Stuck with an old Commander Phone System? Well you’re stuck not only to your desk but in the dark ages.
Break free from your desk and work from the office of anywhere with a Cloud Hosted Phone System from Summit.
What are the benefits of a hosted phone system?
Hosted phone systems offer advanced features not usually seen on traditional phone systems.
These are 6 of the benefits of Hosted PBX systems.
Caller ID – See who’s calling you before you answer.
Deskphone or Softphone – use a traditional deskphone or move to a software phone.
Voicemail to Email – receive your voicemails in your email.
Time Based Schedules – automate the open and closed hours of your office.
Music On Hold – Upload your music on hold straight from your computer.
Call Conferencing – call conferencing great to bring teams together.
Say goodbye to line rental!
When you move from a Commander System you’ll say goodbye to expensive line rental.
Did you know that line rental makes up over half of most company phone bills?
Save up to 60% on your call charges
Hosted PBX systems use voice over IP technology which offers amazing savings on calls.
Choose from pay as you go with 10c local and national calls or a unlimited calling plan. You’re guaranteed to save up to 60% compared your current Commander Phone System.
No maintenance fees
Another one of the big charges with Commander Systems is monthly or annual maintenance fees.
We have $0 extra fees. One low monthly fee includes all your maintenance and support. This could save you thousands of dollars a year.
Try before you buy!
Ready to work from the office of anywhere? Tired of demanding Commander Systems that are out of date and don’t empower your staff?
Take control of your phone system with our 30 Day Free Trial.
We’re so confident that after 30 days you’ll love, you won’t let us take it away from you.
I’m ready now! Tell me how much I can save.
Our bill crunching machines are ready to start saving you money. Head here and complete your details and we’ll guide you through the steps to start saving money.
Whether your current handset is a Yealink IP Phone, Polycom IP Phone, Grandstream IP Phone, Cisco IP Phone, Snom IP Phone or Aastra IP Phone, we can streamline the move from your current provider with our FlexPBX automatic provisioning templates.
Our team are experts in telephone system migrations. Our project management team will move you from your existing system in record time all with keeping you on the air.
If you have an IP Handset not listed and would like us to certify it for use on FlexPBX, simply complete the form below and our team will contact you to arrange certification.
Once the VoIP system entered the market, it showcased a wide range of features that made it a lucrative switch from PSTN systems. However, as with every new technology, not everything is stable from the mere start, which made businesses doubt this new technology. However, as the years have passed, this technology has aged like wine, only becoming increasingly superior to PSTN systems.
Therefore, if you are thinking about moving to VoIP systems, no matter if you are a small or big business, the following facts will show you why you should definitely go for it.
It is cost effective
One of the biggest advantages this system brings to the table it cost-efficiency. This is due to the fact that all of the data is actually driven across the internet protocol, which is a cheaper way of transferring data. This allows VoIP services providers to:
Deliver services at lower fees – The main problem with phone systems used to be the cost. Yes, you could reach out to a person no matter where he or she is, as long as you knew their number. Now, with only a click, you can get in touch with anyone, no matter where they are, but for only a couple of cents. Phone bills used to be a problem, whereas now, as your business grows, the rise in costs will practically be unnoticeable.
Free internal calls – Using a VoIP system enables a business to establish an internal network where employees can communicate for free, no matter where they are. This was practically impossible with PSTN systems and it is a great way to significantly lower costs, especially when the business grows and includes thousands of employees globally.
Cost efficiency is important for every business for a variety of business tasks. As communication is always necessary, cutting costs on it is seriously important for future business expenditures.
Scalability and flexibility
One of the benefits of VoIP system hides behind its incredible ability of easily change over time. Okay, your business has started of with 2 employees. Now, a year later, you are sitting with 50 employees and are still growing.
Adding telephones like this was limited as each line required physical changes made to the system. However, with a VoIP platform, adding new users is much easier and practically limitless. Scalability is very important, as your business is likely to grow over time and you want to be in a position to work on a platform that allows easy expansion.
Also, moving your employee’s position in the office without changing their phone number is also easy. As their phones have unique mac addresses, he or she should only bring a phone with them and plug it in the system; it will automatically register their device and all its properties.
The easy flexibility and scalability of the VoIP system is yet another benefit and it shows how advanced this technology is in comparison to PSTN systems.
Integration with software tools
As we are talking about the Internet protocol, you are going to use a client on your PC or Smartphone for communicating with your clients, colleagues, and customers. This is where things become interesting. The communication client can capture significant types of data and it can be integrated with different types of software tools such as CRMs, which can allow you to analyse the collected data for future reference.
This is especially important for enterprise businesses, as the amount of data can clearly show future behaviors of employees and customers.
Mobility
Internet is now everywhere, which means that VoIP is now anywhere as well. All you have to do is have the client installed on your device that is connected to the internet, and you are ready to make calls, leave voicemails, organise conferences, and send messages to your colleagues.
This was impossible in the past because of the PSTN network limitations. Therefore, if you want to work a network that will provide you with more mobility, you should definitely choose VoIP.
