Investing time, energy and money into something new can be daunting. Regardless of whether it’s a fresh pair of trainers, an innovative bit of kit for your kitchen, or a new smartphone, you want the purchase and transition to be as smooth and seamless as possible; no blisters, no explosions and certainly no nasty surprises.
Your Problems Are Unique, So You Need a Custom Solution
All companies and organisations face a unique set of needs and challenges when it comes to phone systems and communication. This is why “off the shelf”, inflexible cloud communication packages are unlikely to offer the best solution to the particular problems you’re trying to solve.
Switching to a new cloud communication platform such as a Hosted PBX system is a big deal… not something you should take lightly. And with so many options out there, it’s easy to get confused about what’s best for you and your company.
Before jumping head first into a lengthy contract you might regret, wouldn’t it be great to get advice from someone you can trust? Someone who will help you decide what cloud communication tools your business actually needs, not products that you will never use but will end up costing you money.
How To Avoid Ending Up With Expensive Products You Won’t Use
The first thing any self-respected Cloud communication provider should do is to help you identify how to get the best return (in terms of both productivity and cost) from your cloud-managed business phone system. If this is your first venture into the “Cloud” or “VoIP” phone system, you need to determine what set-up, hardware and configuration will help you run your business better. You need to have a clear, coherent process in place to do this. Our preferred method is to work with our customers to ‘tease out’ the particular issues they’re trying to solve by finding answers to the following key questions:
- What issues with your current phone system affect your ability to manage inbound & outbound calls productively?
- What technical factors (such as broadband speed & stability) could prevent you from enjoying optimal benefit from a cloud based phone system?
- How closely does your phone system need to integrate with your other business communication channels?
- How should your phone system support current staff, including those who work remotely or on the road?
- What level of business growth are you aiming for, and what scalability will your phone system require to support this?
- How could you use your phone system to ensure you get maximum return from your marketing spend?
- How will you ensure all staff get the best out of your new phone platform through effective on-boarding and training?
- What all-round cost savings could be made by moving from your current system to a cloud based solution?
Your answers to these questions will give us the insights we need to develop a tailored package that’s right for you. One that offers significant long-term savings over your current system.
Sounds all fine and dandy, yes? Problem is, very few suppliers will have a process like this for finding the right solution to match your needs. Most will try and persuade you that you need all the ‘bangs and whistles’, plus top of the range equipment. In short, they’ll recommend a solution that suits them (and their profit margins), not what’s best for your business and the way you operate.
It doesn’t take a genius to understand that happy, contented customers are more inclined to stay around than disgruntled ones. And, as trust grows, these contented customers are happier to invest in new, updated systems once they see the financial benefits of moving their communication systems to the cloud. For us, it’s a no-brainer to keep our customers deliriously happy with the service we provide. So if you come to us looking for a way to solve your particular communication challenges, our first step in getting your loyalty is to earn your trust. Take it from me, this is something we work hard to do, right from the get-go.
With You All The Way
There are lots of sound commercial reasons for moving to a cloud-hosted phone and communication platform, but one of the best is the ease with which the system can be maintained and updated. Necessary updates are scheduled around you and your business, in order to limit any downtime. Plus, the off-premise nature of a hosted IP phone system means that your business keeps running, regardless of what disasters or catastrophic events might happens at your business location. Provided your supplier provides multiple failover options (as we do), your business will stay up and running regardless of the circumstances.
The Devil’s in the Detail
Heed this warning! What some telecom suppliers do is make a song and dance of their lower cloud subscription costs compared with traditional monthly line rentals. The problem is, the fixed subscription charge is only one factor in the overall cost. The other part they conveniently forget to tell you about is the actual call cost. Far too often businesses end up with higher overall communication costs because the call charges outweigh any savings they’ve got from lower monthly line rentals.
If any of our customers ended up paying more after switching over to the cloud, they wouldn’t be too happy. Fortunately, we’re one of a small group of telecom providers who benefit from direct interconnect with BT Wholesale multiple points of presence. This simply means we can offer our customers some of the lowest call rates anywhere in the UK, plus unparalleled technical support. Just try asking any other suppliers if they will match our rates and service levels. They’ll run a mile!
Ready to Make the Switch to Cloud Communications?
So if you’re thinking about switching your business communications to the cloud, and are wondering how to go about it, why not get in touch? But remember, before offering you a solution, we’ll be keen to chat about your business and the problems you’re trying to solve. If you’re ok with this, go ahead and fill in this enquiry form or call 0800 3101010 to speak to one of our expert advisors. Pretty soon, you too could be changing your business for the better.
Happy switching!
