When small business owners wish to cut expenses, they prefer to avoid anything that would interrupt their business operations or devote their precious time to learn how to manage another communications system, which is why more and more they turn to hosted services versus on-site options whenever available. Instead, they’d rather have a solution that will reduce costs, yet allow them to focus on their business operations and their customers. When it comes to small business phone systems, hosted services, including hosted VoIP, provide simple and reliable communications that include top-of-the-line features for a fraction of the price they pay to use old, legacy PSTN networks. This is probably the biggest reason why small businesses turn to hosted services.
Today’s modern small business uses a variety of technology and requires substantial IT support. By shifting to hosted phone service providers, small businesses can limit the network equipment managed at their on-site location and allow their overall IT budgets to shrink. Hosted VoIP networks eliminate the need for on-site phone servers and shift the burden of maintenance onto their service provider rather than the end user. Entrepreneurs can then concern themselves with running their small business, secure in the knowledge that professionals from their service provider are ensuring that their communications remain secure and reliable.
Another benefit of hosted services is the safety afforded to phone networks as part of business continuity and disaster recovery plans. By having phone networks hosted in a different location, businesses that are affected by disaster situations are able to maintain free and open lines of communication to ensure that their customers, partners and agents remain connected and available. This diminishes downtime and allows businesses to quickly bounce back from otherwise crippling crisis situations.
Hosted services also provide greater mobility than legacy systems. Softphone apps available from many of today’s hosted VoIP providers allow any smartphone or laptop to be turned into a business phone extension. These apps provide mobility for businesses that require their employees to work off-site and allow the flexibility that is desired by many of today’s top talent. Modern softphones make it possible for entrepreneurs to have their business extension available anywhere that is reachable by Wi-Fi, 3G and 4G networks.
When it comes to phone services, hosted VoIP networks provide small businesses with the versatility, features and price-points that traditional PSTN providers cannot offer. They offer an intelligent alternative for comprehensive disaster recovery plans and a flexible option for employees working from home or on business trips. These features, coupled with the hosted VoIP system’s ease-of-use, make them the right decision for small business owners everywhere.
