How Outdated Phone Systems Are Killing Businesses

Thriving in today’s economic climate requires unified communications

Yes, those old traditional landlines are about to disappear. In 2017, almost 90% of phone numbers were connected to mobile devices or phones with Internet access. And some experts have predicted that 2020 is the year that landlines will finally become obsolete. (To be honest, they probably won’t go away what Quick. After all, there are still people who use analog modems, believe it or not.)

However, even with landlines in disgrace, many businesses rely on traditional private branch exchange (PBX) telephone systems for day-to-day operations.

Your reliance on these systems makes sense: landlines are not susceptible to remote hacking (although analog lines can still be hacked locally through old wiretaps), they usually still work when power has been lost and facility based, giving the owner full control. Owners love full control over anything that affects their business, especially things that affect bottom line.

But the world of work is changing rapidly, and for any business to be successful right now, it needs a better alternative: unified communications.

How Old Phone Systems Hurt Business

Older PBX phone systems in today’s business environment have some pretty serious limitations. Some of them have a commercial impact and result in:

  • Bad customer service: Leaving a voicemail and waiting for a response is so 90s! In fact, most consumers expect to communicate with businesses online, be it through online ordering, email, text messages, or live chat. If the only way to reach your business is by phone, you are probably missing a great opportunity to handle service issues quickly, retain customers, and improve your reputation.

  • Lack of internal communication: Legacy phone systems can be frustrating for office workers. Imagine leaving a voicemail about an urgent issue for your boss and not receiving a response for hours or days. Relying on outdated technology makes employees feel less productive, which can lead to other problems. According to a 2018 Unisys Corporation study, these frustrated employees are 450% more likely to quit than employees at companies with better technology solutions. Although this study sounds pretty far-fetched, it is quite possible that the presence of outdated technology is an indication of a larger problem with the business. However, this questionable study supports the narrative that old technology can cause serious problems within a company. Therefore, it is worth mentioning. Clearly updating your system and improving communication for everyone is better than recruiting and training new employees.

  • Less versatility: As many companies have made the switch to remote work, they have found that landline phone systems are much less versatile than VoIP-based PBX systems. Landline telephone systems are tied to a specific geographic location and connect to the company’s separate telephone network through the telephone hardware (eg, telephone cables, telephone wall ports, etc.). Therefore, they cannot be easily integrated with computer software applications, SMS and MMS messaging, video calls, chat applications, and other cool features needed to do remote work. easy. In contrast, a unified communications system supports all of these tools, making it much easier to onboard remote employees.

  • Difficulty diagnosing problems remotely: Diagnosing and troubleshooting problems with traditional PBX systems requires troubleshooting from the IT department (if they have one, sure) or a technician from the phone system vendor. The process involves testing the connections, evaluating the internal and external parts, and probably fumbling for the equipment outside of your building. This means scheduling a day and time for repair, and in the meantime your system sits idle, causing you to lose revenue. On the other hand, to address issues with cloud-based systems, you have access to 24-hour technical support that can access your system and get things back to work quickly. No appointment is required.

  • Difficult to grow: When your business grows, it is quite difficult to expand your old phone system. Typically, with each batch of new users, you will have to add a ton of new hardware. This hardware is often proprietary, expensive, and will likely need to be installed by a qualified technician. Web-based phone systems are much easier to expand.

Why Your Business Needs Unified Communications

As an alternative to your old phone system, it’s time to embrace unified communications. Generally speaking, this is a comprehensive service that enables all employees in your company to communicate in a way that delivers the best business results. Most unified communications components are based on Voice over Internet Protocol (VoIP), which gives you the ability to communicate from any location using the same phone number, extensions, and features.

And looking more specifically at the benefits of a VoIP PBX system over an older phone system, there are several advantages. You have the option of using both physical phones and “softphones,” which are computers or mobile devices that use specialized communications software. VoIP PBX systems also connect to all your business locations, allow you to respond to messages and requests in a timely manner, and can be easily scaled up or down at any time. In short, a VoIP PBX system moves and grows with the changing needs of your business. Your old phone system limits your options for serving employees and customers, ultimately reducing your profits.

Configure your virtual PBX system today

Work with us to introduce cloud-based phone systems into your day-to-day business operations. Our VoIP PBX system helps you reduce costs, connect all your business locations in a communications domain, send free SMS messages from phones and desktops, and access free 24/7/365 technical support. Contact us today to discuss your needs and explore the best options for your business.

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