Category: Cloud based communications

Telecoms Trends for 2021

In the next decade, technology will transform telecoms in incredible ways. AI, digital platforms, cyber-attacks and other threats will change the telecoms landscape; here are some ways the telecoms industry will develop.

(AI) – 
Artificial Intelligence

Telecoms is an industry that will utilise AI in many businesses in the future. VA’s (virtual assistants), chatbots, and AI within telecommunications companies can and will further improve customer service and satisfaction overall. AI is imperative for the optimisation and predictive support of telecommunications companies’ networks. Additionally, through predictive analytics, AI makes it feasible for telecoms to gather actionable business insights from the amounts of data they collect every day.

(IoT) – Internet of Things

The telecoms industry allows internet devices connectivity; it is one of the most significant IoT market players with everyday items connected to the internet. IoT technology aids telecoms to monitor data stations and data centres remotely. This technology almost guarantees minimal amounts of downtime for the network. Since telecoms effectively provide IoT infrastructure, the industries are uniquely positioned to develop and deliver their IoT services. As the technology results in more devices on the network, there are more chances for security and privacy breaches to occur, so telecoms are required to plan and develop protection for that. While there are still numerous concerns around what the conversion to IoT will have for telecoms, there’s little doubt that it will upset the telecoms industry.

The rise of Big Data

It’s undeniable that telecommunications companies collecting and generating volumes of data from mobile devices and apps are expected to continue to increase through the 2020s. Still, it will be the businesses that use it to their competing advantage that will remain. Telecoms companies and service providers need to ensure that their networks can efficiently move amazing amounts of data through their networks and support new technologies. Telecoms also need to address the unique security challenges that have arisen with new technology that uses their networks. Ultimately, the data that telecoms accumulate can be analysed to enhance customer service, determine and evaluate new products, and monitor and optimise the network. When assessed and acted upon, massive data can help telecoms build a more substantial business.

5G Rollout

5G is promising to bring some exciting changes. The European Union’s 5G response plan includes constant 5G coverage by 2025 for railways and main roads. 5G can support an additional 100x boost in connected devices per each unit area, 5G will offer ultra-low latency, advanced data rates and allow slicing of the network. These pave the way for innovative new services, network operation and a great customer experience for telecoms operators.

5G will change telecom’s role: telecoms companies will become technology service providers and distributors. This change will require telecoms to engage with governments, enterprise customers and modify their sales plan to help customers leverage the potential of 5G.

Cloud Computing and telecoms trends

Cloud computing’s pay-per-use service model supports telecoms in introducing unique services, decreasing their costs, and adapting to market demands more effectively. The cloud itself grants economies of scale and brings cost-effectiveness to telecoms. Not only can telecoms become a cloud service provider, but they can manage the cloud themselves. When telecoms adopt cloud technology and shift essential business functions to the cloud, they benefit from its effectiveness.

Cyber Security and Resilience

We take for granted the services allowed by telecoms including phone and video calls, email and messaging until we encounter an outage and realise how reliant we are on those services.

Telecoms companies store vast amounts of sensitive data on complex networks that serve as gateways to other businesses. Because they develop and conduct critical infrastructure, telecoms are increasingly a victim of cybercriminals. From direct cyberattacks such as a distributed denial-of-service to obscure attacks such as malware, telecoms need to defend themselves and prepare for the future of 5G and the security hurdles that will represent. Its includes have the proper IT infrastructure in place and the expertise and processes to help resiliency when attacked.

Currently, there is an opportunity for growth in the industry’s response to a cyberattack. Even false claims of attack can ruin a telecom’s reputation and create a considerable business impact in time and money spent to respond.

The main differences between business telephone systems for small and larger businesses

So what makes the current cloud-hosted communication systems so appealing to small firms is that they present the same functionality as systems that large companies use?

Before the arrival of cloud-hosted and VoIP based solutions, larger businesses were usually the only ones that could invest the costly onsite equipment for an adaptable phone system with a broad variety of features such as automated attendants, call queues and extension dialling.

Cloud-hosted VoIP systems, have evened up the playing field. The high investment and point of entry required has gone, now micro and smaller businesses can quickly implement hosted systems in the same way large companies can.

