In recent years, the advent of cloud computing has dramatically changed the enterprise infrastructure. Not only have cloud technologies revolutionized storage, but it has also transformed the business phone system, given employees access to a wider number of next-generation applications and renewed the way individuals collaborate with one another. While this change began several years ago, it can still be seen today, as organizations around the world continue to implement the cloud in an effort to stay competitive and on the cutting edge of technology.

The proliferation of cloud services throughout the business world has brought about a change in the technology as well. For the most part, evangelists no longer believe the cloud is still in its early or even adolescent stage of adoption. In fact, a large number of pundits now put cloud VoIP, storage and other applications on the road to maturity.

This was highlighted in a recent study by CA Technologies, which found that organizations around the world have a somewhat even adoption of Platform-, Infrastructure- and Software-as-a-Service cloud offerings in public, private and hybrid environments. While decision-makers' expectations of the cloud are high, as cost-savings and general performance improvements were presumed to be inherent benefits, the majority of executives believe the variety of hosted solutions under their control are exceeding expectations.

The cloud continues to look good

The survey revealed that 55 percent of U.S. executives who are using the cloud have been doing so for three or more years, as opposed to 20 percent of European respondents. Still, the majority of organizations said the cloud continued to introduce benefits well beyond its initial launch date, suggesting the cloud has a long-term possibility of remaining center stage.

Large enterprises reported the greatest use the cloud, representing 93 percent of all cloud users that have been using the technology for four or more years. Yet this does not mean that only grandiose companies can use the cloud, as many smaller firms are replacing old phone systems and other outdated equipment with innovative hosted services.

"Going in, we expected the results to be much more balanced between successes and challenges across a variety of deployments and service models. Surprisingly, survey respondents were pleased with their cloud computing initiatives, which validates that the cloud is not just a fad, and instead they are focusing on making the most of it to drive innovation, speed and performance," said John Michelsen, chief technology officer at CA Technologies.

The study also revealed that organizations have different approaches to the cloud and use the tools with various intentions.

Why are companies using the cloud?

While security is still sometimes a concern for businesses using the cloud, these fears are slowly dissolving with more use of the technology. As decision-makers become more familiar with the cloud and vendors address existing issues, the overall landscape is becoming much more safe to carry out mission-critical operations and support a remote workforce.

Improving speed to innovation is among the top benefits associated with using the cloud, according to the study. This has finally outpaced cost savings, which are still a priority, just not as much as the need to stay competitive with rival firms. Meanwhile, executives identified the cloud as being able to boost IT performance, scalability and resiliency – all of which are important when considering a hosted PBX solution and other communication platforms that are critical to day-to-day operations.

"As enterprises advance in their adoption of cloud, the desired outcomes evolve, as well. Cost is often considered an early benefit – or even a required result – in order for IT teams to justify moving in the direction of the cloud. Once they show that cloud computing improves the bottom line, they can shift their focus to innovation and other objectives, such as increased performance and enhanced security," Michelsen said.

A similar study by Neovise found that more than half of U.S. companies are using some form of the cloud, with many decision-makers using the hosted services for infrastructure purposes. This is largely because a cloud architecture enables businesses to leverage various tools and technologies without encountering interoperability or performance issues associated with numerous platforms. Other agencies are using cloud-based communication platforms for the innovative phone system features that are more affordable and efficient than their predecessors on outdated telecom services.

In the coming years, the cloud will continue to gain momentum as enterprises around the world recognize the potential benefits that may be associated with the technology. However, careful planning needs to be incorporated into cloud projects to reduce the chances of encountering unnecessary complications. By taking the time to find the right vendor, companies can deploy the cloud technologies they need to not only stay competitive, but remain one step ahead of rivals.

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Heather talks about how learning is different from training and how to go about developing a culture of learning within an organization.  She also describes how to develop a learning plan and measure its ROI.

Heather shares her thoughts on building a culture of learning.

How do you define learning in your company?  Is it a priority or an afterthought?    

The post ShoreTel’s Heather Bennett talks about Learning on SarderTV appeared first on ShoreTel Sky.

