In the next several years, the number of American businesses that make use of traditional land line telephone technology will continue to shrink: overall, more than 80% of businesses reported that they are moving their client information and telephone services to the cloud. While it may seem confusing, the term “cloud computing” simply refers to the offsite, secure storage of information. Businesses that effect the transfer of client information to the cloud cite factors including security and client trust. Business email is a good example of cloud-based computing: your emails are not stored on your computer, but are accessed when you log in to your account. Likewise, client data can be stored at a different location.
Another trend among businesses of every size is to shift telephone services to the cloud, a technology that is referred to as VoIP. Voice Over Internet Protocol means that your phone system uses broadband instead of traditional land lines to host your telephone system. Studies show that about half of all phone calls are silent — people pause when they speak — and VoIP technology can transfer sensitive client information by making full use of the bandwidth, even during a phone call. Callers do not hear any background noise, and calls are conducted in the usual manner.
The popularity of new VoIP technology means that the industry is set to expand by more than 15% each year, and that the industry as a whole will be worth more than $75 billion by the end of this year. Companies are starting to shift their storage offsite due to concerns about security and cost, and also report that they want VoIP because of its security features and financial savings. While prices can vary, many small businesses report that they save more than 40% of their monthly telephone costs. Most small businesses need at least $30,000 for a solid start up, and switching to more inexpensive telephone options could give them the edge that they need to succeed in a crowded, competitive field.
What small and medium sized business solutions experts want to know is: what telephone features does your company need? The future of premise-based VoIP solution technology could depend upon the results of current surveys. Recent studies show that most businesses want the option to receive voice mails in written form, attached to an email: most workers spend at least half an hour every day simply listening to their voice mail. Enhanced premise-based VoIP solution technology could allow for much greater employee productivity by delivering high-tech solutions to everyday problems.
Traditional based phone systems have a limit to their interactivity with technology, while premise-based VoIP solution technology has a smoother interface and more options, in general. Advanced hosted telephone technology could revolutionize the face of American business: cloud based solutions could use modern voice technology to support both analog and digital phone systems in the near future. If you still have a land line phone, you may find that you have more options within the next several months or years.
Finding world-class phone solutions is the only way to stay competitive in an economy that is shifting online and into the cloud. Cloud based business phone systems and premise-based VoIP solution technologies already have an incredible market share that will probably continue to dominate the field of business communications in the next fiscal year. Only about 5% of all American businesses still use land line based phone systems: is your business ready to make the switch to cloud computing and VoIP?