Cloud computing changes the economics from a capital investment to a pay-as-you-go model and is becoming more ingrained in businesses every day. It’s the benefits to efficiency, speed, and cost savings that resonate with entrepreneurial owners and chief financial officers.
But the question many are asking is: “How can I harness the cloud to impact my business?”
A good place to begin is with a clear definition. Wikipedia defines cloud computing as
“a style of computing in which dynamically scalable and often-virtualized
resources are provided as a service over the Internet. Users need not have
knowledge of, expertise in or control over the technology infrastructure ‘in the
cloud’ that supports them.”
Business communications systems hosted in the cloud provide significant financial benefits
So, what does this mean for business? For one thing, it changes the economics of computing from a capital investment to a pay-as-you-go model. Major software investments are replaced with significantly smaller fees based on usage. Another significant shift is the removal of major infrastructure-related tasks such as system backup, disaster recovery and ongoing system management. The cloud model eliminates these headaches and costs for the user by shifting the responsibility to the cloud provider. Robust and reliable cloud communications systems like Clarity Voice deliver dramatic and predictable savings. According to Forrester Research, cloud communications systems “eliminate the need for traditional PBX systems, simplifies telephony solutions, and boosts the revenue generated by customer-facing employees.” In fact, they site some cases of cost reduction upwards of 40% by comparing the cost of VoIP systems versus previously installed PBX telephony systems. Today unified communication goes beyond voice, bringing together voice, video and text-based communications ensuring businesses can communicate with customers any way they wish.
Equipment simplification and hardware elimination
By putting all the phone system functions in the cloud, Clarity Voice provides an obvious benefit—it eliminates the need for costly on-premise hardware and software. Since all voice calls travel over the internet, it also prevents the headaches and costs of connecting multiple locations with international business exchange lines. Users can place calls using a desktop or mobile application or using smartphones for business (IP phones). These desk phones by Poly look deceptively similar to traditional handheld or wireless handsets but offer advanced functionality such as HD Voice, and acoustic fencing. This advanced noise cancelation protocol ensures the most critical part of your communication is heard – your voice.
Reducing the number of vendors and costs of standalone services
Signing up for standalone communication services through third-party vendors can add up to a major expense. And these charges are often applied on a per-minute or per-use basis, which can make budgeting for these bills unpredictable. In addition to high-quality voice calling, the all-in-one Clarity Voice service includes online fax, audio and video conferencing, video conference meetings, business SMS and MMS texting, instant messaging within its communication portal, and call tracking and analytics. You can use these services on an unlimited basis and pay-as-you-go scaling up to a significant number of users. It’s bundled together and all included in the predictable monthly service fee—and in one bill from one vendor.
Reducing management and maintenance costs
With Clarity Voice, all maintenance of the phone system infrastructure, software upgrades, and security patches are performed in the cloud by technically certified experts, eliminating the cost of hiring experts to manage a phone system on-premise. Anyone—without any specialized skills or training— can configure and manage the phone system from a simple administrative web-based interface, even on a mobile device. However, Clarity’s US-based team prides itself in service – so do it yourself, or they’ll do it for you. This easy remote cloud management eliminates the need for internal or third-party consultants to repair or manage hardware at remote offices. The major ongoing financial benefit of cloud technology versus typical on-premise systems is eliminating staff and support.
Our experience serving hundreds of new independent businesses has taught us the best way to configure a phone system for your specific industry.
We could go on all day, but we’re less interested in selling you on us than we are in helping you sell more and service more cars while reducing operational cost.
Let’s take the next step and have us give you a quote. There’s no obligation. We won’t pester you to close the deal. We just want the opportunity to show you how we can help you by upgrading your phone system.
