There are a number of tools that confer a benefit for your business, some of which may be more difficult to handle than others. As technology advances, so too must we advance our understanding of it. A cloud phone system applies to this as well, and honestly, it is not as intimidating as it may sound.
What is a cloud phone system?
If you know what “the cloud” is, a cloud phone system is pretty easy to understand. For those who do not, however, it is not too difficult to wrap their head around. Basically, “the cloud” refers to systems that operate online instead of offline. So for instance, instead of storing files locally on a hard drive, cloud storage would allow you to keep your files online, allowing you to access those files from anywhere with access to the online storage. A cloud phone system works similarly, relying on and connecting through the Internet in order to communicate both internally and externally from your company or organization. In turn, you can make phone calls over the cloud instead of making them over an analog phone system. A cloud phone system does not need to use the copper wires or optical fibers that analog phone systems typically utilize.
How does it compare to analog phone systems?
There are specific advantages that come from using a cloud phone system over an analog phone system, and versatility is one of the key advantages. Small businesses have been jumping on it in part for this reason. Namely, unlike an analog phone, where it has to be physically connected to the phone lines, you can instead use these phone systems with a number of different devices. For example, let’s say that you are away from the office, and someone is trying to get a hold of you there. Instead of having to know their mobile phone number, you can instead connect to them through a cloud phone system, since the mobile phone can use it as well. Or even yet, let’s say that you don’t have any phone at hand, but you are at your computer. Due to the cloud-based nature of your phone system, this means that this computer can be used to communicate with people who are on the cloud phone system. This versatility makes communicating with people all that much more convenient, ensuring that there is less downtime due to people not being able to get in touch with each other at certain moments.
A big advantage of cloud phone services is that, if you get them in a bundle with other cloud services (services that will likely help your company even further), it can ultimately wind up to be the cheaper option versus getting a traditional analog phone system. A cloud phone system also offers other features even beyond making phone calls, such as being able to do video conferencing, text messaging, connecting your phone system to your email system, and much more. The biggest consideration you should mind is that if you do not have a good, consistent connection, it may not be worthwhile to pursue over analog phone systems.
