Switching To A Cloud Telephone System: ISDN has slowly but indeed become obsolete. According to a survey by IDG Research, half of those questioned plan. If you too are thinking of replacing your telephone system with a new one, you are faced with an important decision: which provider is best for your company? What should you pay attention to when making your decision?
Since the significant telecommunications companies decided to switch off ISDN completely, more and more cloud telephony providers have entered the market, some of which have different ranges and models. So it is hardly surprising that it is difficult to find the right one from this multitude of offers. To make your decision easier, we have listed various criteria in this article that you should include in your decision.
Switching To A Cloud Telephone System: What Is A Cloud Telephone System, And What Are Its Advantages?
A cloud telecommunications system is a software-based telephony solution that provides all the functions of a conventional telephone system via the Internet. The only prerequisite for this is a standard DSL connection and IP-enabled devices for making calls. Cloud telephone systems are suitable for startups and smaller companies as well as for large corporations and offer them many advantages:
- Cost savings by eliminating hardware investments and maintenance costs
- Maximum scalability
- Easier administration
- Location and device independence, if you wish, you can be reached anywhere under one phone number)
- Easier networking of different locations and external workplaces
Seven Criteria For Selecting A Provider
- Server location: One of the most important criteria for selecting a VoIP provider is the server location and the telephone system’s associated data security and availability. Your virtual telephone system should be hosted redundantly, offer high availability and ideally adhere to data protection guidelines and high-security standards.
- Scalability: When choosing your new cloud telephone system, make sure that it can be expanded without restrictions to react to your company’s situation at any time. The provider must offer a pay-per-use model so that payments are only ever made for activated phone numbers. With the provider Placate, the possible number of phone numbers is not limited, so that the telephone system grows with your company. If desired, phone numbers can be flexibly added or cancelled at any time.
- Contract periods: Inquire about the same notice periods before concluding a contract. With many cloud telephone systems, short contract terms and monthly termination are possible.
- Price-performance ratio: Before making your decision, compare the basic charges, connection charges and the functions available from different providers. Think carefully beforehand what you expect from a cloud telephone system and which operations should be possible. VoIP providers often offer around 150 functions, including time-based routing, electronic fax, conference calls, call center options and unified communications.
- Easy to set up: Your virtual telephone system should be set up even without specialist knowledge. Thanks to the user-friendly web interface and with the help of a setup wizard, the Placental cloud telephone system can be set up in just a few minutes.
- Support: When choosing a provider, the availability of customer service also plays a significant role. Make sure that the license can be reached via various channels (e.g. telephone, e-mail, chat) to help you quickly in the event of a problem.
- Free test phase: Some VoIP providers also offer a free test phase to make your decision easier. Use this time to familiarize yourself with the web interface and to make a few phone calls. Placental also offers you the opportunity to test the cloud telephone system free of charge for 30 days, including a small credit.
Placental is one of the leading providers of cloud telephone systems and is mainly aimed at small and medium-sized companies. The company, which has been part of Cisco since 2018, has more than ten years of experience in VoIP telephony. More than 25,000 corporate customers now rely on the cloud telephone system from Placate, which offers over 150 functions and is characterized by high flexibility, high availability and an excellent price-performance ratio.
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