Technology is evolving at a faster rate than ever before; it is literally revolutionizing the way we do business. The “new now” is upon us and businesses cannot afford to be caught on the wrong side of the widening gap of technology. Centralizing the intelligence of your telecommunications to a hosted PBX is the key to staying ahead of the curve.
So, what does this mean to today’s existing and new businesses? There is a smarter and more efficient way to do business telecommunications. For years, communications devices have struggled to become fully integrated. The computer, office phone, and mobile phone have operated independent of one another, each with its own specific purpose. But with business telephony becoming centrally hosted, these devices have learned to coexist in ways previously unheard of.
Business connectivity and VoIP, or Voice over Internet Protocol, are driving forces behind the centralization of content. Because of this “cloud in the sky” hosted model platform, advancement in convergence means companies can now seamlessly integrate all their communications, saving time, effort, and stress.
In traditional phone service, a semi-mysterious box known as a PBX resides in a closet somewhere in the office. This box contains the intelligence of a phone system and communicates with the phones on the desks, allowing them to receive calls, voice messages, and more. The on-premises PBX, however, does not communicate with a computer or mobile phone. With hosted PBX service, any compatible IP device can access the intelligence of a phone system, which allows all the communication devices to share information and fully integrate.
According to a 2007 report by Dell’Oro Group, in 2002, traditional PBX segments accounted for more than 85% of the market revenues. They predicted Hosted IP PBX services will see year-over-year growth rate of 90% through 2009 and by 2011, traditional PBXs are projected to make up less than 5% of the overall market.
Understandably, today’s business owners are faced with economically challenging times and are confronted with advancing one of their business necessities – telecommunications. The hosted PBX is an answer to both challenges. By eliminating the expensive PBX that requires maintenance, licensing, and upgrades, business owners can advance their communications technology while reallocating their precious capital to running their core business. Advancements in technology have made the transition easy and affordable, and the new hosted system will actually help companies run more efficient, deliver better customer service and ultimately impact the bottom line.
By switching to a hosted PBX and centralizing business telephony, companies can retire the traditional on-premise PBX and seamlessly integrate all of the communications. Not only is this option affordable to business owners, it gives access to feature-rich solutions that simplify business communications. The features are endless. Users have the latest in unified messaging, such as visual voice mail, allowing the management of voicemail from your email. Web click-to-dial allows dialing from Microsoft Outlook directory or the Internet with the click of a mouse. The simultaneous ring feature allows up to 10 numbers to ring at the same time, ensuring customers and colleagues can reach users anywhere with the convenience of one phone number. Other attributes include mobile to desk call handoff, fax-to-email, integrated toolbar, and many more.
As convergence technologies continue to advance, the day will soon come when one device will serve as computer, phone, and much more. No longer will we need multiple devices. Until that day, enjoy convergence technologies that allow office phones, mobile phones and computers to operate as one big integrated family in a centralized hosted PBX.