One distinction is that whereas a smaller business might choose a lower-tiered plan with fewer features, a larger firm may invest in the more expensive plans that provide them access to everything the business phone system provider offers.


What’s considered to be the key difference between a business phone service and a business phone system?

As it turns out, there aren’t many differences between a business phone service and a business phone system. They both provide the tools needed to efficiently communicate with customers and staff both internally and outside of your office space. 

Best way to judge a business phone service is to look at how well the system runs. Is it reliable? This is particularly important for cloud-hosted systems. In the past, business phone services were all based on physical landlines. The reliability of this was high because it was all hardwired and not internet-based. Fast forward to today, and as cloud-hosted phone systems grow in demand and popularity, obtaining a business phone service that offers the same security and reliability as a landline system has become essential.

A critical factor in determining reliability are the uptime statistics. ‘Uptime’ relates to how frequently a phone system is actually up and running. One of the essential components of a business phone system is that you can make a call whenever needed and that your customers and suppliers are able to contact you. The most reliable business phones services and systems have uptimes of 99.999%, which means that the service is only down for a few minutes annually. Some providers offer a guarantee their uptime meaning if it ever dips below a certain amount, they will compensate your business.


So what features do business telephone systems need?
Key things to think about are budget and what your business needs from its phone system. Features to consider could be:

Answer machine: 
This could be a regular answer machine system, or your company might need to convert voicemails into text for email for example that sends straight to your inbox. This setup means you can scan through missed calls or voicemails at a swiftly instead of having to listen to individual messages.

Automated call forwarding: 
This automatically transfers calls to your business phone to an alternative number anywhere. This is beneficial if you’re anticipating an important call, but are on holiday or out of the office.

Dashboard setup: 
Enabling you to manage your office telephone system from one central having access for all staff members that need to access it. Some of these dashboards also enable you to combine all your business communication channels meaning you can control SMS, voicemails, emails at one central place.

Speed-dialling: 
Easily save the phone numbers your staff members call the most commonly and simply call them with a one-button dial.

Conference call: 
Enabling your team to speak to people who aren’t based in the office. Conference calls have become essential due to recent events and are popular for staff meetings with off-site team members or calls amongst your sales team and clients.

Video calls: 
If staff members are working remotely, or need to communicate with suppliers without the time involved in in-person meetings, a business phone system with video calling is important.

Basic telephone systems tend to concentrate on the fundamental needs of a business (such as speed-dial or a dashboard), more advanced systems may be able to do all of the above.

How long do business telephone systems typically last?
Most decent business phone systems should last 10 years as a rough guide. That said expect rapid software and technology changes and rollouts as these systems upgrade and improve every year.

Do you need business telephone systems to support a small team?
Most business telephone systems are looking to grow over a number of years, choosing the right system for you can have a significant impact on how your business can operate and scale into the future. It’s best to discuss your business needs with the supplier and decide on what the best product for your team’s size could be.

How will the ISDN Switch Off effect My Phone System?
With the switch off ISDN happening in 2025, BT will no longer be taking orders for ISDN lines, meaning the telephone systems your business uses will need to work over the internet instead. So to future proof your communications its time to consider a system that uses VoIP, SIP or cloud hosting. Businesses that are still using out of date phone systems won’t receive much support at the end of this year (2020).

Have more questions about business telephone systems? 
Teleproject UK are happy to discuss your requirements and tailor a system to meet your needs.

Schedule a callback, we’ve love to help.

VoIP and the 3 Reasons Your Business Should Switch to it in 2020

Telecommunications remain a powerful tool in business communications today, especially as technological advances introduce digital solutions that enable companies to establish an effective communication system and deliver high-quality customer service. 

It is a fundamental function that creates the opportunity to introduce flexible work anywhere in the world, especially since the rise of technological advances like Voice over Internet Protocol (VoIP) telephone systems. 

In an internet-driven landscape, integrating VoIP phone to replace traditional analog phones prove to be the most efficient way to improve data sharing, accessibility, and enhance customer relationship management. 

With that in mind, the list below explores how Voip phone technology can benefit your business today: 

Benefit #1: Mobile and Flexible 

One of the biggest benefits of integrating a VoIP phone system to your business is that it opens up mobile opportunities, which means you can run your business on the go anytime and anywhere. Without being restricted to a fixed phone line in your location, you can leverage flexible working arrangements and move as your business demands without paying extra cash to make international calls. 

