud-based telephone system so you stay current with today’s trends in business communications? Start by learning about the advantages of cloud phone platforms and then find IT support in London so you can rely on the expertise of support services to get you set up.
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How cloud telephony works
Also known as “cloud calling,” cloud telephony provides businesses with the capability of managing and maintaining all their business communications in the cloud. This includes business calls typically made through a traditional telephone system as well as communication on laptops, smartphones, and tablets.
When you move your communication to the cloud, your team will be able to place calls from any device via an internet connection no matter where or when they’re working. This functionality provides you with a lot more flexibility and security than your current phone system.
As you grow and scale your business, you’ll want to find more cost-effective and productive ways to communicate.
Here are the top advantages and benefits of cloud telephony:
1. Cost efficiency
Using a cloud-based phone system can help you cut your business costs, so you put your cost savings into other areas of your company. Cloud telephony lets you avoid the installation and maintenance costs that come with traditional desk phones. Depending on which service provider you use, there are many different plans available, such as month to month plans, pay as you go, and cost per call. Many plans also offer other cost features, such as unlimited long distance, and local calls and lower cost international call options.
2. Scalability and customization
As your communication needs change and grow, so can your cloud telephone service. Whether you’re adding extensions for new employees or relocating your office, a cloud phone system can quickly accommodate these upgrades and changes to meet your business requirements.
The same applies if you want to add new features and functions to the system. Cloud telephony vendors can customize your system to your own individual business needs. This type of agility is crucial if you want to provide your clients and customers with exceptional service that makes you stand out from the competition.
3. Enhanced communication features
Marketing research shows that 60 percent of customers prefer using the phone to communicate with small businesses. With this significant number, you don’t want to miss out on providing consumers with a great customer experience when calling your business. When you move to a cloud-based phone system, you’re able to take advantage of multiple business communication features that can make you and your team more productive. Many of the features are available with a standard price plan, while others can be added on without breaking your budget:
- Call return and call waiting. You can improve customer wait times by quickly returning calls and reducing wait times.
- Auto-attendant. Use this feature to customize your call menu and give customers useful information such as your business hours and your online website.
- Three-way calling. Quickly make conference calls and add a third person to the phone call.
- Call recording. You can record both inbound and outbound calls for customer compliance and to ensure quality service.
4. Reliability
One of the biggest benefits of using cloud telephony is the reliability it can bring to your business. Most cloud based phone vendors host your data and information on multiple servers in different geographic locations. If there’s a power failure at one location, your phone traffic will be routed through a server in another location. This means that you’ll experience very little service downtime and disruptions to the service you provide for your clients and customers.
5. Mobility and remote functionality
Many businesses have employees working remotely from any location in the world. In fact, research shows that since 2005, the number of people who work from home has grown by 140 percent. Using phone telephony allows your team to work whether they’re in the office, at home, or on the road. Wherever there’s an internet connection, your employees will be able to communicate with your clients and customers without interruptions. This includes making phone calls, accessing their voicemail, reviewing their call activity, and sending messages to other employees.
6. Integration with your other business systems
Cloud based telephone solutions can be integrated with the other business systems and workflows that you and your employees are using. This allows you to streamline your business process making your team more effective and productive. This includes integration with your customer relationship management (CRM) platform, which is the core of your business as it helps you build relationships with both current and potential customers.
7. Training and support
Even though cloud telephony is simple and easy to set up and use, most vendors are there to provide training and support at any time to ensure that everything runs smoothly. Having 24/7 support also means that you can customize your plan features at any time when your business needs to grow and change. When you first sign up with a vendor, they’ll help you make the transition from your traditional phone system to one that is cloud-based with no downtime to your client and customer communication.
Conclusion
The advantages and benefits of a cloud-based phone system give you flexible, cost-effective, and secure ways to communicate across your business. You’ll be able to streamline collaboration with all your employees, improving your productivity and sales. With a cloud telephony platform, you and your team will be able to focus on providing great service so you can increase customer satisfaction and grow your business to the next level.
