Even as the world becomes more technology driven and business is done more and more online, phone calls still play an important role in everyday business. When it comes to sales, phone calls are still an important lifeline, helping to account for about $1 trillion in consumer spending.
As companies continue to conduct more business online and communicate more through cloud-based computing, it makes a lot of sense to merge technology, even phones. Hybrid phone systems are becoming more of a regular thing in offices and can be integrated into a variety of applications and workflow systems.
So just what is a hybrid phone system? Think of it as a sort of middle ground between a traditional analog phone system and a Voice-over-IP or WoIP system. Traditional phone systems are those tied to a phone chord and VoIP systems include things like Skype. With hybrid phone system, companies get the best of both worlds.
If you think your company doesn’t need hybrid phone systems, think again. More than 50% of companies throughout the United States already use some kind of cloud-based phone network. The point is, advanced phone technology is here and now and here are four reasons to embrace hybrid phone systems:
- Better productivity: Companies thrive best when workers can do their jobs efficiently. By pairing traditional phone systems with cloud services, workers will have a more streamlined communication system, which will help them save time and devote more of focus to other aspects of their job.
- Better communication: It’s no secret that phone systems cost money and the bigger a company is, the higher the cost is going to be for phone systems. This can be a real pain for bigger companies, especially if there’s a transition to new technology that requires total replacement of old equipment. Fortunately, hybrid phone systems allow companies to ease from traditional systems to cloud-based ones, without having to make the transition all at once.
- More local access and control: If your company is big enough, chances are you have an IT department. If that’s the case, your IT manager is tasked with monitoring and controlling all aspects of your company’s communication technology. With hybrid phone systems, an IT manager can keep monitoring communications equipment and they’ll have access to all levels. He or she will be able to tailor equipment to a company’s needs and can better project for any future needs.
- Less maintenance: If your company has a traditional phone system setup, there’s a good chance that it’s dated and might be in need of constant work. With hybrid phone systems, there’s less maintenance or need for phone repair since everything is increasingly cloud-based.
If your company is still using office phones attached to chords, it’s time to cut the chord and get a much needed upgrade. Doing so will help you conduct business in the 21st century, rather than using antiquated equipment that might make it difficult to conduct business. Today’s phone systems, hybrid or not, can perform a variety of much-need functions and you should look for some of the following if you’re looking for an upgrade:
- VoIP-based functionality
- Voicemail to email or text
- Call accounting/reporting
- On hold messages that can be customized
- Mobile twinning
- Auto attendants
- Warranties and remote support
A NewVoiceMedia survey has found that a whopping 75% of customers still think calling is best way to get a response quickly from business. With that in mind, installing a hybrid phone system for your company is essential. Technology has helped business evolve and quickly in the last several years and the last thing you want is for your business to be left behind and playing catch-up. Hybrid phone systems can be the upgrade your company needs to stay with the times and interact better with today’s consumers. As has been noted, a lot of business is still conducted over the phone and not having an up-to-date phone system is doing a disservice to your company and to your customers.
