Introduction:
Over recent years, the way UK businesses communicate has changed considerably. As hybrid working becomes more common, customer demands escalate and the UK’s PSTN and ISDN switch-off looms, enterprises are ditching century-old telephony lines in favor of more intelligent cloud communications.
Enter Hosted Telephone Systems.
From London’s start-ups to the country’s latest hi-tech communities, companies are seeking dynamic cloud communication channels to cut costs, enhance customer care and facilitate flexible working arrangements.
Advanced hosted options provide enterprise-grade calling features with no on-premise kit to install or maintain.
Thinking about adopting a cutting-edge telephony platform? That guide covers it all.
Why Hosted Communication Is Becoming Essential for UK Businesses:
Maintaining your old on-site office phone system can be a real cost and hard to scale up as you continue to grow. Because of this, a large number of UK businesses are ditching their clunky, outdated PBX systems in favour of a more flexible and reliable Hosted Telephone Systems. Hosted PBX systems all work via an internet connection and enable you to call and answer from anywhere on desk phones, laptops and a dedicated smartphone app.
With a hosted solution in place, your business can support remote and hybrid workers with full functionality. Hosted telephone systems are able to be updated in real-time with new features and new integrated tools.
Unlocking Agility with a Cloud Hosted Telephone System:
The true beauty of modern communication is sheer flexibility. Through enabling a Cloud hosted telephone system all of the previous obstacles for your staff, namely that they must sit in the office, are completely gone. When you no longer have these physical boundaries your staff can happily communicate in the same system from home, out on client premises and whilst travelling.
In addition to this, investing in Hosted Telephone Systems across the business ensures no ongoing costs for maintenance and visiting engineers. Automatic system updates mean the business always benefits from the latest security patches without causing any downtime in the process.
Why Are UK Businesses Making the Switch?
However it’s not simply a question of ‘keeping up’. UK companies; no matter what size (whether a sole proprietor in Sheffield or a corporate entity in the City) find that a hosted phone system is an improvement over what was in place previously. Let’s have a look at why:
Lower running costs:
Nothing to install onsite. Shift toward spending that scales with usage instead.
Instant scalability:
Minutes tick by while changes happen through a web screen. Access brings updates without delays. No technician steps inside. Systems stay live throughout.
Remote-ready by default:
Working remotely? Staff handle calls through an app on their computer or phone. Wherever they are, connection stays strong via software tools designed for mobility.
Built-in resilience:
A cloud server maintains an internet connection for your business in the event of a power loss or internet problem at your office.
What Is a Hosted VoIP Phone System and How Does It Work?
A hosted VoIP telephone system essentially changes the digital bits of your voice into digital data packs, which is passed on through the Internet to a centralized switch which sends it to your intended party all in the twinkling of an eye.
“Hosted” simply implies that the switch is housed at some safe data center of the provider rather than at your place. When the call comes into your company extension, the hosted framework manages the auto-attendant greetings, the phone line backlog, placing the incoming call with the correct department, or call logging. To the incoming caller, it’s exactly like any normal telephone call to a landline, whereas to you it’s just easier to administer.
Choosing the Best Cloud Phone System for Your Business:
The fact is, not all phone system providers are born equal, and there are a few considerations you’ll want to put to one side in order to select the best cloud phone system to meet your requirements. Firstly, look at call quality. A good provider will have data centres across the UK to offer backup capabilities as standard and have been certified for HD voice quality.
Secondly, you need to have a look at integration. Will your chosen system communicate with your other business critical applications like Microsoft teams or perhaps your CRM system or even your help desk software. Lastly, support.
Unfortunately, sometimes things go wrong, and when they do you want a UK-based telephone to answer your questions.
Why Wavetel Is a Strong Choice for Hosted Telephone Systems:
Wavetel Business is a UK telephony business and is really making headways here, providing not only a 100% managed hosted telephony system which comes with competitive per user costs and fully porting over number but you get a feature-rich portal to run the system on and manage your calls to the best advantage.
Picking the Best Hosted Phone System Provider: Red Flags to Avoid:
When you are looking for the best hosted phone system provider, be careful. Some will try to coerce you into signing multi-year contracts before you’ve even made a call. Others will unexpectedly add costs for features that you’d expect as part of your package.
And watch for hidden charges for standard services such as voice mail, call recording or UK numbers and porting. Good providers will give you a risk free trial, a clear price list, references from other companies in the same trade and will be willing to directly answer questions such as uptime SLAs and trouble shooting response.
The Bottom Line:
The case for adopting hosted telephone systems in the UK has never been better. The PSTN network has been replaced by a much more resilient cloud network and per-user costs mean hosted has never made sense for so many businesses of all sizes. If you want to reduce the costs of your business line rental and call charges while offering your staff flexibility they will love, while giving your customers a superb calling experience on every call then we have solutions.
No matter what size you are from a growing start-up to an SME and multi-site enterprise your new hosted phone system will significantly benefit your organisation.
FAQs:
What is a hosted telephone system?
A hosted telephone system is a cloud-based business phone solution managed online.
Is a Hosted VoIP phone system good for small businesses?
Yes, it helps small businesses reduce costs and work more flexibly.
Can employees use the system remotely?
Yes, staff can make and receive calls from anywhere using mobile or desktop apps.
Does a cloud phone system require expensive hardware?
No, most cloud-hosted systems require very little on-site equipment.
Are Hosted Telephone Systems scalable?
Yes, businesses can easily add or remove users as they grow.
