Within this decade, we’ve ushered in a new era of mobile and voice communications. For better or for worse, voice over IP (VOIP) evolved to offer companies a way to eliminate infrastructure requirements, by getting rid of phone lines and allowing the Ethernet cable to control all communications.
Since that time, things have continued to evolve rapidly in the communications sphere. Most people no longer even use their desktop phone as a handset, preferring to use headsets or add-on software applications that allow them to use their phone service through their mobile device, CRM or laptop.
Shifting from traditional PBX to VOIP has opened up an expanse of possibilities for the evolution of phones from a simple telephone to communications technology. Much in the same way that transportation rapidly shifted from horse and cart to cars, phones have gone from hardwired phone lines to integrated software-based communications platforms capable of integration with chat, video conferencing, contact center functioning and easier administration.
The Unified Communications as a Service is the solution du jour, with on-premise providers being the last hold outs of the golden age of phones. Much like JC Penny and Nordstrom continue the legacy of department stores in the age of ecommerce, their solution functions, but doesn’t hold a candle to the modern era of cloud-based communications. The next gen providers have set the telecom industry on its ear.
Here’s what that evolution of communication means for your business:
A big investment is no longer needed. All you need is a computer with a speaker and a microphone. You can collaborate with your own desktop. You don’t even truly need a phone.
No more long-term commitments. The 20-year commitment to a single communications platform is a thing of the past. You can easily port phone numbers and change providers at the drop of a hat. And you don’t have to contend with new equipment in the process.
In-house expertise no longer required. You used to need expertise to train, move, add and change or delete users. With the current platform, the complexity of managing phone systems is gone.
Agility is increased. Phones are spun up much quicker, numbers are easily ported to the new system and you’re up and running in a fraction of the time it used to take to switch carriers, providers or devices. Instead of deploying all these switches and equipment, you just need to download a program onto your computer.
You call a person, not a device. You can now call an extension, and have it ring the person you’re looking for wherever they are – not just where their phone sits physically. This means colleagues and customers alike get in touch with one another much more readily.
Phone service is finally reliable. Because of global data centers, there is a redundancy in cloud communications platforms that was never there before. The switching fabric doesn’t go down as long as you have two different methods of carrying internet to your building, like a fiber cable and a cellular network.
In the era of the Uber and Lyft, the taxi is going the way of the dinosaur. Just the same, the time of the cloud phone has arrived. Why not integrate your communications into one and make life simpler with more features and benefits?
Is it time for an easier way to communicate? Contact Nortec and simplify your phone solution.