One of the main reasons for moving from a legacy phone system to a VoIP phone system, is cost savings. VoIP phone systems allow companies to save big, by eliminating the need for expensive on premise phone hardware and maintenance.
What’s more, making a move to a hosted phone system also provides the benefits of cheap long distance calling rates, cheap international calling rates, and lower cost bundled calling features, which cost an arm and a leg when purchased on a per-line basis from your local telephone company.But all benefits aside, in many cases, making a move to a Hosted VoIP phone system can be a little confusing, when it comes to understanding the differences in the equipment and accessories that are available to you.
You’ll need to carefully consider the functional capabilities that you want from your new Hosted PBX system, so your workers don’t lose access to the options that they have grown accustomed to.Plus, there are many cutting-edge options that a Hosted PBX system can offer your organization that you need to know about, to get the most out of the solution that you choose.
Physical adaptation may also be required when switching to a Hosted VoIP solution, when there’s a desire to retain certain parts of your existing phone system. For example, you may want to continue using your existing desktop handsets when moving to Hosted PBX, to avoid an investment in new phone equipment. This solution provides less disruption to your business users’ work routines. To achieve your goal, you will need additional middleware equipment to enable connectivity between your legacy phones and your new Hosted PBX system.
We’ve done the research to make it easier to understand what some of the important options are, when it comes to phone equipment and accessories, for a hosted phone system. Knowing what’s available will make it easier for you and your Hosted VoIP phone system provider, helping to ensure that you get everything that you need upfront.
- VoIP Phones – this is a broad category, covering everything from regular IP phones for general business use, to headset and dial pad VoIP enabled combos that are used in call centers, which have the capacity to connect up to two headsets at a time (one for an agent and one for a supervisor). IP conference phones, as well as IP paging intercoms are other popular options that provide the same conveniences as their analog predecessors. Other options like video IP phones are also a very popular option for executives and managers, making virtual face-to-face communications, as well as video monitoring, easier than ever before. There are also analog adapters available, which allow your business to use traditional phones with your Hosted PBX system.
- VoIP Headsets – while it may not be your first thought when considering your move to a Hosted VoIP phone system, headsets are essential for many types of business operations. Receptionists, sales representatives, customer service agents and other types of workers who spend a large part of their day on the phone, will typically need a headset/IP dial pad combo, or a softphone with headset, for comfort and productivity. There are many options to choose from when it comes to headsets that can be used with your Hosted PBX system. You can even buy adapters that allow your workers to connect most standard cell phones to their IP desk phones.
- VoIP Gateways – It may not happen often, but local Internet service outages can occur, causing your business to temporarily lose its communication capabilities, because Hosted PBX systems require Internet connectivity to work. Fortunately, there are VoIP gateway options, and other fail-over appliances that offer fallback protection by connecting to an outside telephone line, allowing you to still communicate, in the event of an Internet outage.
- VoIP Cameras – Workplace monitoring is easier than ever before, since there’s now a wide selection of VoIP cameras on the market that can integrate with your Hosted PBX system. There are a variety of different camera types to choose from that can be configured to send real-time video footage from your cameras to IP video phones and mobile phones on your network.
- Other VoIP Accessories – There are also several products that can be integrated with your Hosted PBX solution to create a broadcast communications system, for locations such as shopping malls, hospitals and schools, which are especially useful in emergency situations. These solutions take advantage of a wide range of VoIP accessories, including IP clocks, IP speakers, IP horns and IP strobe lights.
By knowing what your options are, your business can make a smooth transition to a phone system in the cloud, getting exactly you need, when it comes to phone equipment and accessories. Whether your business has a single location, or it needs to connect workers to a cloud phone system Canada-wide, BroadConnect is your source for the best Hosted PBX solutions in the country.
Contact one of our knowledgeable VoIP consultants today regarding all of the cloud phone systems that we offer for small & medium businesses, as well as large enterprises.
