Five Ways Cloud-Hosted Voice Can Boost Your Bottom Line
The American business work environment is undergoing a huge change. Before COVID-19, only about 6% of U.S. employees worked from home. At the height of the pandemic, that number swelled to nearly 70%. After 2022, people began returning to the office, but not everyone. While remote work has declined slightly from its highest levels during the pandemic, it is still three to four times more common than in 2019. Now, business owners are trying to adapt.
Of course, the work-at-home phenomenon is just one of many disruptive changes that are reshaping how and where we work. The growth of cloud computing, artificial intelligence and everything-as-a-service business models are forcing businesses of all sizes to confront a new reality.
These trends are not only changing how we work; they are also providing the tools necessary to navigate the changes. The conventional, highly structured work environment is being replaced by more adaptable, streamlined and efficient models that are both decentralized and highly collaborative. The business systems that supported the old paradigm are being replaced, as well. One example is the shift away from the traditional on-premises public branch exchange (PBX) in favor of cloud-hosted voice systems.
What is Cloud-Hosted Voice?
Hosted voice is a cloud-based service where a business's telephone system and PBX reside off-site and are managed by a third party, providing telephone connectivity via the Internet using Voice over Internet Protocol (VoIP). VoIP technology enables businesses to make and receive phone calls over the internet rather than a traditional phone line. Users can place calls from dedicated handsets, desktops, laptops, or even from a mobile app.
But cloud-hosted voice services are about more than making and receiving calls. Today’s AI-enabled solutions feature an extensive list of capabilities including call forwarding, voicemail transcription, auto attendants, conference calling, call recording, video conferencing, advanced call analytics, and much more. Sometimes marketed as Unified Communications-as-a-Service (UCaaS), cloud phone systems can also support integration with various enterprise applications like Microsoft Outlook and Google Contacts.
Cloud-Hosted Voice vs Onsite PBX
The major differences between a cloud-hosted voice system and an onsite PBX are in their implementation and management. An onsite PBX places all the necessary hardware inside the building(s). This typically includes the physical trunk and extension phone lines, a server that manages call switching and routing, desk phones for all users, an integrated voicemail system and an administrative console. Because all elements are located on the premises, the system is usually maintained and managed by the company’s internal IT staff. This affords a greater measure of control, enabling more customization of features and security settings. However, it also requires IT hours be dedicated to managing an onsite PBX.
A cloud voice system, on the other hand, involves far less equipment, infrastructure and maintenance. As a software-based solution, the only onsite equipment needed are the VoIP phones. All call routing and switching functions are provided offsite at one or more data centers. As for onsite infrastructure, everything runs on the customer’s existing network. Whereas an onsite PBX is owned and managed by the business, most hosted voice solutions are delivered as a managed service. The managed service provider is responsible for deploying, managing, monitoring and updating the system as needed.
The Value Pillars of Cloud-Hosted Voice
The business case for cloud-hosted voice continues to strengthen as more integrations and functionality comes online. Sales of cloud-hosted voice solutions are expected to grow 9.7% (CAGR) from 2023 to 2033. During that time, global revenues are anticipated to more than double, increasing from 22.8 billion (US$) to 57.6 billion (US$). Among the multiple reasons customers cite for switching from onsite PBX to cloud-hosted voice, five stand out.
#1 Cost Savings
As noted, a cloud-hosted voice system can significantly reduce telecom costs compared to traditional phone systems. By minimizing the amount of onsite equipment needed, a cloud-based solution significantly reduces the upfront purchase costs, deployment time and management headaches involved with owning an onsite PBX. This also reduces the strain on the customer’s internal IT teams, enabling them to focus on higher-value tasks.
The cost benefits of a cloud-hosted voice solution increase when delivered as a managed service. Many of the costs required to manage, monitor and maintain a cloud-hosted voice system are rolled into the provider’s set monthly service fee. This helps the customer improve cash flow and budgeting.
#2 Flexible Scaling
Adding new locations to an existing onsite PBX can be a challenge. It typically requires purchasing additional hardware, configuring new phone extensions, and potentially upgrading the system's software, usually requiring IT expertise to manage the process.
Cloud-hosted voice systems are typically deployed over a local area network (LAN) or software-defined wide area network (SD-WAN) and managed via a centralized dashboard or even a mobile app. This lets growing businesses quickly and easily expand their hosted voice services to new users and new locations anywhere in the world without investing in new equipment or infrastructure.
#3 Inherent Mobility
One of the most powerful business arguments for a hosted voice solution is its ability to support the evolving changes in the workplace. Fully remote, hybrid and onsite work models have yet to sort themselves out. As business owners navigate the changing terrain, they need a communications platform that can adapt to a variety of situations. This is where a cloud-based voice system is at its best. It supports both centralized and decentralized workforces, locally and globally, not just with voice services, but with text-based messaging, video and access to calendars, group chats and more.
#4 Integration Ready, Future Ready
Today’s cloud phone systems support integration with various business applications like Microsoft Outlook and Google Contacts. This enables employees to access and respond to emails, schedule appointments and add contact information over the phone. So, for example, a company could host and manage its various communication systems, customer relationship management (CRM) software and productivity software on one platform. This capability gives enterprise owners and managers yet another valuable tool as they continue to navigate the trend toward remote and hybrid work models.
#5 Business Continuity
As a cloud-based solution, hosted voice systems offer advantages with regard to reliability and continuity that an onsite system cannot. To begin, cloud providers build in a high level of network redundancy to ensure maximum system availability. This includes redundant data paths within the data center, as well as having geographically dispersed data centers in case of local service disruptions. Additionally, a managed cloud-hosted voice solution typically includes regular security patches, system monitoring and automatic updates of all security software.
Glo Fiber Business Hosted Voice and Voice Connect
Glo Fiber Business is a leading provider of hosted voice and advanced data solutions for businesses, municipalities and educational institutions across OH, IN, PA, VA, WV, MD, and KY. Our cloud-hosted voice services provide all the flexibility, affordability and ease of management to help customers of all sizes navigate the challenges of digital transformation.
As a managed service, Glo Fiber Business provides the initial setup and configuration, data connection and IP phones. Customers pay a set monthly fee which improves cash flow and eliminates the high upfront costs of an on-premises PBX installation. Businesses can easily self-manage changes with an intuitive web portal.
In addition to cloud-hosted voice solutions, Glo Fiber Business provides fiber-optic connectivity, dedicated internet access, managed services and network security options. All services run on our all-fiber, fully redundant network with approximately 15,400 route miles of fiber. Glo Fiber Business’s local Network Operations Center provides 24/7/365 monitoring of the entire network and services.
Learn more about the benefits of switching to a cloud-hosted voice solution from Glo Fiber Business.