In 2025, BT will switch off its traditional voice PSTN and ISDN telephony services. In layperson’s terms, this means that phone lines as we know them will be dead in the UK in the not too distant future.
However, this doesn’t mean that the landline is no more, far from it. It simply means that the magic of how phone calls are made will work a little differently behind the scenes. Some businesses are already preparing for this change by converting their phone systems to VoIP (Voice over Internet Protocol). This means that their phone lines work using a reliable internet connection rather than a traditional landline.
These systems usually work by storing the network and routing elements somewhere in your own offices. Large reliable servers are needed with super-fast broadband that you better have backed up unless you want your communication nightmares to come true.
Businesses across the world become an instant search away, we cannot afford to lose customers over a poor connection. Rivals can be easily sought when such issues arise. Instant gratification is expected as standard, and people simply don’t have the patience for poor connections.
There are also start-ups and fully-fledged online empires nowadays that trade successfully without even having a real physical office. Nobody wants to plant a loud and large server farm in their home.
This is where a cloud-based phone system could be your saving grace as you transition into your VoIP solution.
Instead of the network components of the VoIP system being in your office or home they are hosted on a cloud by a dedicated provider. Your data is stored securely on high-tech servers that can be accessed via the internet. Your geographical location will have no bearing on call quality or system uptime as long as your internet connection is sufficient and if you have an unreliable internet connection, then give us a call!
A cloud system means that calls can be forwarded using switches to a phone number of your choice. This can be perfect when unexpected changes happen in your business. Say if somebody takes sick leave on a day that they are expected to be contacted by an important client, the forwarding number can be changed to another member of staff who is most qualified to deal with the query.
Taking your calls through a cloud-based phone system also means that if you had a phone network set up in an office, things will be easier when it comes to expansion or any other changes you would like to make. An old-school style landline system requires wires networked appropriately across the office so that calls make their way to the correct recipient. A cloud-based VoIP phone system is plug-and-play. Three words that make us smile, it doesn’t get any easier. If a new member of staff starts, just plug in a cloud-based phone into a normal Ethernet plug or just connect it to the WiFi. If you rent out another office in a new location, you won’t have to get an expensive quote for engineers to wire your offices for a new landline system.
A cloud-based phone system is just another one of the many ways that technology is making our lives a lot easier. With its fast setup and minimal maintenance requirements, cloud-based telephony also works out a lot cheaper for users.
Like any good technological solution, there are a plethora of extra options. You can keep things simple and just carry on as if you were using a standard landline, and that’s fine. Or you could try out additional features such as call recording, multiple voicemail inboxes, remote use on mobiles and a whole load more.
Things have changed and now is a good time to get your head in the clouds! Contact Ice comms today for further information on a cloud-based phone system for your business.
