No reason can be enough to justify the use of old and cranky PSTN (Public Switched Telephone Network) systems for office communication. The world has moved on and you too need to grab the first opportunity to join the bandwagon of cloud telephone users. There are several cloud service providers in the market who are marketing their cloud telephony services to small, medium and large organizations.
As a cloud telephone user, you can utilize the core technology that is not only developed but also maintained by the third party service providers. Customers will never be satisfied with just the simple telephony features of cloud telephony. Service providers have thus launched a host of features on the cloud. Here are the things you can expect after migrating to the cloud:
Connecting mobile workers and remote sites
Cloud telephone system can enhance user experience and help companies penetrate virgin markets at the lowest possible costs. If you are a business owner who puts enough emphasis on sales, marketing and support and consider your business phone to be a best strategic partner, then it is best to learn about the possibilities that lie ahead. Cloud based communication systems can be easily integrated with the other enterprise applications and gather important customer data that can be used for refining marketing campaigns.
Your mobile workforce will be able to connect to the central communication system even when they are not in the office. Cloud based communication systems give you the opportunity to integrate it with other enterprise applications like CRM and make the most of the stored information. These business telephone systems are way smarter than the traditional phone system thereby turning your employees into smart employees.
So how exactly is the smart quotient added to the existing communication system?
The cloud based communication systems facilities uninterrupted connectivity whether you are in the office or any other remote locations. Features like Find Me/Follow Me allow you to take calls from anywhere. Irrespective of your location, your will be able to attend customer calls and provide real time solutions to your customers.
Integration with CRM & Other Applications.
The cloud based business phone systems can be integrated with the existing CRM of your organization. This gives you valuable insights about your customer behavior and you will also be able to optimize the system to serve your customers in a better manner. Your employees will be able to leverage the power of the CRM and in turn make great use of the investments that you made on such enterprise applications.
Utilization of Business Data
The cloud telephone systems can facilitate business intelligence that helps you to spot, fetch and analyze critical business data. Business intelligence will be able to support your business decision by analyzing call data. Since, majority of the interactions occur over the phone, data pertaining to number, call duration, nature and the source of the calls will be critical to the completion of business analytics.
Call Management
Call management is another important feature that gives the cloud based telephone systems a clear upper hand over the traditional phones. Every business owner is aware that all calls cannot be treated with equal importance – there are a few that would definitely have higher priority and answering them cannot be delayed. There is a personal call management feature that would allow you to prioritize the incoming calls and helps you to automatically identify and route them.
Auto Attendant
Auto Attendant is another feature that leads the callers into reaching the desired group or extension. In case you are cash strapped, you will be able to use this feature instead of hiring a full time receptionist.
About The Author
Michelle Patterson has been working with telecom companies for over 10 years, and is excited with the new IP/VoIP/Cloud Telephony and other systems flooding the market. She is learning as much as she can about IP Telephony, Cloud Telephony, VoIP, Unified Communications, etc.