There’s a reason that there has been explosive growth in the telecommunications market over the past twenty years or more. Telecom can improve efficiency, reduce costs, and meet the demands of a customer base that has been trained to rely more and more on smartphones.
While many business managers and company owners may consider telecommunication upgrades an untimely and unnecessary expense, many of the solutions that companies like Flagler Tech offer an immediate or near-term return on investment.
But how do companies unlock new opportunities through telecommunication upgrades? Read on to find out.
Understanding Telecommunications Solutions
Even companies that prefer to do business in a traditional face-to-face fashion have been pulled into the world of e-communications. Imagine even ten or fifteen years ago telling a client or vendor that your company is not set up to receive email or to send a file electronically. It would have severely hindered your ability to do business, to say the least.
Modern companies transfer data through system interfaces, communicate via cloud communications (including video calls), and accept payment via secure portals. If you cannot offer these basic options to vendors, clients, and customers, it can cost you business. Additionally, since most automated processes involve telecommunication solutions at some level, if your company has not fully embraced this type of technology, chances are you are heavily reliant on costly human resources.
Today’s cloud-based technology allows your company to:
Provide custom access to employees at different levels of the organization.
Transfer and receive data through an encrypted portal.
Provide customers and other parties with external access.
Enable your employees to work from anywhere in the world.
Minimize the amount of physical equipment you require to have on-premise.
Reduce or reallocate staff through automation.
Outsource certain tasks that don’t require in-house expertise.
Accept electronic payment through a secure portal.
Collect data that can help improve efficiency, cut costs, and increase revenues.
Unified Communications
In today’s business environment, unified communications (UC) incorporate voice, text, email, video-conferencing, and face-to-face interactions. This means that there may be disparate messages across multiple platforms. Unified communications allow employees to connect the dots between the elements gathered through various mediums.
Advantages of UC include:
Integrations between different channels to allow users to change from one application to another without losing the conversation thread.
Real-time interactions that allow parties to communicate as if they were all in the same location.
Allowing all parties to know the availability of different team members.
Features allowing parties to share documents or work off the same whiteboard.
The ability of the user to request information or respond from any location.
End-to-end encryption ensures that third parties can’t intercept the signal and access data or other information.
Integration between business applications and software.
Cloud Telephony
Cloud telephony allows you to connect as many phones to your network without the need to purchase specialized equipment or run lines from workstations to communications closets. It also allows your employees to work and make calls while on the move or away from their stations.
Like a cellphone, cloud phones are wireless. However, instead of being connected via a data discrete data plan, they are connected through the cloud to remote servers. Encryption prevents other parties from eavesdropping on meaningful conversations.
Cloud telephony also allows companies to scale up without investing in costly infrastructure — or down, leaving the company with the issue of disposing of unneeded equipment.
Virtual Private Networks (VPNs)
VPNs are an essential part of cybersecurity. Virtual private networks create an encryption tunnel between a device and a server. The VPN client and the server exchange authentication information to establish that the user has authorization. Only devices with encryption code can access the information in the tunnel. This provides security when a company is using public wifi, like in a hotel business center or at an airport.
Collaboration Tools
One of the biggest complaints of business managers and employees who work in a remote environment is that collaboration is difficult. However, the video conferencing capabilities of cloud-based telecom facilitate employee meetings as often as necessary. In addition, screen-sharing gives employees the ability to show their work for walkthroughs or deliver presentations. Built-in call reporting makes it possible for team members who are not able to be at the original meeting to view the event exactly as it occurred.
Mobile Communication Solutions
Mobile Device Management (MDM) allows companies to host a large number of smartphones and tablets on their server. With secure technologies like encryption, VPNs, and other security protocols, many employers are enacting BYOD (bring your own device) policies. This saves the company from having to purchase, distribute, and collect mobile devices. Employees prefer this approach because they’re not responsible for having to keep an extra device on their person. They can access work through devices they already own through secure logins.
Internet of Things (IoT) Connectivity
Modern telecommunication devices connect via the internet as opposed to being hardwired into a server. IoT connectivity refers to the ability of devices to connect with one another. This enables workers to use these devices to collaborate and the companies that own or lease them to collect data and learn about how their employees are utilizing the technology to achieve their ends.
Scalability and Flexibility
There was a time in the not-so-distant past when in order for a team to work effectively, all parties needed to be located in the same place with workstations and built-in telecommunications equipment. IT staff would hardwire phones, connect computers via ethernet, etc. Expanding staff required additional floor space, purchasing computers and cellphones, etc. Modern telecom solutions allow businesses to expand (or contract) without having to change the size of their facilities or purchase and sell telecommunication equipment. It also allows employees to work remotely or on a hybrid schedule without interfering with work.
Customer Experience Enhancement
Newer telecommunication solution systems improve the customer experience. Tools like interactive voice response allow customers to direct their questions to the team members who are most likely able to help them with their issues. They also help companies establish “call centers” at a fraction of the cost of traditional brick-and-mortar facilities.
Frequently Asked Questions About Telecommunication Solutions
Flagler Technologies designs custom solutions for businesses. As a managed service provider (MSP), Flagler Tech’s IT team helps businesses realize substantial savings by modernizing their telecommunication systems. Here are some of the most frequently asked questions about business telecom.
Are Cloud-based Telecommunication Systems Safe?
Yes, end-to-end encryption and VPNs ensure that any third party trying to access transmitted data, conversations, or information will fail in their efforts.
How Can Internet Communications Save My Business Money?
BYOD programs can help your company avoid purchasing additional equipment. Plus, your company avoids the obsolescence of these devices. Remote workers do not require physical workspace, so you can reduce the facility leasing costs. Cloud technologies free companies from the high cost of servers and server rooms. Teleconferencing helps to avoid the expense of traveling to meet clients. These are just a few of the ways that companies substantially cut their expenses.
Improve Collaboration and Connectivity For Your Business
Whether you are in need of an advanced telecommunication solution for your business, a managed service provider to help cut expenses for your information systems, or IT security consultants to work with your in-house IT department to harden their defenses, Flagler Tech can help. Call today to speak with one of your knowledgeable IT professionals.