Hosted telephonyor cloud telephony refers to a network computing through a large-scale network. In simple words, hosted telephony often uses VOIP where an external service provider uses a private data centre to facilitate business phone system for a business. Hosted telephony takes care of almost every aspect of a business’s communication needs including remote working without making any astronomical investments.On an individual level, this doesn’t seem like much of a benefit as one will only use it in the time of need. However, when talking about complex business communication systems, cloud communication services have changed the way businesses communicate.

Here’s how cloud communication has changed the way businesses communicate and how they benefit from it.

  1. Reduced Dependence on Traditional Phone-Line Systems and Big Telecom Companies
    Cloud communication is rapidly changing the way businesses communicate. Even the legacy landline and IP PBX are slowly getting out of the way as cloud communication supports data traffic along with voice and video. Could communication is quite rich in features as it offers video conferencing, voicemail to email transcriptions, call routing, etc. All of this results in improved internal and external communications, productivity and workflow.
    Similarly, telecom companies that rely on traditional equipment, often impose their long-term contracts that businesses often have to unwillingly opt for at sky-high prices, are also being replaced by cloud systems.Cloud communication has brought a paradigm shift here as companies can choose their calling plans along with the infrastructure and equipment without having to worry about excessively long contract tenure.
  2. Cost-Effective
    Another reason for businesses to prefer cloud communication service providers as cloud communication services come with a range of cost benefits. Features such as unlimited local and long-distance calls, and international calls have become a standard and these can save up to 70% of total internal and external communication costs. And all of these are available on a fixed, low monthly fee.
    On the other hand, since the infrastructure and equipment requirement becomes minimal with cloud communications, businesses save costs on phone-system installations and service agreements. All in all, a cost-saver for the years to come.
  3. Remote Working
    All thanks to the cloud communication, remote working is the trend of the century where employees don’t have to worry about being physically present in the office. Successful remote working has become a thing due to the versatility and flexibility offered by cloud communication systems. If we talk about the situation that existed 10 years ago, remote working was not a popular practice and it was only limited to specific professions such as content writers, marketers and sales persons. The reasons were quite simple; first, not everyone had a high-speed internet connection at their place, and second, employees who needed to communicate at regular intervals had to set up either a Virtual Private Network (VPN) and/or a separate phone line.
    With such barriers out of the way, businesses and employees from all across the globe are benefitting from remote working even in the difficult times of COVID-19. And not to mention cloud backup solutions that allow businesses to store data and applications on remote servers, so in the case of need, one can access them from almost any part of the world.
  4. Competitive Edge for Small Businesses
    Cloud communication systems are highly customisable as businesses can scale those up or down as per their needs. Small or upcoming businesses that often do not have the budget and space for installing high-tech communication systems can opt for cloud communication without having to worry about the equipment and they can quickly scale-up their operations. They can start small and gradually increase their usage and reliance on such systems.
    On the other hand, they also don’t have to worry about maintenance costs as cloud systems are self-sufficient and businesses don’t have to hire IT guys for setting up and/or resolving any issues in the system. While looking at it in a holistic way, this saves a lot of trouble for a business and lets it focus on core business operations.
  5. Improved Employee Collaboration and Coordination
    A business that seeks maximum productivity and a smooth workflow will always focus on improving employee collaboration and coordination. Continuous improvement in the cloud technology has helped businesses in breaking down the barriers between departments and increase participation. Cloud communication uses VOIP, instant file-sharing, version control, large file storage and real-time chat that improve coordination and help employees work seamlessly without any confusion.

Why empower ICT
empower ICT is one of the few service providers that offer a wide range of managed comprehensive services such as Telco, IT, Cloud, IT security, etc. We take care of your telecommunication and cloud operations so that you can focus on core business operations. Our industry expertise allows us to ensure a smooth flow of work along with maximum efficiency.

Conclusion:
There is no single way that anyone can define cloud communication as its applications and utility are virtually impossible to count when put in real-life situations. So much so that even in today’s unpleasant situation, cloud communication has made remote working quite safe. Employees get to work from the comfort of their homes without having to worry about their health and well-being while on the other hand, businesses can stay connected with their customers and employees.