The business world looks a good bit different now than they did a year ago. More teams have shifted to predominantly or exclusively remote work, and there’s currently no end in sight.
As a result, office-centric businesses that have previously relied on in-person files and hardware within the building to keep the company running have needed to make a transition. Many of these businesses have shifted to cloud-based solutions for everything from their payroll software to their phone systems.
In this post, we’re going to discuss why remote teams are moving to the cloud, including looking at the biggest advantages of doing so and how you can get started with a cloud phone system.
5 Reasons Why Teams Are Transitioning to Cloud Phone Systems
Cloud phone systems are database and software solutions that are stored on remote servers that you can access from anywhere.
Cloud phone systems are one of the biggest transitions that many companies are making right now. They’re shifting from in-office phone systems running to completely remote cloud phone systems like Tresta’s that work through a mobile app on an existing device that you already own.
Let’s take a look at why cloud phone systems are becoming the norm and how they can benefit your business.
1. It’s Convenient & Fully Remote
Remote phone systems that are cloud-based have becoming increasingly popular for years, but their popularity has skyrocketed since COVID-19 started requiring work from home mandates.
Teams weren’t in the office anymore, so phone systems that ran off of in-office hardware weren’t of any use. Instead, team members needed to be able to take work calls from home while potentially answering different lines.
Cloud phone systems allow team members to access them anywhere, so even if your team is spread out across the country (or the globe!), they’ll still be able to take work calls as needed.
They can tap into the corporate number, voicemail, and more (with permission!) without ever having to step foot in the office… or even the state that your office is located in.
2. It’s Secure
Cloud-based software and systems are about as secure as technology can get. They’re designed to be hacker-proof as long as following basic security protocols like using strong, unique passwords.
In addition to being hard to hack into, Cloud-based servers store sensitive information outside of your office. While your office sits empty, there’s always a risk for a break-in, but if all of your data is stored off-site, there’s nothing of value for them to get. At least not in terms of essential information.
3. It’s Reliable
If you’re relying on in-office hardware, you’re at an instant and massive disadvantage if something goes wrong with the hardware. Imagine not being able to answer any of your incoming calls for two days while you wait for a technician to come out and make repairs; you could close contracts and leads, and possibly even core vendors.
Cloud-based services (including phone systems) will be more reliable, as they’re not susceptible to the fallacies of actual hardware that requires maintenance on an ongoing basis.
4. It Scales Well
Some businesses have had the good fortune of realizing they want to expand their teams while working from home. That’s excellent!
Scaling can be difficult though, especially during a pandemic or when your team is largely remote. Fortunately, cloud phone systems are scalable, too; you can just add in a few numbers, which your team can access by simply downloading the provider’s mobile app and logging in.
Add more numbers as needed, and scale back if that’s ever necessary, too.
5. It’s Cost-Efficient
Cloud-based software and phone systems are incredibly cost-effective compared to the overwhelming expensive hardware systems that most offices have traditionally used.
There’s no need to pay for expensive hardware, or to maintain it. You also don’t need to pay for additional devices for your team members, which some companies have historically also chosen to do. Instead, you’re only paying for the business lines themselves, because you’re using devices that you and your team already owned.
In many cases, you can also get discounts for multiple business lines, which are all paid for under a single invoice. This simplifies the process for accounts payable, and helps you better track your phone system expenses, too.
So You Want to Move to a Cloud Phone System: Here’s Where to Start
Transitions with the business are never going to be your favorite thing of all time, but fortunately transitioning to the cloud is relatively easy.
Cloud phone systems will typically allow you to port existing numbers to the new provider so you don’t need to worry about changing your business numbers on your site, business cards, or other marketing materials. This can happen almost instantaneously.
And since all your staff needs to do is set up a mobile app, there’s no wait time to get everything up and running. Aside from that, you just need to cancel your plans with your existing providers!
Cloud-based solutions for businesses are everywhere, with tools for everything ranging from automated accounts payable tools to remote project management software and, of course, virtual phone systems.
Cloud phone systems are essential for work-from-home teams, but they can benefit businesses of all sizes even once your staff heads back into the office. It’s a scalable, affordable, secure solution that’s convenient for everyone involved. It’s hard to top that.
