More people are getting rid of their plain old telephone systems in favor of other alternatives. These alternatives could be mobile devices or even Voice over IP. But, there are a few things you should consider before you decide to leave that traditional phone system.
Mobile systems and devices can be tempting for many business owners largely because they offer decreased costs and better overall calling features, not to mention business-centric apps that allow you and your employees to be more mobile.
This, combined with the fact that many employees are increasingly adopting mobile devices, means that it is certainly tempting to make the switch away from traditional landline systems. However, this might not necessarily be the best idea for your business.
As part of a business, you and your employees likely rely heavily on your phone system and the various features it offers. Within many businesses, the phone system – VoIP or landline – is the backbone of a larger, more unified communications system.
You need these to work flawlessly and seamlessly together so that you are reachable when your clients need to contact you, with minimal downtime and dropped calls. While mobile devices and networks do offer generally large percentages of uptime and reliability, there are still issues with dropped calls and less-than-clear communications. This can pose a real issue for employees who rely on phones.
Beyond this, it can be tricky to manage mobile devices in the company, as these devices are quickly becoming prime targets for thieves and hackers. This means an increased security risk for your company, especially if you don’t have systems in place to efficiently manage these devices. Ultimately, a full mobile system integrated at this time could lead to increased costs, if not set up and handled in the right way, despite the perceived lower costs initially.
As we said above, mobile systems can help businesses enhance the overall effectiveness of office communications especially when combined with existing phone systems like landlines or VoIP. Firstly, they offer employees who are working remotely, or away from the office, a quick and easy way to check in without having to invest in potentially costly phone systems. This is especially true because of the number of communication apps that can be installed.
Secondly, they really do enable teams to be more mobile within the office. For example, if you have employees talking with customers, they can quickly check the status of a product or service on a mobile device instead of having to find a phone and call someone.
Essentially, in a few years, mobile systems will be powerful and reliable enough to fully replace existing systems, but for now, it is best to stick with VoIP or home phone in the office with mobile devices playing more of a support role.