Are you still using the iPhone that Apple launched a decade ago? Or the indestructible Nokia 1100 for that fact? No, right. We change stuff. We keep moving from good to great. We upgrade.
We are also on a rush to update to the next best technology with which we spend so many hours on a daily basis. Gregory Stock in his prophetic TED Talk says, “To upgrade is human.”
Technology is undeniably the backbone that helps businesses run operations smoothly. Now with technology becoming more potent and integral than ever before, even businesses are spoilt for choices. The businesses of the 20th century resorted to door-to-door selling. Ray Croc was selling blenders door-to-door before he stumbled upon McDonald’s.
Businesses of the 21st century live in cloud servers. Their everyday communication is powered by cloud solutions. The old rotary phones have vanished from our lives. In fact, a recent Guardian Post found that the modern generation doesn’t even know how to use old telephones.
So, if the modern generation does not know how an old telephone looks or how to use it, why is your business still using it? Here is the hard truth. Landlines are dying. The era of cloud telephony is here. VoIP calling is the default way of voice communication. It is high time for your business to upgrade to a Virtual PBX if you don’t want to become a dinosaur in the telephony world.
When you upgrade to a virtual PBX you don’t have to do 5 things and you can 5 things that a traditional phone system cannot offer. Want to know about them?
First, let’s look at the list of things that you don’t have to.
You don’t…
1. You don’t have to spend $$ on installation
Virtual PBX is fairly simple to install and set up. Most often, they come in the form of computer software or web applications that you can set up on your own. There is no need for bringing in a technical expert or spend weeks of time just to get the phone system up and running. With a Virtual PBX, you can have your business phone system working right away.
Like most web applications, the signup process for a Virtual PBX is pretty straight-forward. You can create an account with your email id, set up admin controls and add other members (agents) to your Virtual PBX to set up a virtual call center.
2. You don’t have to invest in telephony hardware
Virtual PBX is software. It requires zero telephony hardware for everyday use. The hardware you might need is a laptop or PC, which you could be already using. In fact, you can also operate a Virtual PBX from a smartphone app or any VoIP-enabled device.
In case your business is already VoIP phones, you can connect them to a Virtual PBX and continue using them for VOIP calling.
3. You don’t need prior training to use
Did anyone train you on how to create an email account? Well, Virtual PBX systems are absurdly easy to set up and use. The setup process is fairly simple requiring no technical expert intervention. In fact, the simple set up process makes it possible to start using a Virtual PBX in less than a day.
You can create your own call flows, assign phone numbers to teams, configure working hours for each team, set up IVR menus, voicemails and do much more on your own.
4. You don’t have to sign long-term contracts
Cloud-based Virtual PBX systems take the form of SaaS software. The service agreement is straight-forward and is easy to enter or leave. There are no long-term contracts that you have to enter in with vendors. This saves the trouble of locking in capital or putting up with a service that does not serve you the right way.
Also, the SaaS route ensures that you pay only for what you use. The billing will be based on the voice data you use. Additional charges, if any, may be charged for additional features that you sign up for.
5. You don’t need a physical office
Virtual PBX is ideal for remote teams. It enables the members of a team to connect to the phone system from anywhere they are. As a result, there is no need for a physical office. Even if you have a physical office, there is no need to connect to any hardware to continue using the business phone system.
The fact that Virtual PBX does not require any hardware also makes it convenient to run a phone system from anywhere. All data — like phone numbers, call flows, IVR menus are all stored in cloud servers. They continue to be accessible through any internet-connected or VoIP enabled devices.
With a Virtual PBX you don’t have to do or spend on several things. Instead you can gain several benefits. What are those benefits? Read further.
You can…
1. You can make use of cloud telephony features
Cloud telephony brings to businesses a range of awesome features that can make call management easier. Some such features that are on-premise PBX systems lack include call queue management, speech analytics, service level management, call monitoring, call masking, call notes among many others.
2. You can upgrade to the latest version anytime
Under the hood, a Virtual PBX is computer software or like a mobile application. That makes it easier to upgrade it from time-to-time. In fact, with cloud connectivity, the updates can be downloaded over-the-air without any fuss. If required, the updates can also be configured to run in the background when the call density is lean.
3. You can scale without any restraints
Virtual PBX systems assign licenses for each user. Every time you want to add a new agent to your call center or a phone system, you just have to add one more agent to Virtual PBX. Does it time unusually long to add a new user? Virtual PBX lets you add a user almost instantly. All the settings created for other users in the network can be replicated for the new user as well.
4. You can monitor your call center on the cloud
One of the drawbacks of traditional PBX systems is that they lack or rater have insufficient call monitoring features. This made it difficult to manage agents who were working remotely. For a business that had multiple call centers scattered across multiple geographic locations, a traditional PBX system was not an ideal choice.
But, Virtual PBX makes it possible to monitor your remote agents with a host of tools like call barging, call monitoring, call whispering and so on. This aids in the proper management of remote call center agents.
5. You can save costs on call center operations
Running a call center is an expensive affair. Apart from staff salaries, there are other ancillary costs that add up to a significant amount. Take, for example, the cost of purchasing, installing and maintaining telephony hardware. On-premise PBX system vendors charge a premium fee (usually in the form of annual maintenance charges) for upkeeping the phone systems.
Final thoughts
When it comes to a business phone system, YOU DON’T have to stay chained to an on-premise PBX. YOU CAN upgrade to a Virtual PBX and take your business efficiency to new heights.
