The abundance of telecommunications technologies available at our fingertips enables even the smallest of businesses to communicate at an enterprise level. That is, with the features afforded by today’s IP-enabled phone systems, business leaders can communicate faster, more frequently and over a myriad of channels.
As an IT / Managed Services Provider (MSP) you need to be able to cater to your customers with the technology that you make available as part of your offering. Imagine, a fledgling startup that needs to stay connected with its new slew of vendors as well as maintain relationships with potential stakeholders. With a legacy PBX (that takes up dedicated office space and transmits phone calls over copper wires) this business owner might have significant trouble staying abreast of rapid updates and managing a large influx of calls and messages. One dedicated office phone line and an archaic receiver and dial pad isn’t enough to help this entrepreneur stay afloat.
Rather, businesses must heed the latest telecommunications trends and get familiar with the disruptive technologies that are changing business communication methods for good. But in order to streamline the research process, let’s discuss the best communication solutions for your clients, what to look for in a telecommunications provider and the benefits afforded by offering phone system-as-a-service.
The Right Technology
- Unified communications (UC): This disruptive communications trend is enabling businesses of all sizes to connect internally and externally over an array of methods, near instantly and all within one interface. Offering features such as instant chat, Web conferencing, voicemail-to-email and many more, business leaders and employees can have it all.
- Cloud PBX: This software-based PBX model engenders work from home capability. As such, businesses can leverage this technology to outsource employees in remote locations while providing them with all of the tools they’d have access to if they were physically in the office.
The Right Provider – That’s you!
- Flexible: A technology providers that offers phone system-as-a- service should be able to take care of all communications needs. For instance, you should offer a product that enables your clients to add more features, scale them back, add phone lines or add bridges to disparate locations in near real time.
- Scalable: Additionally, you shouldn’t offer your clients a cookie cutter solution. Rather you should be in control of the configuration and deployment of your phone system. To that end, you must allow your clients to choose from your preference of dial tone providers so you can gain the most customized experience from your communications system.
The Outcome
- Heightened collaboration: With UC capabilities your clients can collaborate with employees or partners no matter where you’re located. As such, they stand to gain more progress through heightened productivity. Disruptive technology delivered by a best-in-class provider will enable seamless business continuity.
- Freedom: Advanced IP-based telecommunications liberate your team from the exorbitant costs of 3rd party vendor management and time bleeding activities—such as on-site repairs, mandatory upgrades etc. As well, Internet telephony liberates you from in-house infrastructure management, so you can focus on growing your technology business, rather than expanding your IT staff all for the sake of managing your infrastructure.
Don’t leave it to your customers to go out and look for the next technology that will help them be better. Leverage the capabilities of today’s communications technology and add this to your IT / MSP offering.