The business phone system has changed during the past several years, as innovative technologies have emerged and replaced the public switched telephone network (PSTN). Employees demand flexibility and are no longer content using outdated solutions that do not cater to their mobile needs. Although there are several key technologies that are influencing the decision to move away from the traditional land line system, IP telephony is near the top of the list of major disruptors.

The enterprise VoIP system has essentially changed the collaboration game. Companies of all sizes now have the option to implement an IP-based telephony service that combines voice and data over the Internet, allowing firms using the solutions to reduce costs and streamline operations. But these are not the only benefits associated with using VoIP in the workplace. In fact, decision-makers often recognize the technology's applications as the leading benefits.

Out with the old

A recent report by My VoIP Provider highlighted the ongoing transition from PSTN to VoIP platforms in the workplace, noting that enterprises often enjoy the broad range of advanced phone system features that come hand in hand with IP telephony.

Conferencing is one of the tools that can be incorporated into a VoIP platform. Because VoIP supports transferring both traditional voice and data packets through the Internet, decision-makers can implement video – or audio – conferencing applications that will breathe new life into the old collaborative landscape. When people have the ability to speak face to face without having to travel or be physically present, the overall communication experience can be optimized. Unlike speaking to someone over the phone, video conferencing allows people to pick up on subtle facial expressions and other things that can give insight into how the conversation is going.

VoIP also supports caller ID and voicemail solutions, usually for no extra cost, My VoIP Provider noted. While these applications were often available via the PSTN, decision-makers had to pay extra to use them, making the entire process of maintaining a legacy phone system more expensive.

The news source highlighted how the business world is increasingly replacing old phone systems with VoIP because of the latter technology's ability to provide employees with the tools they need to maintain operations. In many cases, PSTN offerings cannot support mobile connectivity, which is becoming extremely important in today's enterprise. As bring your own device (BYOD) and other mobile endeavors pick up momentum, decision-makers need to be sure their telephony platforms are capable of reinforcing the next-generation mobile strategies.

Mobility is taking over

The proliferation of smartphones and tablets in the workplace is changing how companies view communications. Furthermore, the adoption of BYOD is giving individuals greater freedom regarding how they interact with colleagues, customers and partners. This movement, which is a component of the larger consumerization of IT, enables employees to use personal gadgets for work-related purposes. This is important because it requires minimal training, as most people are already comfortable with using an advanced mobile platform.

By implementing a VoIP network, decision-makers can even let workers use mobile devices outside the confines of the office. As employees demand the ability to work from home or on the road, executives need to be sure their phone system is capable of supporting a remote workforce, something VoIP is renowned for.

A separate IDC report highlighted the growing demand for mobility in the workplace, though enterprises are often torn between allowing individuals to use personal smartphones and tablets or having the company provide those endpoints for the workforce. Regardless of which approach best suits a particular organization, decision-makers need to ensure they plan the projects to a T, eliminating the chances of encountering unforeseen problems down the road.

"Many IT organizations are currently working through their mobile device strategy and policy issues. To be successful, IDC recommends that IT executives establish a governance committee including finance, HR, and Legal to outline a comprehensive bring-your-own-device strategy, including use policies and cost allocation methods. Most importantly, we recommend IT executives identify the costs associated with developing and supporting multiple mobile platforms and apply a governance strategy to mobile application development efforts to ensure projects are prioritized based on the highest value add to the enterprise," said Meredith Whalen, senior vice president of IT executive and industry research at IDC.

In the coming years, the office phone system will continue to evolve, especially as IP technologies mature and cloud services move to the forefront of the IT landscape. Forward-thinking decision-makers must understand that the old ways of doing business are gone, and that adapting to today's needs will be critical to long-term survival. By planning ahead and working with a trusted service provider, enterprises can keep pace with the transformations happening within the telecommunications environment, gaining a competitive advantage over rival firms that have yet to embrace change.

The post Taking steps away from the old phone system appeared first on ShoreTel Sky.

Staffing and recruiting firms are looking for business tools and applications that will increase productivity and improve their bottom line. In addition, a large part of their workforce is made up of millennials who are looking for modern technology and a flexible work environment. ShoreTel’s cloud-based UC solution, ShoreTel Sky, helps give businesses ultimate flexibility, connectivity and seamless integration with the most popular applicant tracking systems (ATS), helping staffing firms meet the needs of both their workforce and customers. ShoreTel Sky helps improve business processes by giving managers access to valuable call metrics that help them track sales performance, service levels and staffing efficiency.

