Six cost-reducing benefits of switching to a cloud phone system

This article comes courtesy of PBX Hosting, a leading UK-based VoIP telecommunications provider. They deliver hosted PBX solutions and VoIP phone systems to businesses of all sizes and specialisms. Switching to a cloud phone system is one of the lesser-known cost savings a business can make, but it’s also one of the most effective. More and more businesses are switching to cloud communications, with a cost reduction of between 50 and 70 percent.

Why is switching to cloud communications cost-effective?

1.      Save on installation and maintenance costs

When you move to a cloud phone, all your communications are hosted in the cloud by a business server. When it comes to installing a cloud phone system, an external telephony provider will handle everything. Equally, your provider will keep on top of maintenance, updates and training. In return, you will typically pay a small monthly fee and make huge savings on time and resources. If you are currently diverting internal resources to handle phone upkeep and repairs, it’s definitely time to look toward switching to the cloud.

2.      You won’t lose money to call downtime

Your traditional PBX system could be losing you money as a result of tech downtime. Downtime is increasingly becoming an accepted, and even expected, part of business communications. But if you’ve invested in a PBX system, you should demand reliability and disaster recovery. Downtime not only stifles staff productivity, it can lose valuable leads and damage customer relationships. With a hosted PBX system, you can count on reliable, crystal clear calls with disaster recovery.

3.      Generate more leads with better accessibility

Customer expectations are rapidly evolving, and your business communications must evolve as quickly to meet them. Increasingly, customers are looking for fast communications with efficient resolutions to their issues. Most customers want a range of communication options, with 66 percent customers on average using three different communication channels for customer service. Cloud phone systems offer customers the option to seamlessly use their preferred channels of communication – whether that’s live chat, email, contact form or phone. In doing so, cloud communications lead to a vastly improved customer experience and higher customer retention rates.

Since cloud phone systems can be updated quickly and regularly, you’re never in danger of falling behind the trend in customer expectations. Overall, this leads to a higher level of accessibility and more leads or sales being generated as a result.

4.      Boost customer retention with better agent performance

Cloud phone systems can further improve customer experience by making it easier to better agent performance. Many cloud phone systems feature recording solutions, which allow you to monitor agent performance and ensure compliance. It is designed to give call centre managers an overview of core KPIs, such as average wait and talk times. Allowing for flexible or mobile agent work.

A cloud phone system also allows for agents to work on the go, or at home, which can be necessary with an increasingly mobile and flexible workforce.

5.      Enhanced scalability

Hosted PBX systems have the scalability to expand seamlessly with your organisation – making them ideal for growing businesses. Cloud phone systems don’t have the limitations of traditional phone systems and allows you to quickly and easily add phone lines, extensions and connect to mobile devices.

6.      Enhance your reporting with better data capture

Cloud phone systems often have advanced data capture features, which allow for better call centre reporting. Ultimately, this paves the way for optimising your call centre performance. The 3CX cloud phone system, provided by PBX Hosting, allows you schedule automated reports based on customisable metrics. These reports are then emailed to nominated recipients on a tailored, periodic basis. You can also produce reports ad hoc by logging in to the management console.

Find out more about the benefits of moving your contact centre to a cloud phone system.