Benefit #2: Versatile and Easy-to-Integrate Features

Seeing as you only need a stable internet connection to access work, integrating new features will be easy as a few clicks of a button. VoIP service provide multiple functions, allowing you to multitask and boost your productivity on-demand.

Adding features can be done swiftly and removed without a hitch, allowing you to utilise tools that best suits your needs – be it from improving your video conferencing capabilities, including voicemail-to-text transcriptions, call routing, and more. 

The versatility and seamless transition make Hosted VoIP the best systems that can facilitate your growth. 

Benefit #3: Improve Client Interaction 

Telecommunications play a pivotal role in maintaining the relationship between your business and its clients. Setting up phone calls and meetings with foreign markets means you need a system that can speedily meet your demands at any moment’s notice. 

It’s easy to miss calls back in the early days of telecommunications, but with VoIP systems’ help, you can ensure all requests will not remain unanswered by choosing where it will connect when no one answers in the first few rings. 

Transmitting the call to different devices or offices means you can maximize your productivity and eliminate the waiting time for your clients, allowing you to establish a more efficient client interaction. 

The Bottom Line: Implementing A VoIP System Can Boost Your Flexibility And Offer Remote Capabilities For Your Business 

Businesses are moving to the cloud as the landscape becomes more digitized by the minute. These changes are revolutionising old systems, allowing organisations to leverage the internet to boost their communications efficiency. 

Making the switch to VoIP calls means keeping up with the tides, but working with the right VoIP Phone Systems provider is just as crucial. Here at Teleproject, we offer advanced, cloud-based phone systems to a range of businesses in the UK.

Get in touch with us if you need Cloud Based VoIP solutions and see what we can to streamline your telecommunications and how you can benefit from VoIP. 

Staying Power of Voice in Business Communications

One fact that all the best entrepreneurs and businesses know is that stagnation can mean the death for any business. In a world in which new technologies and innovations are constantly being developed, the business that succeeds is one that manages to adapt to all these changes. 

One change that enterprises must keep up with is how customer service and the customer experience (CX) evolve. More and more, companies are thinking about improving CX using the various technological options that come to be. But while innovation does matter, keeping your head in the future might jeopardise the present, as adding new options might confuse the customers who are used to a certain thing.

The staying power of voice communications

This is one particular reason that voice communication – through telecommunications or other channels – is here to stay. After a century of use, it still remains one of the most efficient and widespread ways to deliver and exchange information in real-time. 

The wonderful thing about voice systems is that they don’t necessitate an internet connection. This makes it a reliable staple of business communications, featuring unparalleled reliability and accessibility. Even in the case that internet services fail, the telecommunications system will remain up. 

With nearly every person having access to some form of voice communication, whether on their phones or in their existing landlines, it is not a pathway you can ignore. 

Voice communication also solves the problem of the immediate nature of customer demands. 64% of customers expect to receive real-time assistance when they make an inquiry, and voice business communication is the quickest way to respond to this demand. 

You can use Interactive Voice Responses (IVR) to make it easier for both you and your customers

Interactive Voice Responses can add a level of intuitiveness to the way you deal with customers, as it can narrow down their concerns before they even speak to a customer service representative. This even has the added effect of allowing you to optimize your customer service operations, allowing representatives with different areas of expertise a more focused approach with their disciplines when dealing with customer concerns.

The wonderful thing about this is, with just the right amount of tweaking and intuitive design, your IVR system can be designed to completely replicate the web experience. You can provide all the same options to customers who prefer or need an auditory experience as opposed to a visual one. 

With the right tools and strategies, you can create an automated system that relies on self-service, easing employee operations and providing a convenient real-time form of communication between your business and the customer. 

In conclusion

Even with email, chatbots, and other digital communication channels, voice communication remains a staple in business, especially with the 91% customer retention rate offered by taking a multi-channel approach to your communications. So long as you use intelligent strategies such as IVR to manage your voice communications, you should expect to see positive results.

If you’re looking for a provider of innovative voice communications in the UK, send us at Teleproject a message.

We employ all the latest cloud-based technologies to help businesses and schools. 

