The telephone, whether mobile or landline is still a crucial part of day to day business activities as the most direct and interactive tool for communicating with staff and employees.

In mobile, handsets often refresh every two or three years, your laptop maybe every five years. The office telephone system, however, may stay the same for 10 years or more and become part of the office furniture. Yet the technology has not stood still and changes mean that the trusty phone system may have to change.

Many businesses still find themselves stuck with outdated communications, and face the challenges that come from holding onto these systems including increasingly costly maintenance.

The good news is, that replacing an outdated system with a modern Telephony & Unified Communications solution not only prepares you for changes to come, but gives your business greater flexibility and productivity. Whether you choose to have your office telephony in-house or rent a Cloud telephony platform, modern IP systems can provide new options and benefits.

Why upgrade now?

Take advantage of new technologies

ISDN, the dominant type of business telephone line, is being supplanted by Internet driven SIP lines, offering lower rental costs and greater flexibility for businesses. Many older systems either cannot use SIP or require a massive upgrade process that costs as much as upgrading to something new.

Better Cost Management

Like a car, the older a telephone system is, the more problems it may encounter and the more expensive it can get to keep running and make changes to. No business likes the surprise of finding out that the answer to a problem is an unexpected bill to replace an entire piece of equipment.

Newer IP systems can provide a more predictable and understood lifecycle cost, whether the platform is purchased, rented or leased. Expansion of users or functionality becomes more predictable with a per user model replacing step costs of adding substantive amounts of new hardware to grow the system.

With SIP now a mature technology that can match ISDN lines, line rental costs can also be lowered and growth of lines is achieved faster, in days, not weeks.

Increased productivity

Technology and features can, if fully utilised, revolutionise the way you work. Call Centre & Call Management features provide business level insights for performance and cost management purposes. Integration with mobile for ‘one number’ reach also becomes easier, plus desktop and smartphone clients allow you to see availability at a glance, automate your availability with calendar in Outlook and open new ways.

Workforce flexibility, but with central control, can also be expanded to offer staff the ability to work from home by being able to integrate them into your corporate telephone system.

Greater flexibility and control

Legacy phone systems do not offer the advantages of rapidly scaling services up and down on demand. Modern IP systems are built to scale in a smoother manner, leveling costs of growth and change. Modern systems are also modular - need to operate some contact centre function, or integration with mobile? Bolt-ons can be added rapidly and easily, as and when you need them.

For more information on the benefits of an IP telephony system visit our Communications product page.