As you may have heard BT Openreach have announced they will be switching off their existing PSTN and ISDN network by 2025 and switching to a single IP network. This means if your business relies on the traditional ISDN network you will need to make arrangements to move to a hosted solution. 2025 may seem like a fair distance away, however with so many lines needing to be migrated you shouldn’t risk your business communications by leaving it to the last minute. In this article we will discuss VoIP and the benefits that it will bring to your business and why you should make the move soon.
What is PSTN?
“The public switched telephone network (PSTN) is the aggregate of the world’s circuit-switched telephone networks that are operated by national, regional, or local telephony operators, providing infrastructure and services for public telecommunication” Analogue voice data is sent over a circuit-switched phone line made up of copper wires which is owned and operated by your phone provider.
What is ISDN?
“Integrated Services Digital Network (ISDN) is a set of communication standards for simultaneous digital transmission of voice, video, data, and other network services over the traditional circuits of the public switched telephone network”
What are the alternatives?
The recent investment in the UK communications network has made the new fibre infrastructure widely available and affordable to small businesses. This means IP based solution such as VoIP and SIP are the top alternatives for businesses.
What is VoIP?
VoIP is a cloud-based telephony solution which moves your whole phone system online so all your calls are sent over your internet connection. This digital cloud-based phone system offers a wide range of additional features such as call recording, receiving voicemails via email, call queuing and unified communications – being able to access the system on multiple devices such as a mobile and desktop.
As previously stated, we advise against leaving it near the deadline before moving to VoIP. If you leave it to the last minute to switch, you’ll be risking your business communications and also putting your business at a competitive disadvantage. This is because your business will be missing out on all of the beneficial features of VoIP. Here are just a few business enhancing features that VoIP will provide your business.
Advanced features
A VoIP system is full of features that are simply inaccessible with traditional phone lines. One area to highlight particularly is it’s conferencing and meeting capabilities. This means that even a small business can host international meetings and conferences with ease. For most companies, all they need is hardware with microphone, speaker and webcam capabilities. Other great features of VoIP which prove to be critical to business include CRM integration, conference rooms, time of day routing, hunt groups, auto attendants and a lot more.
Increased flexibility
VoIP systems allow for increased flexibility. With more staff starting to work remotely or on the road travelling, VoIP allows you to link employee home numbers with office numbers and even mobile phones. This means that when a customer is trying to reach you all the numbers will ring, ensuring that important calls are never missed. As your business grows, so can your VoIP solution. Adding new users and devices can be added or removed simply when needed. This is a far simpler process than it is with traditional phone lines.
Cost savings
Put simply, moving to a hosted solution is cost effective and can save your business money regardless on the size. This is because the installation and maintenance costs are able to be kept minimal. A hosted solution also means that you avoid paying costly traditional phone line bills. This is because you place calls over competitively priced internet connectivity instead.
Computer Integration
Many VoIP systems allow you to integrate your telephone system with your computer. This means you can carry out call handling easily and efficiently on your PC. You are able to View call logs and listen to call recordings, you can even monitor current calls that are being placed. This is an invaluable development for many companies that need to manage high volumes of calls daily.
Mobile working
Whether your employees are working from their office phone or mobile device, modern cloud communications technologies can deliver a consistent user experience that transitions smoothly across multiple devices, platforms and networks. Your employees can answer calls wherever they be.
Migrating to VoIP is a smart decision for your organisation as it will supercharge the capabilities of your phone system. You can expect lower costs and greater flexibility with peace of mind as you will be future-proofing your business communication. If you would like some more information about VoIP or have any questions don’t hesitate to contact the team at Hello.
Contact Us
With many VoIP solutions available, we suggest that you contact us for more information or advice. We’re happy to discuss our VoIP solutions with you. You can contact us using the email form or by calling us on 08000 11 64 34.