9 Reasons Why Now is the Time to Replace Your Aging Phone System with UNIVERGE BLUE
of consumers look for an immediate response to marketing or sales questions. – Hubspot Research
Whether it’s a question about a product or service, a new order, a support issue, or simply trying to pay a bill, customers still need a human connection when they’re looking for help – and the right cloud communications platform – that includes calling, video conferencing, chat, and secure file sharing provides just that.
The architecture of conventional phone systems dates back to a time when going to work meant going to an office. But today’s mobile and global workers require more agility and capabilities than these systems can support.
The trouble is the architecture of conventional phone systems dates back to a time when going to work meant going to an office. Many were even designed when smartphones were considered nothing but science fiction. Today’s workers, who now need to be flexible to work from wherever they happen to be, require more agility and capabilities than these systems can support. Aging phone systems typically do not
support remote workforces, who can be productive from any location. Most aging phone systems do not even provide direct access to company voicemail from a mobile device, which could cause delays in responding to customers. And you can’t afford to miss sales or lose customers because they can’t communicate with your employees when and how they like.
A modern cloud communications platform not only provides highly reliable connectivity and call quality but is also easy to deploy and simple to maintain. Plus, the cloud delivers the agility and advanced features your business needs to keep pace with impatient consumers and mobile workers.
Let’s take a bit of a deeper look at nine key benefits that explain why companies like yours have already made the move to the cloud.
1
SAVES COST
You enjoy one flat-rate for all your calls, chats, and video conferences anywhere in North America. For one predictable monthly charge you also get a range of services like internet fax and conference calling – without the complexity of multiple bills. Contrast that with traditional on-premises systems where even when the hardware is paid for, you still incur ongoing costs for things like software upgrades, maintenance, and support. You may also need expensive expansion cards to add new users or costly private business exchange lines for connectivity between multiple locations.
Unlike on-premises systems that require a major investment of time and money to add advanced features like video conferencing, these services, that employees now rely on readily, come pre-integrated with a cloud communications platform. Also, rather than making a major investment in hardware, pay-as-you-go subscription pricing means low risk to migrate to the benefits of the cloud.
2
89%
of consumers begin doing business with a competitor following a poor customer
experience.
– Harris Interactive
IMPROVES
CUSTOMER SATISFACTION
Your phone system is often the first point of contact with your customer, so it should be a good experience. A new breed of customer – tech-savvy, online, and mobile – demands the same of your company. They expect to reach someone the first time they call. Plus, these impatient customers expect that person to have all the information they need at their fingertips – at least
as fast as they could get it themselves on the web. According to Harris Interactive, 89% of consumers begin doing business with a competitor following a poor customer experience.
Especially because the COVID-19 virus prompted so many to shelter in place, old habits gave way to new ways of working remotely and conducting business without in-person contact. Whether connecting through a call, video, chat, or email, customers demand choice and convenience. A study by the respected research firm Gartner also found that when it comes to making a purchase, 64% of people find customer experience more important than price. This
means businesses must quickly put customers in touch with exactly who they need.
This can create problems for businesses still using old-school phone systems. When a traditional on-premises PBX phone system can’t integrate with your teams’ mobile devices or support your customers preferred means for engaging, you leave yourself open to a poor customer experience, especially if your company’s representatives aren’t sitting at their desks in the office at the moment the customer calls. You worked hard to get that customer on the phone, so why take the risk of missing the call?
A modern cloud communications platform gives your employees tools like instant access to company voicemail and business SMS to stay in touch with customers anytime, anywhere, and from virtually any mobile device.
3
YOUR BUSINESS ALWAYS HAS
RELIABLE PHONE SERVICE
A cloud communications platform offers benefits that will give you more modern communications benefits. But first and foremost, every business needs reliable phone service with good audio and video quality. A cloud provider with a robust network and core infrastructure located in redundant data centers can provide carrier-class reliability and superior call quality.
A cloud communications platform offers benefits that will give you more modern communications. But first and foremost, every business needs reliable phone service and good call quality.
Plus, having a mobile and desktop computer application, along with all of your data being backed up in the cloud, means your business continues even in the case of a fire, power outage, or natural disaster. In the event that pandemic shelter-in-place mandates prevent your employees from working in your offices they can simply use the mobile app or softphone, and it’s business as usual without any breaks in service.
4
STRONG SECURITY
AND EXPERTS
IN GOVERNMENT
REGULATIONS
With the right provider, robust security protects your data. This is particularly important for small- and medium-size business, which typically lack the dedicated
IT staff of larger businesses. The right cloud service provider experts can provide worldclass security, which includes compliance with government regulations like HIPAA (Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act).
87%
of respondents stated that cloud governance will become very important in the next two years, yet many do not believe their IT department is capable of handling it.
– Ponemon Institute study
5
75%
of employees use their smartphones as their main business communications tools.