“Twenty years ago, many successful firms built their businesses with a phone, yellow pages and index cards, but today the industry is embracing new front office and applicant tracking systems that drive efficiency and productivity,” said Keith Nealon, president and general manager of ShoreTel’s cloud division. “In addition, staffing firms are only successful if they have the right talent working for them. In order to attract and retain top talent, firms need to offer the right technology to help recruiters and sales people be successful. With our mobility solutions, ATS integration and robust reporting, ShoreTel Sky is an important part of this tool set.”

And companies are taking note:

“The scalability of the ShoreTel Sky platform enables us to customize our phone system as our business changes.  With ShoreTel Sky, we can let the technology meet the business need.”

Heather Reck, telecommunications manager, EmployBridge

“We can use the ShoreTel Sky phone system from home by logging into the portal to conduct business as easily as if we were in the office.”

Eric Silverman, president and CEO, Blue Horizon Tek Solutions

“One thing that was important to us was partnering with a firm that understood our industry and that was committed to staffing. That meant they were looking at the way our recruiters do the work that comes across their desk, and that they were committed to integrating with the various other technology tools that our recruiters use. ShoreTel Sky has integrated with several of the applicant tracking systems that tend to be the most popular.”

Jamie Schwartz, president, Haley Stuart

ShoreTel Sky’s cloud-based UC solution has pre-packaged phone system integration for applicant tracking systems including Bullhorn, JobDiva, JobScience, MaxHire, PC Recruiter and Sendouts. Integration with business intelligence from InsightSquared is also available.  For more information visit: http://www.shoretelsky.com/customers/staffing/

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About ShoreTel

ShoreTel, Inc. (NASDAQ: SHOR) is a provider of business communication solutions whose brilliantly simple unified communications platforms, applications and mobile UC solutions promise a new rhythm of workforce engagement and collaboration. With costly complexity eliminated by design from its award-winning, all-in-one IP phone system, UC and contact center solution, and its industry-leading hosted phone system, workers enjoy a freedom and self-reliance that other providers can’t match. Users have full control to engage and collaborate, no matter the time, place or device, for the lowest cost and demand on IT resources in the industry. ShoreTel is headquartered in Sunnyvale, Calif., and has regional offices and partners worldwide. For more information, visit shoretel.com or shoretelsky.com.

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ShoreTel, ShoreTel Sky and the ShoreTel logo are trademarks or registered trademarks of ShoreTel, Inc. in the United States and/or other countries.

The post ShoreTel Enables Staffing Firms to Gain Competitive Advantage appeared first on ShoreTel Sky.

Enterprise executives are realizing that they need to step out of the box if they want to stay competitive with the rest of the organizations in their respective industry. This process usually involves numerous transformations, including replacing old phone systems with more advanced offerings, eliminating the presence of antiquated hardware on-site and embracing sophisticated network services that support mobility.

Because every organization is unique with its own demands, capabilities and budget restrictions, decision-makers often embark on various tasks to achieve long-term benefits. However, there is one technology that is widely believed to level the playing field, allowing smaller companies to compete with larger enterprises despite traditional differences.

Enter: Cloud computing.

The cloud has the ability to transform the entire enterprise. Rather than having a land line phone, for example, executives can implement a hosted PBX system, which is more flexible and adaptable to ongoing technological changes. The cloud can also be used to augment storage capabilities, eliminating the need to maintain expensive, bulky and often inefficient hardware on-site. These capabilities are making the cloud omnipresent.

The birth of the cloud era

A recent Forbes report highlighted how employees were really the spark to the cloud computing flame. Individuals wanted change; there is no denying it. Instead of leveraging outdated phone systems, workers wanted the ability to use personal smartphones and tablets. Rather than having to come into the office every day, employees demanded that executives implement the tools needed to support a remote workforce. These changes continue to occur and are still driving the use of the cloud in the business world.

For the most part, remote connectivity is a major benefit for organizations. By leveraging a hosted PBX solution, employees can use personal mobile gadgets to connect to the network from virtually anywhere at any time. As a result, individuals are generally more productive when they are at home, working longer hours and completing tasks more efficiently, Forbes noted.