4 Reasons Your Estate Agency Needs Cloud-Based Telephone System

One of the essential foundations of a great company is having an excellent communication system. Everything that is done daily and its success is all because of excellent communication. It is particularly evident in estate agencies. 

When running an estate agency, communication is one of the gears that keep your machine moving. On a regular day, you will have to talk to numerous clients, colleagues, partners, and suppliers, and keeping track of all this information can be challenging. A lot of companies have been upgrading their telephone system to cloud-based. It sounds pretty fancy, but it’s quite simple. Here are some basics on cloud-based telephone systems and why your estate agency needs one:

1. Versatile telephone system for Estate Agents

Cloud-based telephone systems, unlike traditional methods, allow your company to make phone calls, send, and store data over the internet. This type of system is versatile because of its many functions. You can make and receive calls from your co-workers and agents, save and store data (such as voice mails), use other messaging tools, and hold video conferences. There is no need to be in one place with all your employees to discuss important matters anymore.

2. A better way to manage calls and messages

The problem with traditional telephone systems is that you can be missing important messages or calls. With cloud-based telephone systems, you can make and receive calls while you work remotely. Another advantage is that you can track reports of missed calls and client calls done by your agent. This way, you can find ways to improve communication. Because cloud-based telephone systems have an option to record calls, it will help you develop better customer service. You can create a better system in interacting with agents and clients based on the data you gather.

3. More natural way to communicate with your team

Having a cloud-based telephone system in your estate agency will allow you to hold conferences and meetings anywhere. That is both cost-efficient and highly practical for you and your employees. 

Another advantage of having this type of telephone system is that you can manage your employees’ workload and align everyone with the day’s tasks. Aside from that, you’ll get reports on messages and calls that went through the system throughout the day. Cloud-based telephone systems enable you to contact your team from anywhere. So if issues in the agency arise, or if there is something urgent that needs to be done, reaching a team member wouldn’t be a problem.

4. Better customer services

Since employees will have access to your telephone system, missing essential calls will decrease, and employees will be able to accommodate clients immediately. This feature is critical because it allows you to be able to track how your employees communicate with your clients and find areas in which you can improve. 

Customer service is incredibly essential to help build your agency’s reputation and a trusting relationship with your clients. Cloud-based telephone systems can help you ease communication problems and be more accessible to your customers.

Conclusion

If you want to upgrade your estate agency’s communication method, switching to a cloud-based telephone system is the right choice. You can track, manage, make, and receive data all in one system, which is incredibly cost-efficient and practical. If you want to receive real-time results and get to work efficiently, cloud-based telephone systems will do the trick. 

Are you thinking of finally putting your traditional telephone system to rest? We offer businesses cloud-based telephone systems in the UK. Our range of clients include new home builders, schools, car dealerships, estate agents, and more. Start communicating better with your team with a cloud-based telephone system. Request for a call from us!

5 Benefits of Using Cloud-Based Telephone Systems For Schools

Schools and educational institutions today are constantly undergoing unprecedented changes, which threaten the stability of such institutions. Such changes require the owners to devise ways to reduce operational costs, improve the efficiency of their processes, and drive growth for the benefit of their students and stockholders. 

If you are facing the same challenges, one aspect you can look into is your phone system. Although these may seem like the last thing you need to be concerned about, moving from conventional landline systems to advanced technological ones, such as a cloud-based hosted VoIP system, may significantly increase the efficiency of your school’s operations.

To cement that point further, here are five astounding benefits that a cloud-based telephone system can bring your school:

1. It Connects Your Whole School Easily 

Having a cloud-based telephone system for schools will work to your advantage, especially if your school has multiple buildings and offices that are scattered across the city. 

You will no longer need to have installed any wires, cables or Centrex lines—which provide extended services such as call transfer. Aside from the inconvenience of setting up traditional landline systems, the whole system can also be very costly and time-consuming to proceed with.

With a cloud-based office telephone system, you can bring total connectivity to your institution regardless of the distance. Aside from that, your teachers and staff won’t need to work near the wall phone jacks to stay connected, making them a bit more mobile to handle other tasks.

2. It Helps Your Staff Stay Connected Wherever They Are 

Your staff will not always be in the office, which makes keeping in touch with them a challenge – especially if they’re out attending conferences or workshops. Moreover, as we are still in the middle of a global health crisis and everyone is advised to stay at home, your landline systems are most likely not useful when your staff is working from home. 

