Making the change from a traditional landline telephone system to a cloud telephony system will, if you choose wisely, result in considerable savings while delivering functionality that truly drives your business. The trick is to choose the right provider with the right system…

Cost Savings

It’s a safe bet that the main reason you’re considering migrating to a cloud telephony system is because you understand that you can make considerable savings on your telecoms bill. But how much of a saving depends on your chosen provider.

Beware of hidden or upfront costs! You should look for a provider that asks for no upfront costs, with no need for new equipment. They should provide training and free updates for their system, and of course they should offer free calls between all locations worldwide. All you should pay for is for the number of extensions you use. With just a fixed ongoing bill per extension, you can make as many calls as you like without worrying about the cost. Bliss, and budgeting heaven!

Functionality

Rami Houbby

Cloud telephony has the ability to bring stunning new functionality into your business to not only help you manage your telecommunications, but to improve your business processes. Making savings on calls is only the beginning. By choosing the right provider and system you can revolutionise and streamline how you run your business.

Look for a cloud telephony system that delivers outstanding levels of functionality and versatility and which is suitable for any business size. If you’re a small business, you need to ensure your cloud telephony system can grow with you. Your chosen system should bring all of your telecoms together – desk phone, mobile, Internet – using Fixed Mobile Convergence (FMC), and should seamlessly integrate with your key desktop applications and CRM software using Computer Telephony Integration (CTI).

Quality

Your business relies on effective communication, and the reliability and quality of your cloud telephony system will be crucial in ensuring a good quality of experience for both your users and customers. You need to be sure that the system you choose will consistently perform and deliver, both within the office environment and for remote users.

The best cloud telephony system will be one which has been developed with quality of experience in mind, delivering superb voice quality regardless of location or device. It should be failure resistant through the use of fully redundant operated servers, delivering outstanding availability, and guaranteed and certified for security. Additionally, it should feature tap-proof voice encryption.

Ease-of-Use

As well as delivering cost savings on your communications and functionality, one of the big advantages of a cloud telephony system is that you should be able take control over the management of the system. Unlike traditional landline systems, you should not have to call in the (expensive) experts to add new users or configure the system.

Look for a cloud telephony solution that offers Plug & Play simplicity and which allows all devices to automatically self-configure. Choose a system that lets you edit settings directly from your Internet browser, making it easy for you to manage tasks such as adding new extensions, integrating smartphones or linking a home office without calling in an engineer.

Find a True Partner

With telecoms at the heart of your business effectiveness, you need to know you have the right partner delivering and standing alongside you. We all know how difficult it can be dealing with suppliers of traditional landline systems. You need a cloud telephony partner you can trust and rely on.

Seek out a partner that is committed to your business and who can respond to your needs quickly and efficiently. They should be able to assess your business requirements and deliver the perfect solution to suit, and also be willing to listen to you and respond to any issues. They should be able to ensure you understand the system and offer training and support if needed. Finally, choose a partner you feel you can trust.