The ongoing consumerization of IT is also impacting how companies use the cloud. As bring your own device and other mobile initiatives continue to pick up momentum, executives are implementing cloud infrastructure services because they are agnostic. This means people can use an iOS-based smartphone or an Android powered tablet without worrying that they won't be able to connect to mission-critical applications or information.

Furthermore, migrating a business phone system to the cloud allows organizations to support a number of unique features. These tools, which were either inaccessible on land line telephony platforms or too costly, give employees new opportunities to collaborate more efficiently with customers. Forbes highlighted the importance of this, noting that enterprises that fail to keep clients engaged and satisfied will have substantial difficulty attracting and converting future consumers. Because most people today are technologically savvy, they understand that a company that is not available 24 hours a day, seven days a week is simply being negligent. Who wants to do business with a firm like that?

The future of the cloud

Unlike some IT services that come and go, the cloud is expected to stick around for a long time. This is because the hosted solutions are highly adaptable, making them easy to change in order to keep up with technological innovation. This was highlighted in a recent Gartner report, which noted that the global public cloud market is forecast to generate $131 billion in revenue this year, up more than 18 percent from the $111 billion industry it was in 2012. But the cloud is a diverse market with numerous options to choose from, including cloud VoIP, storage or analytic solutions.

"The continued growth of the cloud services market will result from the adoption of cloud services for production systems and workloads, in addition to the development and testing scenarios that have led as the most prominent use case for public cloud services to date. Evidence of this growth is found in the increasing demand for cloud services from end-user organizations, met by an increased supply of cloud services from suppliers," said Ed Anderson, research director at Gartner.

As enterprises continue to adopt the cloud, the technology will inevitably mature, evolve and transform into an even more ubiquitous service that supports the way employees currently carry out operations and how they want to work in the future. Regarding communications, most phone systems will make their way to the cloud within the next few years, as executives understand that embracing this transformation will be critical to their ability to attract and retain employees.

Because every business is different, however, decision-makers need to be sure they map out their projects carefully and work with a trusted provider to find the solutions that best fit their corporate needs. If companies jump into the cloud without learning how using the technology will inevitably disrupt the way tasks are carried out, they will only encounter challenges and miss out on the advantages.

The post Cloud services continue to disrupt enterprise operations appeared first on ShoreTel Sky.

“Is there a better way?”

I’ve learned a lot of tough lessons in business over the years, but one stands out as the cornerstone of success.  Through good times and bad, at the end of the day, if you don’t have happy customers, you don’t have a business.  Sure, not every customer will be happy all of the time, but in order to enjoy any measure of success you must always stay tuned in to your clients and understand the experience they have when they choose your products and services.

If customer service is everyone’s job, everyone needs the opportunity to service customers

Customer service and sales representatives are naturally close to the customers and usually have no difficulty gauging the collective temperature of clients.  But, what about people in development, marketing and accounting?  If customer service is truly everyone’s job, then everyone needs the opportunity to service customers.  In order to make this happen at ShoreTel’s Cloud Division, I asked our Learning and Support teams to work together to give us all a chance to hear what our customers have to say.

Our support team has a weekly departmental meeting during which they have traditionally asked for volunteers to man the support queue.  Volunteers are great, but this approach didn’t give everyone the opportunity to share in the responsibility and actively help our team while hearing first-hand why our customers call us and what they experience.  So we developed a new approach and now ask everyone to cover the support queue once or twice a year.

Our Learning team has provided training on how to man the phones.  Non-technical personnel are not asked to resolve customer issues.  The job is mostly to listen to our customers and create a case so that the issue can be properly resolved.

There are several benefits for both our company and our individual employees:

• We learn the reality of the service we provide – good and bad. Every experience is a learning event. As Bill Gates said, “Your most unhappy customers are your greatest source of learning.”
• When you believe as I do, that “an organization is nothing more than the collective capacity of people to create value,” then you know that by applying our people to this initiative we will unlock a ton of new ideas about how we can get better. We believe, that our employees, if challenged with the question,  will discover all sorts of ways we can improve this experience.
• In the end, knowing how customers view our service, and thus better understanding the part we all play in it, will help us each be better at what we do and thus create a more valuable company as a result of delivering and continuing to improve on a superior customer experience.