Perfect for centralising customer support
With the PSTN networks, having a customer support number required different area codes for different geographical locations. This type of approach can be confusing for the customers, as they would have to do a research to find the right customer support number.
Luckily, this issue is easily resolved, as you can use a single phone number code nationally. This means that, no matter where you customer is calling from, he can reach you through a single number.
Also, your customers will more easily remember a single phone number, than several of them, making it easier for your customers to reach you.
Stability and call quality
As technology has matured over the past couple of years, VoIP call quality and stability has significantly improved. The quality is far superior to that of the PSTN system. Also, as long as you are connected to a good internet connection, all of the communication is stable, no matter the distance between you and the person you are talking to is.
Call quality does not only include voice, you can also go for video conferences with your colleagues, making it a great way to be present in a meeting if you are not able to come. This also significantly saves costs, as the VoIP system can help you cut down employee travel costs.
Moving to VoIP is the best decision you can possibly make, as the performance of this platform is far superior to what other technologies have to offer. This technology is only going to evolve in the future, allowing it to become cheaper and more powerful, allowing people to easily communicate with each other.
Whether your current handset is a Yealink IP Phone, Polycom IP Phone, Grandstream IP Phone, Cisco IP Phone, Snom IP Phone or Aastra IP Phone, we can streamline the move from your current provider with our FlexPBX automatic provisioning templates.
Our team are experts in telephone system migrations. Our project management team will move you from your existing system in record time all with keeping you on the air.
If you have an IP Handset not listed and would like us to certify it for use on FlexPBX, simply complete the form below and our team will contact you to arrange certification.
Given the fact that the world is getting globalised rapidly, there are more and more businesses that have offices around the globe. Even smaller organisations reach out to outsourcing services abroad and collaborate with international companies. This means that companies have expanded their communication needs to an international level.
This has created a new reality for business; they need to have a lot of international calls to be able to organise themselves properly. However, finding reliable and affordable phone systems for these constant international calls is not easy. This is where VoIP, or voice over internet protocol, comes into the picture.
This is a system that transmits audio communications over long distances using the internet instead of mobile or telephone networks. This type of phone system has changed many things and created a lot of solutions for companies looking to maintain cheap international communications that are reliable.
In my experience, a company can save from 25% to 65% on communication and these are great numbers. Although these numbers can vary, it’s still a great way to cut down costs. So, let’s see what the reasons for these cost cuts are.
Why VoIP is the best solution for international business communication
A lot of business owners, managers and employees alike are familiar with communication systems that have voiceovers or messaging such as Skype, however there are much greater and more advanced systems that work on similar methods.
All of these systems rely on fast internet connections that allow companies to quickly make calls and have a stable connection. All of these systems transform analog signals to digital signals which then go through the web and reach a distant destination.
These systems have audio streams which are instant, meaning that the calls can be placed from any location which has a stable internet connection. A business can harness many benefits from these kinds of phone systems, especially when talking about saving money. On top of that, they are more flexible and scalable.
How Cloud VoIP communication systems cut costs
The majority of VoIP communication systems are hosted on the cloud. This means that your whole system and database will be located on one server through which all of you communication processes will operate. The first thing that saves money here is that you simply don’t have to install any phones or phone lines on site.
You won’t have to purchase any hardware for offices around the world, nor ship it and pay for its installation. Everything is taken care off by the provider. On top of that, your provider will also be in charge of maintenance, meaning that you won’t have to pay for IT experts to do this for you or waste your IT department’s resources to deal with these issues.
VoIP communication systems can also be installed with a business that has pre-existing traditional phone system. The only thing a business will have to get is an adaptor that costs around $40 which is used to connect all phones to the web, enabling them all to send and receive VoIP calls.
What to look for when choosing a good VoIP system
When looking for the best package for your business, the most important things you will have to consider are your budget and the costs of these services. On top of that, you also need to check whether the provider can cover a certain country, give you special features, and allow you to scale your package how you see fit.
It is also important to analyse what your needs are so that you can get the right type of service for your company. Not only that voice over IP systems are much cheaper, but they can come with some amazing features. When opting for a quality service, you should look to acquire things such as call forwarding, call transfer, tele-conferencing, data sharing, and caller ID perks.
These are all the things that traditional phone lines don’t offer. On top of that, the level of security and reliability is much greater, given the fact that VoIP systems have encryptions.
Not only that you will directly pay less for all of these amazing features, but these features will allow your organisation to be more efficient and achieve better results, while relying on a comprehensive communication system capable of handling a whole business spread around the globe.
Even employees will be able to respond more quickly, as they don’t have to be present within their offices to use this system and talk to their coworkers. These are all some of the things you should look from your VoIP provider.
Scale with minimal costs
Given the fact that users are added to the VoIP system quickly and that providers offer maximum customisation and flexibility in terms of how many people can use your system and communicate, you will have a much easier time of adjusting your service with your current needs. If a business is growing rapidly and it’s in need of more communication channels, it can quickly change it’s package that will be available almost instantly.
The same thing applies for when the needs are smaller. Not only this, but the price can literally be changed per user, and the cost of changes simply don’t exist; if you add more people, you will just have to pay for every individual and get on with your everyday work, no additional costs, no setup costs.
