Cloud numbers for a new era of communications

Source: https://bics.com/
Author: Divya Wakankar, Head of Cloud Communications
Product Management and Innovation at BICS.
For many of those in traditionally office-based roles, the notion
of the workplace is changing, employees are no longer slaves to their desks and
restricted by desktop landline phones. Digitalisation, including the increasing
use of and reliance on smartphone and apps, plus ubiquitous connectivity,
low-cost data services and the portability of traditionally cumbersome
hardware, have helped pave the way for new, flexible means of working, and
agile, mobile workforces.
Of course, introducing new ways of working can be a
challenge, but with the right tools, digital transformation can enable
businesses to expand, while driving productivity. These benefits are expected
to fuel an increase in flexible working practices; 1.87
billion workers globally are predicted to be mobile by 2022.
However, for the benefits of flexible working to be fully
realised, every member of a team must be able to reliably and effectively
communicate and collaborate, no matter where they are. The secret to success is
a strong unified communications strategy, which leverages virtual phone numbers
to offer a scalable, cost-effective, device- and application-agnostic solution.
Uniting
your workforce
Virtual phone numbers are number ranges in various countries
that international businesses can assign for specific business objectives, such
as unified communications and collaboration. Virtual phone numbers allow
businesses to quickly launch telecommunications services in local offices,
without worrying about physical set-up in the country.
In the past, the resources to obtain telecommunications
services were significant, and integrating these services with unified
communications complex. Regulatory and compliance requirements vary from region
to region, making it difficult for those businesses which do not have history,
experience and knowledge of the telecoms landscape. This situation is further complicated
by the need to build relationships with required parties in every area in which
a business wants to operate.
When adopting unified communications solutions, business
and IT leaders need access to a single SIP Trunking solution, to manage
domestic and international calling services, and connect its local workforce to
customers, employees, suppliers and others worldwide.
The fact that the numbers are local is key. If a workforce
is distributed across multiple geographies, employees do not want to be calling
high-cost phone numbers to contact their colleagues, customers or suppliers in
other regions. We’re also seeing an increase in the BYOD (bring your own
device) trend – a practice employed by almost 60% of businesses, according to one
estimate – meaning more employees are using their personal devices for
work-related activities. In these circumstances, most will be even less
inclined to dial a phone number located in a different country than their own.
Expanding
your footprint
It’s not just a business’s employees that virtual numbers
can benefit. Customer service departments can also ensure they deliver great
customer engagement; offering local, low-cost or toll-free numbers for call
centres and helplines. This approach can help business looking to expand their
footprint into new territories, providing a local point of communication and
contact for customers and clients in different regions, even if they don’t yet
have a physical presence.
Many businesses will be hesitant to embrace digitalisation
and mobile working due to perceived challenges around managing a new breed of
communications. These can be overcome, thanks to online tools that collate the
various virtual numbers they manage for various areas of their business. Online
portals act as control centres, allowing businesses to order, manage and
troubleshoot virtual numbers through a single, unified dashboard. Even those
firms which lack experience and history in telecoms can quickly become pros,
and easily oversee a new virtual communications and digitalisation strategy.
Whether a business’s customers and employees are sitting side by side at an office desk, or are located in-the-field a thousand miles apart, communication and collaboration can be efficient, low-cost and simple, thanks to the cloud.
________________________________________________________________________________________________________________
To explore more about the new era for communication or to meet with bics, why not Register Free here for UC EXPO 2019?
________________________________________________________________________________________________________________