The fact is that digital communications have transformed the way that business works all over the world. As our connections to the Internet have increased in both speed and accessibility and new developments in software and media have enabled closer connections to people than ever before, business leaders are quickly finding that they need to look at their own communications systems in very different ways. Indeed, the advantages that digital communications and cloud technology offer are multi-fold.
PBX Versus VOIP Systems
Anyone who has been around in business for a while will likely remember the old traditional hardware-based PBX telephone systems. In fact, they are still being used in many offices around the world. The trouble is that as tried and tested as these older systems are, they simply don’t provide the range of benefits that new VOIP (VoiceOver IP) systems do.
The sobering truth is that PBX systems are pretty clunky in design. You might remember the big hardware boxes sitting on the wall in offices all over the place. These old systems are costly and labour-intensive to install. By contrast, a new IP-based digital systems offers the following benefits:
- Easy Install: Because IP digital communications systems are software- and cloud-based, there is actually very little hardware involved. You can certainly opt to have traditional handsets installed or even headsets, but there is no bulky box sitting on the wall that takes up space. This fact alone makes them very easy to install and therefore more cost-effective for any company wanting to investigate them as an option.
- Choice: As a business owner, have you ever wanted to choose an international number for parts of your business so your customers perceive you to be bigger than you are? Have you ever wanted an international number to represent your global aspirations or the fact that you service other countries? A digital IP-based communications system offers every business the choice to have any number, either domestic or international. This fact alone can be used cleverly as a marketing tool in the right hands.
- Flexible: The fact that this digital system is largely software-based means that there is no need for fixed points of communication where the traditional handset dominates. If anyone requires a traditional handset, it can certainly be arranged, but a digital system that is software-based is ultimately very flexible and can be used with headsets on a PC as well. In fact, the flexibility of this technology also means that video calls and video conferencing are possible.
The Voice of the Future in Business
The fact is that business is changing very quickly. Communications is an area where the advances in both digital technology and software have had one of the biggest impacts. New communications systems that are digitally-based and use software and the cloud are easier to install, are more cost-effective for business, and offer a great deal more functionality and flexibility than their hardware counterparts from yesteryear.