These hosted systems are always administered through an online control panel, located remotely, meaning that the scaling process within an organisation and throughout various offices is almost instant and quite easy.
It is very important that your do thorough research regarding usability and pricing that providers offer so that you are able to choose the VoIP solution that will completely suit your business. It’s generally a good idea to start with one office and see how the system proves itself before you start implementing it globally in all of your offices.
Given the fact that all modern business offices and spaces have stable internet connections, why not exploit this cheap resource even further and improve your communications as well. Don’t waste time, switch to a VoIP system as quickly as possible.
Good communication is the most valuable asset in any business. Businesses seek new ways to improve it and bring it to the next level. But, at one point, when it gets perfected, businesses have to turn to technology in order to improve further.
And technology is the only thing that can unravel the secret of staying connected at all times, despite the geolocation of the people communicating. And, most of the technology I am going to write about in this article is already in our hands. When put to proper use, the employees can communicate by using in-house phones or softphones on their PCs, laptops, Android and iOS smartphones and Macs.
Here are the technologies and the preferred mindset, both of which are the root of the “staying connected, wherever you are” secret.
Identify Your Business Needs
There are a lot of technologies that can enable your business communication to be geographically unrestricted. But, before you pick one, you have to identify your business needs. Here are some questions and answering them will significantly narrow your search down.
Are your offices scattered across the country/world?
Is your business growing rapidly?
Is your market local, national, international, or all three?
How often are you and your employees on the go?
Are you selling exclusively online or in physical stores? Maybe both?
Does your company have an in-house customer support call center?
After answering these, you will know to identify the communication system able to meet your business needs. Furthermore, when you know what you need, communicating with vendors will be way easier and they will able to offer you custom tailored solutions.
At this point, you should also start considering software designed to make communication and collaboration streamlined and easy. But, let’s not get into this right now. We will come back to it later in the article.
Web Based Technologies
Voice over IP (VoIP)
A typical conference or small meeting room won’t cut it if your employees and managers are on the go, nor will they help if you are working with a remote team. Also, knowing the number of each employee or office can be a daunting task, especially for large businesses.
Thanks to VoIP technologies, the conference room has been reinvented and placed in the cloud. You won’t be able to see the people participating in the conference call, but you will be able to hear them loud and clear even if they are thousands of miles away.
VoIP powered communication happens through the web. They are established via a local network connection. One of the neat perks of using VoIP is the ability to assign one single office number to an office which routes to cell phones of that department’s manager, workers – everyone.
The system is able to send voicemails via email, route calls to any assigned number, and deliver calls to workers despite their location. One thing is certain, VoIP is capable to keep you connected.
Video Conferencing
Video conferencing technologies are similar to VoIP, except they bring the camera into the picture. This solution is excellent for firms that emphasise on vivid interactions even between remote workers and teams.
With video conferencing, workers don’t need to be physically present in the offices. Whenever they are needed, they can be called to interact with their colleagues in real time. Video conferencing allows for a better connection, as it allows staff to see each other’s facial expressions and hand movements.
PBX Phone System
The PBX Phone system is capable of bringing the much needed competitive advantage to a corporation that installs and starts using it. When it comes to phone systems, the PBX system is a cutting edge cloud based technology available at low
With PBX phone systems, employees can stay as efficient as they were in the offices. All of the communication is established through the Internet, which makes this type of phone system very flexible and efficient. And, upgrading from legacy systems to a PBX is really simple and easy.
If you want to stay connected, you have to start using premium business internet services. If you are basing your communication over the Internet connection, you should really make sure that you get the best one for your company. There are several options on the market:
IP VPN Private Network Solution – if you have scattered offices and a remote data center, this type of network solution will enable your employees to share files instantly and use emails, video and voice communication options. This type of private network solution works on both Fibre and Ethernet connections.
Ethernet and Fibre – this type of Internet service will get your business a high quality, reliable, super-fast Internet connection.
Mobile Internet – if you want to experience communication without any obstacles by using internet over your mobile carrier networks, you should go with a carrier that supports a 4G connection.
ADSL – this type of connection was proven as reliable over the last decade. If you are not in need of high internet speeds, ADSL is a completely viable solution.
Business Software
Software as a service (SaaS) companies have flooded the market with all kinds of business software solutions. There are literally thousands of them, so thread carefully. Here are the tools that can improve your communication and streamline your work process:
Project Management Software – this tool makes project planning, task delegation, and task tracking easier.
Knowledge Base Software – a great tool to start building a knowledge sharing culture in your business. It can also be used to publish a self-service help centre webpage and improve customer support.
Instant Messaging Software – Classy chatting software tailored for business. Some advanced tools even have the GPS feature; quite a neat option if you want to track your sales teams.
The bottom line would be to keep your company’s communications infrastructure updated at all times. But, there is another important side of the story. You also need to identify your business needs and goals so that you can invest smart.
When you are faced with these types of decisions, it is important not to rush them. Take your time, get help from managers, do some research, or ask for a professional consult. Only then you will be able to settle for a reliable and effective communications system that can meet the needs of your business model and your customers.
