The concept of housing all communications under one roof feels warm and fuzzy for IT managers, but then again so does the idea of a hosted hands-off IP-telephony solution.
Many IT managers are avoiding hosted VoIP solutions due to the fact that it could disrupt their unified communications solution. The ease of management and centralized consoles from unified solution make managing communications simple. When you remove the single element of telephony you may have increased savings, and reduced administration costs but it does un-unify your solution.
The disadvantages of using hosted VoIP with an existing unified communications strategy include:
The problems listed above are real and valid concerns, but most can be overcome with add-ons to the hosted VoIP telephony solution. For example:
Voicemail, Recording and Fax Messaging
With this add-on you can integrate voicemail and fax into your hosted VoIP solution, which can increase collaboration between departments. This can either connect to your UC solution console or the hosted console.
VPN
Installing a VPN will allow your users to connect remotely even with the hosted solution.
Wireless IP Phones
There are mobile VoIP phones available that can unify your landlines and cell phones together into one solution.
1-800 Numbers
Many hosted VoIP solutions negate the possibility of using 1-800 numbers—but this can be solved with a simple add-on that is available with most hosted VoIP solutions.
CRM integration
There are add-ons/plugins available that allow you to integrate your VoIP solution into your existing CRM tool. This means that you can still keep things unified as far as your employees are concerned.
The costs will vary depending on your provider and depending on which add-on functionality you require. Average costs range from $5 to $10 for each additional function.
While you may experience some differences when de-unifying your UC solution, you do not necessarily have to lose any functionality. Advanced users may be able to customize their own controls and create a central console. If you are truly bent on keeping a unified solution then you could consider an entirely hosted UC solution, once again retaining one central console.
Before it became a necessity during the 2020 COVID-19 pandemic, many companies had already begun realizing the benefits inherent in embracing remote work. These benefits are substantial and signal that (even when the pandemic is but a memory) remote work will continue to flourish and become a mainstay in the redefined workplace - particularly when it comes to VoIP. This guide will demonstrate how the workforce is changing and leaning toward remote work as a permanent business choice, explain the critical role VoIP will continue to play in supporting remote work, and highlight some of the new trends and innovations coming in 2021 for VoIP. more