Many businesses continue to resist making the switch to digital telecoms. However, modern businesses need modern communications to enable them to thrive in today’s ever-accelerating market.
The business case for replacing out of date phone systems often focuses on the direct costs – line rental, monthly bills, maintenance charges etc. However, the reality is the real costs to a business struggling on with an outdated phone system are much greater than those that appear on your bill:
Poor customer experience
Rising customer service expectations are often judged by phone call experiences. Despite the rise of the internet and mobile apps, many customers still prefer to pick up the phone and they demand rapid responses and a seamless experience – without having to repeat themselves. If your PBX doesn’t connect callers to the right person, first time, then you’re putting your customer loyalty and profitability at risk.
Loss of good staff
The quality of your communications and IT systems can influence the quality of employees that you attract and retain. With 75% of employees ranking workplace flexibility as their most important benefit, losing or being unable to attract top quality employees damages your ability to be competitive, while high level of employee churn increases costs. Traditional phone systems can’t deliver the flexibiity and functionality that both old and new employees now take for granted; instant access to information, seamless switching between devices and easy collaboration between teams, regardless of location.
Missed opportunities
Today’s businesses need agility to seize new opportunities, but traditional phone systems restrict rather than enable agility. Archaic phone systems are designed around closed networks and fixed locations. But physical presence is no longer needed for selling into a new location or launching a new service, and cloud communications enable firms to establish a virtual presence in new geographies quickly and with minimal cost.
Loss of productivity
Traditional PBX systems were not designed for flexible working and can damage employee productivity. More and more businesses now have a mix of mobile workers, home workers and freelancers all collaborating with in-house staff. These people all need access to the same information and tools and they need to be able to communicate effectively at any time, and from any location. Traditional phone systems exist in isolation from IT systems. This makes it difficult to provide employees with access to the tools they need and negatively impacts their productivity. Lower productivity means lower profits.
Obselete technology
In-house or outsourced, IT resources account for a significant percentage of business expenditure and focusing these resources on maintaining aging phone systems just isn’t cost effective. An outdated on-premise phone system also puts your business at risk of a communications outage, which could result in loss of sales, reduced productivity and damage to your reputation.
The longer you shackle your team with an outdated system, the more growth opportunities you’re missing out on. Can you really afford not to switch to cloud?
