7 Common Questions About Cloud Communications
Unsure how cloud communications differ from legacy on-premises phones and why you should move your business phones to a cloud-based unified communications system? We’ve assembled and answered some common questions that business owners ask.
1. How does a cloud-based service scale with my business vs. an on-premises phone?
On-premises phone system: Requires a server called a private branch exchange (or PBX). Some are scalable (you can add more capacity), and others will not scale beyond a certain number of users. You have to purchase phone lines in modules in some situations (e.g., you buy capacity for 12 users when you only need nine lines).
Cloud phone system: Scales with your business one user at a time, so you never pay for users you don’t need. You purchase service for the exact number of users you have. Adding a new employee is as simple as ordering service and plugging in another phone.
2. Can my business depend on the cloud? How reliable is it?
On-premises systems can be completely taken down if there is a power outage or natural disaster. Cloud-based phone systems run outside your physical office location with multi-region data centers and built-in redundancy, ensuring an outage in one server or datacenter doesn’t bring the whole system down. Electricity or internet outages may impact your office’s phones, but not the service itself. The included mobile app is always available to make and receive business calls, texts, and instant messaging with other users.
3. It sounds complex. How do I set it up, and what is involved in training?
Setup is all web-based, and we assist you every step of the way. New phones are generally provided, and they use the business’s existing internet wiring to each desk. User training websites, videos, and live webinars make it easy for new users to get started quickly.
4. How does pricing compare to my current system?
It’s priced on a flat monthly fee per user, with features like voicemail, call forwarding, conferencing, video conferencing, and team messaging all included in the cost. Typically, it ends up being less expensive than an on-premises system when you consider all of the additional, included features that you can pay for separately.
5. How much do I need to worry about call quality over the internet? Like static, echos, and choppy audio?
You shouldn’t have to worry about this at all—we will run a network test and pre-qualify your network before deployment to ensure call quality and clarity. Cloud phone system quality should be as good or better than landlines.
6. What is the biggest business benefit to cloud communications?
“Biggest” depends on what matters to you. But cloud communications, in general, are more affordable, more reliable, and easier to set up than on-premises phones. They also scale with your business more flexibly and deliver communication and collaboration features that your customers and employees are used to having on their mobile devices. The included mobile and desktop apps also allow your employees to make and receive business calls from wherever they are currently working.
7. What happens to my existing business phone numbers if I switch?
You keep your existing phone numbers when you switch to the cloud. Moving phone numbers is called “porting.” Porting local phone numbers typically takes about 2-4 weeks, and porting toll-free numbers typically takes about 1-2 weeks. Generally, your existing phone numbers are forwarded to your new system, so there is no downtime or change in how you do business.
Moving to the cloud is simple. In fact, it is crazy simple. YeoVoice is a reliable, full-featured cloud communications platform that includes integrated video conferencing, screen sharing, chat, file backup and sharing, and more. With the included desktop and mobile apps, your employees stay connected no matter where they are or what device they are using.
If you haven’t considered moving to the cloud before, now is a great time to start.
Information used in this article was provided by our partners at Intermedia.