Getting everyone on the front lines helps us all remember why we are here. “We make phones systems and applications with an experience businesses love.”

The post Why Everyone Needs a Turn Manning the Support Queue appeared first on ShoreTel Sky.

As the technologies in the business and consumer worlds continue to blend, decision-makers need to prepare for changes. New demands emerging within the workplace that have spawned from the consumer landscape are transforming the traditional office phone system, introducing a number of new opportunities for the corporate environment as a whole.

The simple fact is that organizations are no longer satisfied with using outdated land line phone system, as the antiquated platforms do not have any of the characteristics that are now required in the business world. Better scalability, availability and performance are just a few of the qualities that an innovative enterprise VoIP system has over its predecessor. This means decision-makers who are looking to stay on the forefront of their respective industry, not to mention the private sector in general, must consider making some serious infrastructure adjustments.

Unlike old phone systems, VoIP can keep up with the fast-paced requirements associated with today's corporate operations. This is important for several reasons. While staying relevant will ensure operations are as efficient as possible, it will also present consumers with an image of resilience and flexibility. A recent Business 2 Community report highlighted the importance of maintaining this image and how deploying an advanced VoIP service can help.

Using telecommunications to stay applicable

The wide array of VoIP phone system features make the technology appealing to a wide number of companies. The auto attendant service, for example, can be extremely helpful to redirect calls when traffic levels are peaking, Business 2 Community noted. By leveraging auto attendant, companies can provide incoming callers with a variety of pre-recorded messages depending on a customer's needs. This is especially useful in the contact center, as employees sometimes cannot manage the large number of interactions or consumers wish to avoid the often drawn-out service process.

While a properly deployed auto attendant application can dramatically improve customer experience and make an enterprise seem even bigger than it is, the solution is not the only benefit associated with implementing a VoIP system. Leveraging a remote area code is another major advantage of VoIP. Business 2 Community highlighted how companies can establish an area code to give them an appearance of being local – or in some cases, much larger than they really are. This can be an effective tactic at attracting and retaining new clients, which is the basic rule of survival in the business world.

In many cases, VoIP providers also allow users to access advanced conferencing, video and fax applications, the news source noted. Video is especially important today as the proliferation of mobile devices in and outside of the workplace provides individuals with access to high-definition cameras that can connect to the IP network at virtually any time. This enables organizations to reduce costs by eliminating the need to travel, while simultaneously enhancing collaboration between parties that could be miles away from one another.

Keeping up with technology

The business phone system landscape is constantly changing due to the proliferation of mobile and IP-based technologies. If enterprises want to stay relevant with both competitors and consumers, decision-makers need to be sure they replace old phone systems with more applicable offerings that support adaptability and flexibility.

A new study by CompTIA highlighted the importance of keeping up with technology, as doing so gives organizations the ability to develop unique strategies that will give them an advantage in the coming years. The survey polled more than 1,200 business and IT executives and found that more than three-quarters of respondents believe technology is either "important" or "very important" to the success of their business. In fact, the majority of decision-makers intend to invest more heavily in IT this year.

CompTIA noted that updating old systems is among the top priorities for 2013.

"Emerging technologies such as cloud computing continue to see adoption gains as well," said Tim Herbert, vice president of research at CompTIA. "More than half of responding companies say they are either experimenting with or fully using cloud computing solutions."

Advances in cloud technologies have even driven these services into the telecommunications industry, as the hosted PBX solution is currently considered to be among the top phone systems available to the enterprise. This is because a cloud telephony offering is highly scalable, flexible and adaptable – all of the things a business needs to thrive in the future.

Enterprises that want to be competitive and relevant in the long run need to consider embracing a new phone system, especially if they are using an outdated land line offering that simply doesn't hold water anymore. By understanding current and long-term objectives, executives can work with a trusted service provider and implement a next-generation platform to keep goals in sight.

The post Upgrading to IP voice may be critical to survival appeared first on ShoreTel Sky.

