As your business continues to grow and change scalability is a necessity. You need to be able to quickly accomplish this but traditional on-premises systems communication systems make this difficult – if not impossible. This is because they cost more to set up and maintain. They also make you rely more on IT support. On the other hand, choosing a cloud solution not only costs you less money, but it’s also more streamlined and agile. Of course, this is only an example of the many reasons why cloud-based communication is growing in popularity today.
Mobility
Today’s workplace is growing more mobile by the day. This is something that small businesses must keep up with. It’s important for them to be able to operate from various locations at once. Small Biz Trends reminds us that with a cloud-based communication system in place, this is possible. Employees can log in from any location. You and your customers can also reach them while they’re on the go. This is something that makes customers happy. At the same time you’ll be happier too since it will ultimately increase your revenue since your employees can now be much more productive.
Security and Reliability
You need to know that your communications system is always safe and secure. This means recognizing any potential security risks before they happen so you can find a way to prevent them from occurring. Today these threats are coming from everywhere and include phishing, fraud, intercepted calls, spoofing and so much more. With the right security in place these common security threats are easily avoidable.
When you choose to move your communications to the cloud you’ll have amped up security – more so than with your traditional phone system. While your traditional phone equipment is locked away in your office’s storage room, cloud systems are in the forefront of the operation’s mind. This is why they’re able to offer you much more than the traditional security measures. They offer things like data encryption, network security, secure voice and video, and HIPAA-compliance measures. Additionally, cloud communication servers and equipment are hosted in secure, locked facilities.
VOI Preview says that these are only a few reasons why people choose to rely on communicating in the cloud today. The reliability that the cloud offers is also beneficial to any business – big or small. Most cloud providers actually offer their customers a Service Level Agreement (SLA) detailing the quality and reliability of service that their customers can expect from them. These cloud providers take this document so seriously that if their customers ever experience delays or extended downtimes the receive a credit on their bill.
Cloud service providers also use the latest technology and equipment to ensure continuity. They’ll implement other measures like disaster recovery and fail safe methods for connectivity in all environments. This will help you protect your business from costly downtime, which is something you’ll continually struggle with when you own your own systems. Carrier-style reliability is simply unattainable then because building in redundancy and failover capabilities is quite costly.
When you host your communications system in the cloud you don’t have to worry about things like power loss, component failure, and software glitches interrupting your ability to do business. These cloud carriers pay for protection you couldn’t afford on your own. In fact, Broadsoft says that the top providers actually create data centers that are build from the bottom up for redundancy. As such, these centers are really secure so your service will continue even when there’s been a catastrophic failure. Check out the cloud provider’s SLA for more information and then insist that they always offer you this protection.
Cost and Scalability
With such great features in place you can concentrate on growing your business without worrying about its communication needs. Even if you have seasonal fluctuations in your business or you’re experiencing a business downturn the cloud can help you. Unlike a PBX or traditional phone system, when you move your communication to the cloud you can quickly and easily scale up or down depending on what your business needs. All you do is buy the correct number of licenses for as long as you need them. As such, you’ll never find yourself worrying about outgrowing hardware or paying for something you can’t fully use.
Although many businesses struggle to believe that the cloud can make their communications so easy, Jive says that you should rest assured that this really is true. In fact, they say that this is the best benefit of these services. With just a few clicks of your mouse or on your mobile device you can easily add or remove extensions and direct dial numbers.
Clearly, you can begin to see how this will save your company money. However, this often comes as a pleasant surprise when a business owner stops to consider all the great benefits they’re also receiving at the same time. What many companies don’t realize though until after they’ve made the switch is that cloud communications also makes their business more profitable. This is because their customer loyalty increases now that they know they can get the customer service they want when they need it. Sharing this information with other people also brings you new customers through word of mouth advertising.
This isn’t something that just big companies can enjoy either. Small companies also gain a competitive edge by moving their communication to the cloud. A simple change in this regard allows them to deliver better, faster service than they could ever hope to deliver through a traditional system. All of this is much faster too, which means they can spend their time focusing on increasing sales and creating loyal customers.
Clearly, cloud-based communication is a straightforward, efficient way to quickly and effortlessly maintain a great phone system for your company today. Since communication tool are a critical part of any business, you really should consider cloud-based alternatives regardless of the size of your company. These services will help you be more competitive without costing you a lot of money.
