In the aftermath of the pandemic, many companies have implemented teleworking in their work routine. The way we interact with our customers has changed dramatically.
IT departments have been forced to implement new methods of communications to make life easier for workers, using VoIP or cloud telephony systems with restricted budgets.
Companies that have taken this step have seen the financial and operational benefits of VoIP increase.
There is also the issue of multiple software platforms to support different internal and external communication needs: phone calls, video conferencing, instant messaging and conference calls….
Of course, there are immediate solutions such as implementing quality of service, increasing available bandwidth and upgrading VoIP hardware. However, these solutions may be temporary, as communications issues such as security and software upgrades require more and more resources.
Problems with internal VoIP and PSTN systems.
The problems of legacy PSTN systems are the reason why many companies switched to VoIP. They are not flexible, need physical equipment, cabling and resources to manage and support them.
Today they cannot support remote environments and are not compatible with UCaaS (Unified Communications as a Service).
VoIP systems solve most of these problems, provide enhanced software support, add features such as automatic forwarding, messaging, call waiting music, auto attendants… a real advantage.
Still, in-house VoIP systems may have inadequate bandwidth, jitter or poor latency. Communications will become unavailable if the internet connection is lost or unstable. Like PSTN systems, they require ongoing support and maintenance, thus creating a cost to the company’s resources.
A solution
The current trend is to move to UCaaS and move everything to the cloud. In this way, companies bundle all requirements on one platform to have calls, video conferencing, instant messaging, conference calls and file sharing in one place. The first step: VoIP in the cloud.
One option is to move to a managed service provider to host your systems. Capital expenditure will then become operational expenditure, funded from current revenue.
Moving to a provider offers to continue with your current systems while you develop new UCaaS and cloud telephony systems.
Here are 5 signs that it’s time to move to cloud telephony.
1 - Working from home and remote access
Your organisation is changing, the world is changing and you need to adapt to the new era.
Workers are starting to telecommute and you need to implement measures in your network to give them remote access.
2 - Equipment needs to be upgraded
There is an urgent need to upgrade security software and hardware to monitor remote access connections.
Perhaps your website needs to be revamped to improve your company’s presence.
Both of these things involve costs and resources.
If you use a managed service provider, these hardware and software costs will be reduced.
3 - The support department is needed in other projects
You need resources to redo the website and support the implementation of the new UCaaS system.
Utilising your support team in this mission will give them training and experience in the UCaaS domain and the implementation will have minimal disruption to communications.
4 - Updated disaster planning
The reliance on e-commerce and online communications implies a very high risk to the stability of the business and indeed to its survival if online systems fail for any reason or the Internet connection to them is lost. Moving to the cloud implies an uptime of at least 99.99%. An up-to-date Disaster Plan is an absolute necessity.
5 - Preparing for the future
The move to online is the first stage in a series of changes in business. Artificial intelligence and robotics, as well as IoT, are going to change commerce and industry.
Moving to the cloud now will help you meet future challenges without major changes to your internal environment.
First move to VoIP, then move to the cloud…
The one link driving these changes is the cloud. A company that does not want to be left behind needs to be reviewing its technology strategy to be flexible and able to react in time to these changes.