You’ve got to answer the phone to get the job

I hate leaving voicemail messages. Few things make me feel less in control than leaving an important message on someone’s voicemail.  I have no idea if or when my message will be listened to and even less of a clue how long it will take to get a response. And nothing gives me less confidence than when someone tells me she will be out of the office until the 12^th and today is the 14^th.

I admit I am impatient, but if I call someone today for business, I expect to hear a live voice.  If I wanted to leave a message, I would have sent an email.

How people buy

In my consumer life, often the first vendor to pick up or respond gets the sale. For example, I am currently in the process of renovating my house. Last week I needed something done that my contractor couldn’t do. I searched online for the specific trade and left a few voicemails.  My third and last call was answered by someone who was clearly not sitting in an office (based on the background noise I heard on the line).  He was courteous, he was knowledgeable and he picked up the phone.  He got the job.

When your products and services are not obviously unique, what often separates a sales win from a loss can be as simple picking up the phone.  Modern phone systems let you answer your phone anywhere.  Personal routing rules like “find-me-follow-me” allow you to put just one number on your business cards and email signature and phone systems hunt for you.  Mobility tools allow you to have your work phone running as an app on your smart phone. This takes “find-me-follow-me” one step further, allowing you to call your clients back from your cell phone in the car, with the client thinking you are at your desk.

Time is death to deals

Even the most connected employees occasionally miss a call, and some calls go to voicemail.  Modern phone companies make voicemail proactive rather than reactive by offering voicemail to email or text alerts.  Its 2013, no one should ever have to call in blindly to check voicemail.  The most responsive sales reps should have voicemail transcription enabled, allowing them to read voicemails from any device and not depend on listening to them.  Time is death to any deal, seconds count.

We have all heard the phrase “you can’t manage what you don’t measure.”  Some of the best sales organizations I have worked with send sales activity reports out to the entire sales team.  For phone-based sales teams, these reports usually show how many calls come in and how long the average calls are.  Often the top reps are on the phones the most.  But what managers should also measure is who is picking up the phone on your team?  Is there a correlation between this metric and success in your org?  Likely there is.

Tell us how you feel about voicemail.

The post Pick up the phone! appeared first on ShoreTel Sky.

My brother and I have a long-running joke between us that anytime either of us runs into a technical problem where a computer, smartphone or some other device is not responding, or not working the way we expect it to we’ll say “Hello computer….hellooo computer?” in our best Scottish accent. At those times, we feel similar to how Scotty from Star Trek felt when being confronted with technology that he found was unnecessarily complicated to use or didn’t work as he expected it to.

For him, and for us, technology should just work and be easy to use.

Scotty had it right and we don’t need to be from the 23rd century to expect that technology should be simple and easy to use. We are seeing great strides being made all of the time. However, for way too many companies, their communications are way too complicated.

For them, It involves managing multiple vendor relationships with hardware providers, telecom operators and often resellers, distributors and perhaps the local consultants who installed the system. Maybe some offices are connected together for extension dialing, or call overflow routing and others are not because they don’t want to setup a dedicated data line to connect the offices.

These businesses range in all types of sizes from a few locations (such as a chain of car dealerships, real estate offices, etc…) to multiple branches and larger offices that may be distributed across a city, state or the country. They want to keep their costs down, but more than anything, they want phones that:

• Install easily and are easy to use
• Give reliable service
• Free up resources to do other things, like run the actual company
• Grow and change as the company evolves
• Unify the organization across its different locations and different devices

That is not such a crazy list, and seems pretty straight forward. But for so many of these businesses, to achieve their goals and meet their communications requirements, they end up with a situation where they have a complicated hodgepodge of servers, switches, appliances, VPNs, network connections and multiple vendor relationships. That’s a lot of things that can break, that need to be managed, supported, manually upgraded as well as multiple relationships that need to be negotiated and maintained.

We think, on the other hand, that you deserve something better. A business phone service, that makes it easy to communicate, collaborate, and coordinate without tying up a lot of resources, whether its people’s time or money, and essentially letting the technology get out of the way for you to run your business and do your job.

Here’s a simple illustration that shows the difference between our communications vision of simplified enterprise communications:

Which do you think is simpler?

