
Predictions regarding the impact of the pandemic and its aftermath paint an increasingly complex picture. Business resilience and continuity could include complicated planning to determine, for example, how many people spaced six feet apart will fit in an office, what modifications are needed to restrooms, lunchrooms, and entrances, and what interventions are needed to address the physical and mental health of employees. Budgets need to be adjusted and companies will be looking at various options to rescue the bottom line. These are critical efforts to absorb uncertainty and return the business environment to some semblance of normalcy.
McKinsey and Company reports that “to renew and refresh their connections to the people they serve, companies need to recognise what’s happening now, and respond in three ways: digital excellence, safe and contactless engagement, and dynamic customer insights.” All three proposals in some way underpin the importance of technology in preparation of the long-term impact of the pandemic.
An often-overlooked area that could address some of the crucial aspects mentioned above is business communications. Voice over IP (VoIP) can be a great option for small or medium-sized businesses in these challenging times. There are several potential cost savings in a VoIP system and particularly a hosted or cloud-based solution vs. traditional phone systems, some of which include:
1 Hardware
With a traditional phone system, companies may need an auto-attendant, and must purchase auto-attendant hardware and pay for installations. With VoIP, companies have the freedom to change or update their systems in real time without additional purchases or installations. VoIP thus offers increased scalability and redundancy since no rewiring and reprogramming is necessary. You can instantly add users or phones, update Interactive Voice Responses (IVRs), and route calls to any device and location without any added expense or hardware.
2 Maintenance
System hardware fails and the resultant downtime can cost companies thousands. By deploying VoIP in the Cloud, hardware failures and other maintenance issues can be eliminated preventing loss in revenue. Older phone systems require costly and increasingly scarce technical expertise to maintain the system.