Hosted Voice and Remote Working: A Match Made in Heaven?

So, we’re almost at the end of 2020 and still, nobody is totally sure what happens next. We were all sent home earlier this year and businesses scrambled to get everyone online and set up in a temporary home off until “this all blows over.” 

Besides the fact that we now know to turn our cameras off during the team Zoom meeting when we roll our eyes at Karen’s constant complaining, and we have mastered the art of a collared shirt and tie… with board shorts – here we are, still working from home. 

Do you think that your remote employees are going to return to the office? Do you think business has changed forever? 

It would be great to know what next year will bring, wouldn’t it? However, in the absence of foreknowledge, all we can do is make what we have work – better. Which brings us to the topic of hosted voice communication for remote workers. 

What is hosted voice communication?

Hosted voice is also known as hosted PBX or VoIP and is a phone system which allows for significantly cheaper voice communication within a business, minus the cost and expense of a physical private branch exchange (PBX). 

It is a flexible and user-friendly approach to traditional telephone systems and makes use of data to make, receive, and manage calls. Data is carried over the internet and unpacked almost instantaneously into voice messages on the other side. 

We know that hosted systems are fast becoming the preferred model for many areas of business, mainly due to their almost non-existent setup and management concerns. 

The advantages of hosted voice, as opposed to on-premise systems, are:

• No on-site installations or purchase of costly PBX hardware
• No additional server requirements
• No capital outlay
• Flat monthly fees
• The entire system is securely managed off-site by professionals

 

Why choose hosted voice for remote staff?

A few years ago, if we knew that our team would be scattered over a 50+ km radius and probably be working in their pyjamas, we would likely have broken out in a cold and uncomfortable sweat. How do you run a seamless and professional organisation with a remote team? What level of service and communication are we offering to our clients in this scenario?

This is really where a hosted voice communication system shines. 

Take a look at these benefits:

• You can keep your current phone number. Customers who call in will be attended to in the same way that they’ve always been used to and be entirely unaware that your professional service team are attending to them from the cupboard under the stairs. 
• Business continuity well – continues. No matter where your employees are or which time zone they operate in, a press of a button will transfer a call successfully. Job done. 
• Hosted voice solutions rival the most expensive top-end physical PBX systems. Call transfers and parking, forwarding, conference calls, and voice messaging are simple add-ons as required. Top that off with complex reporting, monitoring, and recording facilities and you are onto a winner. 
• Hosted voice is scalable. Upgrade, downgrade or relocate your system with ease. 

What, though, if you are really keen to have your staff come back to the office in the very near future? Do you really want to invest in a voice solution which would become redundant once things are “back to normal”? 

Well here’s the thing; hosted voice systems are great for remote workers, but they are just as efficient, cost-effective, and user-friendly in an office environment. 

Here’s why:

• Hosted systems don’t require you to hire an army of professionals to manage and maintain them. 
• They offer the same (and in many cases, more) features than a traditional PBX system. These can include:
  • Auto-attendant
  • Conference calls
  • Video conferencing
  • Call forwarding to any location
  • Call recording and analytics
  • Voicemail to email
  • Seamless mobile links
  • Free ongoing software upgrades
• VoIP allows you to link offices via the cloud to further reduce the cost of internal calls.
• Ongoing maintenance and security upgrades.
• Predictable monthly telephony costs.
• Unified communications between departments

Summing Up

Often, when something sounds too good to be true, it usually is. 

Are you looking at this and thinking, “Cheaper calls, better system, lower overall costs, happier staff…what’s the catch?” 

That’s great, it means you are a prudent businessperson who weighs their decisions carefully. If this sounds like you, then we’d like to chat with you and set your mind at ease. This is today’s hosted voice tech and it’s simply faster, cheaper, and better than what came before. 

Let’s connect.