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To support the growing trend for home and flexible working, businesses need a complete communications service that provides an extensive range of fixed and mobile telephony capabilities.
The cost of this technology continues to reduce, making it widely accessible. Many of us now have smartphones and laptops and easy access to broadband, high-speed or otherwise, and these are all we need to be able to work remotely.
It’s not just new technologies that have helped the rise of flexible working. Employees are increasingly demanding the option from their employees.
Here, we are going to look at one of the cloud-based options – Gamma’s Horizon service.
What is a cloud-based telephone system and how will it benefit your business?
Horizon has many business features with emphasis on control and administration through the web that takes the burden away from your IT team. The system can quickly be configured according to your organisation’s changing requirements, while your employees can manage calls easily and effectively. With only a minimal capital outlay required, a reliable and proven service and a jargon-free approach to telephony and communications, Horizon is suitable for any size business looking to improve its productivity and image.
- Features you can easily control – Horizon puts you in complete control of your phone system and comes with an extensive range of call handling and management features, all operated through an easy-to-use web interface.
- Empower your staff with ‘one number anywhere’ – Horizon conveniently integrates your fixed and mobile capabilities so that you never miss a call. Callers need only dial one number to reach your desk phone and mobile phone simultaneously; ongoing calls can be moved seamlessly from one device to another without hanging up and a single voicemail box can be accessed from any device.
- An on-demand service with no hidden costs – As Horizon is hosted on your behalf, you only pay for what you need on a simple per-seat basis. As you’re not buying a PBX, there’s no major hardware investment and no financing costs to consider.
- Lower call costs – Horizon offers all the cost benefits of IP telephony including free site-to-site calls and cheaper call rates. If you use Horizon together with our mobile services you benefit from free calls between your fixed and mobile devices.
- Enables flexible working – Horizon helps businesses become more efficient by enabling flexible work environments through hot-desking, home working, and extending the service to mobile devices.
- Number choice – You have total flexibility with the numbers you want to use. You can keep your existing numbers or get new numbers. Extend your business reach and use any local area number no matter where you are located. Have a London number in Leeds!
- A business continuity solution – Unexpected events such as snow, floods, strikes or utility roadworks won’t disrupt your business. Because Horizon sits in the cloud, the service provides business continuity features that allow your organisation to carry on making and taking calls, whatever the circumstances.
Who is cloud-based phone system aimed at?
1. Dynamic businesses that want flexibility
Businesses with employees who are regularly on the move or out of the office will never lose calls as each user can simply tell the system, at the click of a mouse, where their calls should be sent: their desk, their mobile (or both) or their colleague. And if they miss a call, they can pick up their voicemail no matter where they are.
2. Ideal for multi-sites
The service is provided centrally so you don’t need an expensive system on each site, Horizon connects your offices. Plus, calls are free between locations and mobiles and everyone shares the same dial plans and directories.
3. Organisations that prefer outsourcing
Hosted on your behalf, there are no expensive maintenance or running costs and you only pay for what you use.
4. Organisations that need a business continuity solution
In the event of a disaster the services can be instantly moved across to a backup plan that can include, for example, diverting calls to different locations without loss of functionality and without expensive call forwarding costs.
5. Improving customer contact
Put calls on hold, play marketing messages, move calls seamlessly between users and offices and your customers will get the best experience when calling your business.
6. Training and monitoring
Horizon provides a cost-effective way to record calls. This centralised feature means calls can be recorded from any location, in any direction and configured instantly at the click of a mouse.
Is a hosted phone system secure?
For many organisations, communications is the backbone of the business, therefore it is vital to have the right phone system in place. You might be naturally concerned about security and fraud prevention, and keeping the phone system in-house might seem like the most secure option. After all, the hardware is on-site and you have total control over the system. In fact, a hosted phone system can be even more secure because it combines security measures put in place by both the phone system provider and your company’s internal systems.
BDM Voice, as a hosted phone system provider, has their own network, ensuring that your voice traffic doesn’t mix with data on the public internet. This not only ensures greater security but also greater reliability and better call quality. We also provide monitoring and support, as well as functions such as call history (for viewing all calls made), call barring and access to phones via authentication codes. It’s also possible to set up alarms and alerts that are automatically activated whenever your call charges reach a pre-set level. Internal processes such as strong password control; a properly configured firewall and heavily protected administrator rights mean that a hosted phone system can be very secure.
More and more services are migrating to the cloud, as enterprises remove hardware from their premises. By moving your telephony to the cloud now your company can take advantage of the increased flexibility offered by the cloud.
Contact us for a free review to find out what BDM Voice can do for your business.