That said, cloud-based telephone systems allow you and the whole team to stay accessible wherever they are from. As long as their smartphone or desktop is connected to the system, they will be able to stay in touch, allowing for more seamless communication to keep your operations running smoothly.

3. It Allows You to Scale Your System Painlessly

As mentioned earlier, you have to work with wires and cables when using traditional landline systems. If you need to add a line, the process can be time-consuming, tedious, and costly. 

In contrast, you won’t have to worry about scaling your system when it’s in the cloud. Adding a new line is not only cost-effective but also incredibly affordable. 

4. It Helps You Future-Proof Your Institution Conveniently

Since you are forgoing the bundles of cables and wires when using a cloud-based VoIP telephone system, keeping the system up-to-date is much easier and less expensive. Everything is done in the cloud, and newly made updates can be installed in real-time. 

Moreover, excellent providers also handle system innovations and features, so you won’t have to worry about upgrading the system yourself constantly. Beyond this, your providers will keep striving to give you excellent service, while assuring your systems are all caught up with the latest technology.

5. It Helps You Spend Less on Telecommunications 

The cloud telephone system is more affordable than traditional landline phone systems, mainly because there is no expensive hardware to purchase or install. You don’t need to spend money on lines or wall phone jacks, and this can significantly give you better year-on-year savings. 

Considering this, you can now reallocate the funds intended for the maintenance of your phone system for something else that you need for the school that will be more helpful to your students.  

Conclusion 

You may have gotten accustomed to the traditional landline system; however, at some point, you will have to make the necessary adjustments to make sure that your school is ready for the future. Keeping up with the changing needs of both the students and the staff require innovation and adaptation, especially when it comes to technological advancements. One way to do this is by moving on from the traditional tools and being open to the latest solutions of this day, such as the cloud-based telephone system. 

If you’re looking for professional office telephone systems in Kent, Hertfordshire, and surrounding areas, get in touch today!
You can also get in touch to learn more about how our solutions can turn your school into a more productive work environment. 

As data centres and legacy solutions continue to migrate systems onto the cloud, it may be time to consider letting go of your on-site PBX. Though transferring your telephone systems to cloud-based servers sounds simple enough, it requires a fair amount of planning to pull off and avoid cloud migration mistakes. Customisation and programming options can be exciting, especially given a newfound ability to configure existing features into something that sells more. However, you must avoid making the following common mistakes when upgrading your telephony system into the digital age. 

1. Assuming hosted solutions are identical to your PBS solutions

Despite the promised efficiency of cloud-based hosted telephone systems, you can’t underestimate the time and effort spent on marrying this new technology and your corporate culture. 

Not every department will maintain its current functions and working methods, so it’s important to help them transition into your newly available options. In some cases, moving towards cloud-based solutions can pose limitations in the way employees manage their telephony. Knowing how these systems work can make the transition smoother and more seamless.

2. Foregoing a better disaster recovery plan

With the ability to outsource IT solutions, more traditional business leaders often choose to forego a disaster recovery plan even amid frequent outages. However, an on-site PBX system is far more susceptible to issues such as power failures, bad weather, natural disasters, or Internet outages in your area. With an efficient disaster recovery plan in place, you can guarantee business continuity by relying on dual-powered cooling equipment, independent distribution paths, and fault-tolerant infrastructure. Though most cloud phone systems will already have reliability features in place, it pays to explore other plans. 


3. Promising IT staff control over your telephony system

Once protectors of your company network, IT staff members fearing a loss of control over your telephony system is not uncommon. However, they’ll simply have to get used to new tools and monitoring systems to efficiently manage cloud-hosted phone communications. With customised monitoring features such as real-time updates, cloud solutions can remove the unnecessary complexities that come with an on-site PBX system. 


4. Lack of communication between teams

As phone systems move to the cloud, end-users will find that the speed dials, contact lists, greetings, voicemails, and call handling systems are no longer what they used to be or eliminated. Thus, migration teams need to communicate changes to end-users in advance. When opting for cloud-based solutions, educate your staff on how these systems work to achieve greater efficiency and value. 