– IDC
MOBILIZES
YOUR WORKFORCE
Pre-pandemic, workers were already expecting to have the tools to work from anywhere, optimize their commute time, and make calls outside of business hours. This is not a surprise as more than one-in-three American labor force participants 35% Millennials – the largest generation in the U.S. labor force – grew up in this mobile-first world. When COVID-19 surprised so many businesses with social distancing regulations that required employees to work remotely, business leaders were forced to rethink their workforce location models. Geographic flexibility for mobile workers, speed and agility shifted from competitive advantage to table stakes. A cloud communications platform means employees can talk to customers, and to each other, anytime, from anywhere, and on virtually any mobile device.
A good cloud communications service provides apps for mobile devices and desktops to support your workers anywhere they roam. This mobility allows employees to access conference calls, video conferences, chats, faxing, web meetings, and file sharing from
a mobile device. It also provides a big advantage in a world where people increasingly use a smartphone even when they get back to their office desks.
Better still, your mobile workers will have the same capabilities of a full-featured phone system as employees in the office. They can access the company directory, check voicemail, and transfer calls from a smartphone. Meanwhile, your customers can reach your employees from a single company number. When employees call out from a mobile device, customers and partners see your company number – not a personal cell number. So, you strengthen your brand, and when an employee leaves the company your customers don’t go with them.
The cloud can also deliver advanced features like video conferencing, web meetings, and file sharing to keep your employees seamlessly connected – and usually for less than you’re paying for that old phone sitting in front of you.
6
SCALES EASILY
Adding, moving, or changing lines with a conventional phone system might take a technician or a call to the phone company. With a cloud communications platform you add users quickly and easily with just a click on a web-based administration console – even from a mobile device. You will enjoy the kind of business agility you need to adjust to seasonal spikes in business or to quickly expand into a new market.
7
EASILY SPIN UP BRANCH OFFICES
OR PROVISION REMOTE WORKERS
Rather than requesting a service call or waiting for the phone company to provision lines, you can simply send phones to new offices or remote workers. Your employees easily plug the phones into an internet connection, and they’re ready to go. Your new office also has a complete business phone service that includes features like the ability to transfer calls to your home office or other remote locations. Wherever your employees work, your cloud communications platform can route calls to them seamlessly and without interruption.
80%
of SMBs would prefer to get a single bill for all of their communications
– Amdocs study
8
ALWAYS STATE OF THE ART:
ACCESS TO THE LATEST FEATURES
Technology is progressing so quickly, it’s hard for even the most advanced IT professionals to keep up with enhancements and patches to hardware-based systems. A top-tier service provider will automatically upgrade your calling and other communications features in the cloud. You won’t have to worry about upgrades or added fees; your employees always have access to the latest features.
9
STREAMLINES COMPLEXITY
AND ENHANCES PRODUCTIVITY
A cloud communications platform eliminates the need to pay for collaboration services such as video conferencing, chat, secure file storage, internet fax, backup, and other stand-alone services from different suppliers. This not only reduces procurement and billing complexity but also dramatically improves employee productivity. For example, with an integrated cloud communications platform, employees collaborating in a group chat can instantly elevate the session to a video-conference or web meeting.
SWITCH TO THE CLOUD AND GET RELIABLE BUSINESS COMMUNICATIONS UP AND RUNNING QUICKLY
The days of waiting for the phone company for lines or getting on-site business phone hardware set up and connected are gone. You will have a reliable, full-featured cloud communications platform up and running almost instantly. Most businesses have the network bandwidth, Ethernet connections, and other requirements in place already. And there’s no bulky, complicated on-premises hardware to struggle with – it’s all managed, updated and secured remotely by the service provider.
- Fast to implement – and no disruption to your business
- Getting employees connected is as simple as plugging phones into internet connections or downloading a mobile or desktop PC app
- Using advanced mobile features – from video conferencing to direct access to company voicemail is easy
- Add, move, or change lines from an easy-to-use web browser console – no technician required
- Help is a phone call away: whatever questions you have, our service technicians can help you quickly
READY TO MOVE TO THE CLOUD?
MAKE THE RIGHT CHOICE
The rate of technological change continues at breakneck speed, and your phone system is no exception. As customer behavior and expectations change almost daily, businesses need to stay current and equip employees with the latest tools for communications and collaboration. The cloud provides these advantages and more.
If you’re ready to make the move, make sure you choose a cloud company with superior call quality, proven reliability, and a track record for stellar customer service and support. The fully integrated NEC UNIVERGE BLUE CONNECT solution provides a premier business phone system to meet your needs.
- 99.999% uptime service level agreement that is financially backed
- Complimentary desktop and mobile applications
- Constant innovation to provide you with the new features, functionality, and quality of service
- Includes a full-featured phone system combined with chat, web/video conferencing, and file sync, share, and backup capabilities
If you haven’t considered a move to the cloud before, now’s a great time to start. Contact us today to find out how reliable, affordable, and easy to use NEC’s UNIVERGE BLUE CONNECT can be.