The collection of these communications technologies, called UCaaS (Unified Communications as a Service), represents the future of enterprise communications. The reality is that UCaaS for the enterprise is already here for those organizations that have decided to move to the cloud and is simplifying how they deploy and manage their phone systems and run their businesses.

The post Enterprise Communications Don´t Have To Be Complicated appeared first on ShoreTel Sky.

The business phone system landscape is much more diverse than it has ever been, as enterprises now have a choice as to which solution to deploy. In the past, the traditional land line service was the only offering available. Today, thanks to the emergence of cloud computing, corporate decision-makers have numerous options, allowing them to pick the technology that is right for their particular organizations.

The hosted PBX solution is quickly becoming the go-to for enterprise communications because of its inherent characteristics, including increased flexibility and agility. Unlike conventional phone services with a fixed capacity limit, cloud-based offerings are managed off-site, providing businesses with the opportunity to expand or contract bandwidth requirements depending on traffic levels. This is becoming important for the contact center that needs to deal with fluctuating activity.

Cloud-based phone systems are also agnostic, meaning they support connectivity to a number of platforms. This is critical in today's highly mobile business environment, as failing to provide employees – and customers – the ability to access the corporate network will only result in inefficient operations and unsatisfied customers.

Despite these advantages, executives are often still skeptical of the cloud due to past perceptions the business world as a whole held toward the hosted services. In most cases, these apprehensions are really just myths. Unfortunately, that doesn't mean they will be given up easily.

Overcoming cloud myths

A recent report by a major VoIP provider highlighted that a large number of companies do not replace old phone systems because their existing PBX solutions are still functioning – at least on a basic level. In many cases, decision-makers believe holding onto a legacy PBX is more cost effective, as it is not entirely necessary to make an upgrade. The "don't fix what isn't broken" mantra rings true in most companies.

Truth be told, accepting this idea for reality can be dangerous to the overall survival of an organization. While legacy phone solutions may still be functional, they are not nearly as efficient as cloud-based services. Comparably, two competing enterprises – one with a hosted PBX and the other with an old-school model – is like a race between a horse and buggy and a race car. While the traditional vehicle still gets operations from point A to point B, it does so much slower and at a more costly rate than newer strategies.

Managing an old communications platform can also be expensive. In addition to having to pay unnecessary carrier fees and maintenance expenses, employees will not have access to critical phone system features they need to get the job done, the report stated.

"We just replaced our aging on-site PBX with VoIP business phone service. A month after getting the new system, my only regret is that we didn't make the switch to VoIP sooner," he said. "We can now manage our entire phone system with a couple of clicks. The phones are amazing and, best of all, we are paying one-third the cost of our previous setup and we have more features," said Christopher Adams, Former CTO of MyoVision.

In addition to misconceptions regarding cost, decision-makers sometimes believe upgrading a phone system to the cloud is not necessary in today's highly mobile business world, the report stated. This, unfortunately, couldn't be further from the truth.

The significance of mobility

Mobility is undoubtedly an important part of the enterprise infrastructure, especially as bring your own device (BYOD) and other consumerization strategies continue to make headway. However, smartphones and tablets cannot do everything, as most organizations need to have some sort of centralized platform that supports a broad range of communication services - including mobility if decision-makers are into that.

A separate Infonetics Research report highlighted how a large percentage of the business world has implemented a cloud VoIP and unified communications system to act as the glue that keeps a variety of applications tied together, allowing them to be accessed via mobile devices. In fact, the ability to improve mobility was among the top reasons organizations deploy a centralized collaborative platform.

"Our unified communications survey reveals a really important shift taking place as enterprises increasingly use mobile devices to access UC applications. Survey respondents indicate that smartphones and tablets will be the two most widely used devices for UC in 2013, passing traditional computers and desk phones," said Diane Myers, principal analyst for VoIP at Infonetics Research.

In the coming years, enterprise decision-makers need to overcome the misconceptions surrounding hosted PBX solutions, as the technology most likely provides many more advantages to businesses than legacy solutions. By understanding how employees currently plan to carry out mission-critical tasks and how the cloud can meet those objectives, executives can work with a trusted advisor and implement the cloud services they need to stay competitive and keep operations running.

The post Overcoming myths regarding hosted PBX solutions appeared first on ShoreTel Sky.