Hosted voice telephony is key to digital transformation. Business communications and everyday operations are becoming increasingly cloud-based, and those who had adopted such technologies in advance were better prepared for remote working.
What is hosted voice?
Hosted Voice refers to a telephony system which is fully managed and hosted within the cloud. There are many names for this type of technology which are often used interchangeably, such as:
- Hosted VoIP
- Hosted telephony
- Hosted PBX
- Cloud telephony
- Cloud PBX
There’s minimal hardware involved, as everything is taken care of in a secure cloud location. This is a stark contrast to a traditional, on-premise PBX which connects phone systems and lines together in a single building.
With Hosted Voice, all you need is a reliable, good quality internet connection. This gives you the freedom to access your phone system from anywhere, anytime and on any device.
Cloud solutions are ideal for many businesses as they’re flexible, scalable and offer outstanding value for money. Plus, because the cloud can be accessed from any location and isn’t limited to the office, it’s ideal for remote, office or hybrid working and gives you extra peace of mind when it comes to business continuity.
How does it work?
The main difference between a traditional and a cloud-based phone system is the way calls travel. Instead of routing over copper cables underground, call traffic is transmitted over the internet in the form of data. This means you will require good quality, reliable internet connectivity.
It travels from IP (Internet Protocol) source to IP destination, or breaks out to the PSTN (Public Switched Telephone Network). An example of an IP destination could be the handset of a colleague, and a non-IP destination would be a landline in a different country.
Get ahead of the competition
As the Covid-19 pandemic has shown, those who are early adopters of innovative technology are best prepared for whatever the future brings. By investing in the latest comms technology and streamlining operations, your business will be more agile and stay one step ahead of competitors.
Plus, a commitment to modernising your business through technology will make everyday tasks easier for your employees, as well as appealing to potential new talent.
Statistics suggest that even after the pandemic has passed, most employees would like to continue remote working in some form, whether it’s full-time or part-time.
Benefits of Air IT Hosted Voice for business communications
- Seamless communication
Hosted voice travels with your employees, wherever they are – users can access their extension on any device including mobiles, desktops and tablets. A range of modern, fixed handsets are also available for office use. Calls can be transferred between devices and voicemail can be accessed from any location.
- Scalability
Unlike traditional phone systems, hosted voice is easy to scale up or down depending on your needs at the time. You pay a monthly fee based on the number of users, without the considerable costs for system hardware. - Continuity
Because hosted voice is based in the cloud, it minimises the chances of business disruption. In an unexpected event, whether it’s an office closure or power cut, you can continue to make and receive calls. - CRM Integration
Air IT’s hosted voice solution can be integrated with applications such as SalesForce, so you can access contacts from one location and identify callers before you answer, enhancing productivity and customer experience. - All-in-one communications
With our Teams Talk solution, you can integrate your phone system with Microsoft Teams for the ultimate unified communications system. - Compliance
There’s no need to worry about keeping your phone systems secure – this comes as standard. Optional features like PCI-compliant call recording can help you prevent fraud and be used for training and customer service.
Traditional telephony is being retired – make the switch in advance
Traditional, on-premise phone systems are expensive and occupy a significant amount of physical space, not to mention their lack of scalability – yet there are still millions of businesses using fixed landlines.
Phone systems have moved on leaps and bounds, leading to today’s hosted voice (VoIP) solutions which have proven to be a much more efficient, cost effective approach to telephony.
From 2025, traditional PSTN and ISDN telephony will be switched off by BT which means businesses will have no choice but to switch to a modern phone system. Unfortunately, while over half (52%) of businesses are aware of the change, a mere 8% have prepared in advance, according to recent data from BT.
Switching to a hosted telephony solution means that you can tick one thing off your list in advance without having to worry about it later down the line.
Want to learn more about hosted voice?
Air IT is an award-winning communications provider helping to digitally transform businesses of all sizes and sectors. If you’d like to find out more about how Air IT’s Hosted Voice can increase your productivity and futureproof your business, please don’t hesitate to get in touch.
Hosted Voice + Microsoft Teams = Teams Talk
Teams Talk is a unique solution that uses Hosted Voice technology and integrates your telephony system with the Microsoft Teams app, allowing you to chat, collaborate and make calls within one app.