5. Neglecting a proper analysis of your bandwidth

As we continue to experience the rise of remote working environments, video conferencing and messaging are more dominant than ever. Without a proper analysis of your bandwidth, you won’t know whether your new system can handle more than a voice call. Before migrating your work to the cloud, consider how reliable your fibre connection is. As your bandwidth grows, you’ll need a connection that can keep up with exorbitant amounts of bandwidth, eventually displacing all analogue devices. 


6. Forgetting to analyse your network devices for compatibilityIf you’ve been running on legacy technology for years or even decades, chances are not every online device will perform as seamlessly on the cloud. Some of your devices may not be compatible at all. To streamline your process, work with your IT department and a support provider to identify devices that need upgrading. 


7. Ignoring contracts and compliances

If you’re adhering to a contract with a primary rate interface (PRI) or session initiation protocol (SIP) company, look into any termination fees before moving to the cloud. If left to the final hour, you could be delaying your migration project entirely. Remember to note your new partner’s compliance terms to direct your next steps. 

Conclusion

As traditional telephone systems grow obsolete, millions of companies are turning to cloud-based solutions to keep up with an evolving digital landscape. By knowing the ins and outs of these systems, you can create a more productive work environment that knows exactly what it’s doing. 

For a cloud-based telecom system that works for you, visit Teleproject U.K. We provide users with integrated business telecom solutions that are configured to meet your company’s requirements. 

In a world of technological advances and digital transformation, a business that cannot keep up is a business bound to fail. Small businesses are no exception – with cloud communication systems and technology readily available, even small business employers are moved to invest in it. This communication strategy is convenient and efficient, which enables your employees to be more productive and work more efficiently.

Cloud communication also continues to enable small businesses to have access to top-grade communication technology, something which has previously been reserved for big companies. Without having to spend more, small businesses can now move away from outdated physical phone systems for their offices, helping them make their business operations more advanced and efficient. 

Beyond cost-effectiveness and convenience, cloud communications pose plenty more benefits for small businesses to grow. Here’s why you need to invest today:

Benefit #1: You’ll have access to advanced features for low costs

Cloud communications plans come with cloud delivery models, which allows entrepreneurs to save time and money. There will no longer be any need for capital investments and expensive on-site equipment, as cloud communications allow features like call screening, call forwarding, and auto-attendant with just clicks of a button. 

Benefit #2: You’ll be able to support a remote workforce

Cloud communications allow your business to become more versatile and flexible especially when it comes to remote work. Since it operates mainly on the virtual space of the internet, your employees will be able to access your company phone system from anywhere, so long as they have access to the internet. 

For small businesses, this is a major advantage. The possibility of hiring remote employees can now be an option, which could now then open your door to global talents—not just your city. With talents from all over the world, you’ll have more opportunities to grow. 

Benefit #3: You’ll see an increase in the agility of business operations 

The world of labour is changing and at an alarming rate. Changing work behaviours and patterns have now paved the way for remote work. On the other hand, continuously changing technologies and buying behaviours continue to pressure businesses to become more agile—it’s a survival of the fittest at best, but investing in cloud communications will see that you remain at a competitive advantage. 

Since your business is operated virtually, deployment and remote work are now easy. All your employee needs is a mobile phone or a laptop, while your customers can now access your products and services with just simple taps on their smartphones. 

Benefit #4: You’ll witness an increase in employee productivity

Thanks to cloud communications, your business is now as agile as ever. An agile business has always known to be a penchant for productivity—due to this, you’ll be working with employees that are happier and more productive, even if they’re working remotely.

You allow them a platform that enables them to get in touch at any time, anywhere. Files and documents can easily be shared, while conference calls can be scheduled at the best possible times. By allowing them to do more in less time, you help them stay motivated and satisfied.

Conclusion

Cloud communications systems are a technological advancement—for small businesses desiring change, a cloud phone system may perhaps be what all it takes. The benefits are undeniable. With low costs, greater business agility and efficiency, improved productivity, and the capacity to support remote work, cloud communications truly opens up doors. The only thing left to do now is to invest on your own!

If you’re looking to invest in UK cloud-based telecom business phone systems, Tele Project offers you the best solutions. Allow us to help your business grow to its full potential—reach out to our team today!