Mobility is more than just a buzzword in most business circles. Given the steady surge in mobile device ownership and a growing number of businesses implementing bring your own device (BYOD) policies, it’s little wonder that the office is becoming more mobile by the minute. However, there are still plenty of businesses that are keeping their employees deskbound due to outdated commercial phone systems.
Cloud-based Voice over Internet Protocol (VoIP) services have given businesses a chance to break away from private branch exchange (PBX) handsets and move toward making the desk obsolete.
Productivity from Any Location
True employee mobility is perhaps one of the biggest reasons to transition to a cloud-based VoIP system. Instead of being limited to the office for corporate communication, employees can access company-wide communication features and stay in contact with others from the field. With cloud-based VoIP services, employees can remain productive regardless of their location.
A Truly Flexible Work Environment
The ability to allow employees to remain productive virtually anywhere can also benefit those who desire a more flexible working environment. A recent EY study found that 74 percent of full-time workers surveyed wanted to work flexibly without negatively impacting their productivity. Cloud-based VoIP services offer the infrastructure necessary to promote a flexible yet productive and secure work environment.
The benefits of having a truly flexible working environment often speak for themselves. For instance, businesses can cut down on workplace stress and illnesses by allowing employees to work from home. Businesses can also use this flexibility to promote healthier work-life balance among employees.
Mobility Benefits for IT Staff
IT staff can also benefit from the mobility advantages that cloud-based VoIP services offer. For example, IT staff can oversee remote user provisioning and de-provisioning requests via VoIP, thus saving them the trouble of potentially time-consuming on-premises work. Some cloud-based VoIP service backends even allow forward facing staff to easily handle user account setups instead of relying on IT personnel.
Protection Against Outages
On-premises phone system outages can cripple a small business, leaving it with no choice but to ride out the outage until repairs are made. Larger companies often have backup systems available, but lengthy failover times can still hurt overall productivity and leave businesses vulnerable.
Rather than relying on on-premises backup systems, cloud-based VoIP services offer offsite redundancy with seamless failover that largely eliminates downtime. Even if one of the physical servers at the cloud-based VoIP provider goes down, there are still plenty of resources available to provide continued service without a hitch.
Cloud-based VoIP services offer a broad range of advantages that benefit today’s highly focused and streamlined SMBs. Not only do these services free employees from their desks; they also free businesses from some of the trials and challenges involved in maintaining business phone systems. Contact eXemplify today to learn about available options for cloud-based VoIP solutions.