With half the workforce predicted to work remotely by 2021, it is time to prepare for the home working revolution with telecoms solutions that are flexible, scalable and, most importantly, affordable for the smaller business. Introducing cloud VoIP.

Whilst the COVID pandemic lockdown measures may be starting to ease, it is likely to be some time before working life returns to the normality everyone once knew.

Working from home has become the ‘new normal’, and even when the time comes to get back to the office, there is a lot of talk that it won’t be five days a week for many, with speculation that time will be split across home and workplace. For this reason, it is essential for smaller business to make solid plans for the future.

If up until now you have been ‘getting by’ telecoms wise with diverted calls or even closed or limited phone lines, now is the time to switch to something more permanent that will serve you for the long term. Something that will also act as a disaster recovery plan should you unexpectedly find you cannot access your premises. That something is cloud VoIP phone systems.

According to the Office for National Statistics, 49.2 per cent of adults in employment in April 2020 were working from home as a result of the social distancing measures imposed due to the coronavirus pandemic. Many businesses, having now seen first-hand that working from home actually does work, have altered opinions and are gearing up to make at least part time home working part and parcel of working life.

Employees are already asking for flexibility once lockdown is fully over. Over half of British workers would like to switch to home working, and a third have stated the ability to work from home will be a factor when they are job hunting.

Remote access is not just for documents and email – it’s for telecoms too!

With networking capabilities improving all the time, it has become a straightforward task to login to familiar desktops, diaries, and email anytime, anywhere via an internet connection, and VPNs make the whole process safe and secure. Collaboration tools such as Microsoft Teams and Zoom make it possible to share screens and hold face-to-face meetings virtually. All of this has been part and parcel of working life for some time. But what about telecoms?

It seems businesses have been slower to adopt the same remote access approach when it comes to their phone systems as they have with their documents and emails. Perhaps a fear of the cost involved has played a part, or maybe there is a view that such systems would be difficult to implement? The good news is that both of these fears are unfounded. Let’s take a look at what the cloud has to offer when it comes to remote working phone solutions.

Cloud VoIP phone systems

Cloud phone systems, also known as cloud VoIP or internet telephony, is a phone system that operates via the internet instead of traditional telephone lines. Let’s delve deeper into the key benefits of the cloud phone system.

Make and receive calls anytime, anywhere with cloud VoIP

The key feature of a cloud VoIP telephone system is that provided you have an internet connection, you can use it to make and receive calls from anywhere. At the office, at home, or on the go.

You get to choose any UK number you wish (or an international one if you need it), or if you prefer you can port an existing number if you don’t want to change the one you have. Better still, calls can be routed through any device you wish. That could be a desktop handset or a mobile, and you can switch to suit. Callers use your main number, and are directed seamlessly to whatever handset you happen to be using.

Plug and play handsets, plenty of call features

Cloud VoIP handsets are literally just plugged in and ready to go with absolutely no loss of features, so they’re perfect for the remote worker. Features include message waiting, voicemail, group voicemail, call recording, call transfer and conferencing. All available wherever you are, from any handset you choose.

Softphone mobile apps for on-the-go control

Softphone apps provide you with a telecoms console in the palm of your hand, allowing you to control your phone system from your smartphone. As long as you’re online, you can host conference calls, create chat groups, sync business contacts and so much more. The ultimate remote working control tool!

Simple monitoring and management

Users are easily monitored via a central control platform. So you can see active calls, view call histories, listen in to active calls and much more. You can also make simple changes to your phone system set up without the need for technical assistance.

Total flexibility

For the smaller business, the major advantage of a cloud VoIP system is that you get to scale up or down as things change, adding or removing users as required. More flexibility comes in the form of switching from office based to remote working with no hassle at all, and with no break in communication or loss of features.

Fast, easy installation

Unlike a traditional telephone system, an internet phone system is a breeze to set up, and there are no high installation costs either. It usually takes just one business day for a VoIP system to be up and running and, once set up, users can be added or removed with the press of a few buttons.

Ready to discover the small business benefits of a cloud VoIP telephone system?

Talk to AK Telecom Solutions today. Our solutions are reliable, scalable and incredibly affordable, the market leading choice for the smaller business. Get in touch to discover the many advantages of VoIP telephone systems from AK Telecom.