Business benefits of cloud communications

Cloud technology offers a range of services, one of them being cloud communications. This includes Unified Communications as a Service (UCaaS), VoIP, PBX, and tools such as Microsoft Teams. Cloud communications can add value to businesses in many ways by offering a modern, streamlined experience with everything your business needs.

A mobile, flexible business

The pandemic has presented many challenges, one of them being the need for businesses to adapt to changing landscapes. Working from home has become the new norm.

Cloud technology supports business continuity and remote working. It offers many on-demand technology services that are managed by an external cloud service provider. The responsibility of the hardware and the technology sits with them. All you need is an internet connection and any device. You could be anywhere in the world.

Cloud communications are services offered by cloud providers for a telephony system. The system is outsourced to the cloud provider, so there is no need for a physical office or the hardware that is kept on premises to run the telephone system.

Eliminates physical hardware and phone systems

The days of needing a physical office space are gone. Cloud technology allows for the outsourcing of hardware. For example, the need for a physical, on-premises server is no longer necessary. With cloud technology, virtual servers are now possible. The same can now be said for communications systems. Phone systems do not need to be on-premises. A headset and a computer is all you need. The need for on-premises staff to maintain hardware and software is also eliminated as this is taken care of by the cloud provider.

It’s more cost effective

Expanding on the above point, cloud technology eliminates the huge cost of purchasing hardware, but it is also on-demand, meaning you only pay for the resources you consume on a monthly basis. Costing such as this can be freeing for businesses, so they know what to expect and don’t have any unexpected maintenance costs. They don’t have to worry about technology becoming obsolete and having to upgrade it.

Telephony options that cater to individual business needs

These days, when you receive phone calls, you can’t tell if it’s taking place over the internet or the phone line. Technology has advanced. Businesses can retain a phone number and still be professional with internet voice calls.

VoIP, the technology protocol that allows internet calls, has been around for some time, but now there are cloud-based options. A physical VoIP phone can be used, or even a headset plugged into a computer or tablet. There are also cloud-based solutions for PBX which is the telephony technology for making calls internally in a business using a switchboard. Cloud technology provides communication tools like Microsoft Teams for file sharing, instant messaging, voice, and video calls.

Multi-platform unification

 For a company-wide communicational solution, Unified Communications as a Service (UCaaS) is a cloud service that streamlines all communication through one interface. It can be used on any device or platform. UCaaS can incorporate many telephony features such as VoIP and PBX, instant messaging, voicemail, video conferencing, email, speech recognition, and file sharing.

Integrate mobile technology

UCaaS is tailored to the mobile workforce. As long as you have an internet connection, you can access exactly the same platforms through your smartphone or tablet as you can from your desktop.

Savvy functionality to excel your business

Businesses can take advantage of advancements in technology with cloud communications solutions. For example, cloud-based PBX exchanges include receiving voicemail by email, fax server, integrated electronic billing, click-to-call, call forwarding, call recordings saved to OneDrive, waiting for queue and high-definition calls.

Business growth and innovation

Cloud technology is scalable, so you can add resources with just a few clicks. You can add servers, databases, and phone services. This ease of scalability means that a business can be highly competitive and take advantage of opportunities they would have otherwise had to forgo. There is no need to purchase expensive hardware to try something new out.

Increased productivity

Cloud telephony is highly efficient as it centralises the technology of a business and its workflows. Cloud communications services integrate with other services to provide powerful transformative collaboration which increases productivity. Staff are not bogged down by inefficient communication systems so they can focus on important jobs. Cloud communications platforms remove the barrier of having to communicate with employees or clients while only in a physical office.

Increased reliability  

Cloud service providers have fields of powerful servers located all over the world, so if one fails, traffic is transferred to another server. This reduces the risk of downtime and is a big plus for disaster recovery. Cloud speeds are fast so communication like video calls are fast. This increases reliability and the appeal of business brand.  

Raise security and recovery standards

If all your systems are on premises, including your phone systems, if something happens you have no contingency to fall back on. Cloud technology reduces this risk. The same can be said for security. Cloud providers invest a lot of money in keeping their technology secure and highly available. They have experts monitoring 24/7 for cyber threats and problems. Having this level of monitoring on-premises would be very expensive.

Powerful data

Real-time data collection, such as call statistics, is effortless with cloud technology. This data can be used for decision making and to improve customer experiences.

These are just some of the benefits that cloud-based communications can offer. Talk to the experts at Essential Tech to find out more.