VoIP (Voice over Internet Protocol) telephony has been around for a while, but until it went cloud-based, it wasn’t too different from the traditional Public Switched Telephone Network (PSTN).

Instead of a physical exchange, it used the internet, powered by an on-premise network. But the cloud has transformed VoIP. Because there’s no longer any need to use an on-premise network, it frees the entire communications system so it can be accessed anywhere, any time. Perfect for the remote and hybrid working generation.

A cloud telephone system can be used with all sorts of devices, from traditional handsets to special VoIP phones, PCs and smartphone apps. This is where the flexibility of cloud business telephone systems comes in. If you want to, you can use a handset whilst in the office, or a PC and headset, and then if you’re working remotely, you can simply use the smartphone app to make and receive calls from your business number, as if you were in the office.

In most cases, you won’t need any additional or new hardware other than the optional handsets. You will however need a managed router, and a Power-Over-Ethernet (PoE) switch to connect to the cloud data centre.

The other great thing about cloud VoIP telephone systems for small business owners is that there’s no need for any on-premise network hardware. Because cloud telephone systems are hosted in our fully owned, secure and resilient offsite data centres, setup is a breeze, and you’ll never need to worry about costly maintenance contracts for your hardware.

We can also offer further cost savings courtesy of refurbished hardware.

A cloud hosted telephone system is designed to support ‘unified communications’. This means that everything comms related in your business can be managed from a single portal. This includes calls and voice messages, emails, faxes and SMS. Video conferencing and real time online chat can also be incorporated.

Calls can be made and taken either on a desk-based VoIP handset, or your own smartphone courtesy of an app, with callers unaware of any difference.

Cloud telephone systems allow businesses to switch effortlessly from office to remote working, without any need for complex IT setup. Call recording is a key feature, useful for compliance and training. And the auto-attendant routes calls to the right places, freeing up the receptionist for other tasks.

Voicemail is delivered by email, and faxes converted to PDFs for emailing, keeping everything nice and streamlined and easy to track. In other words, completely ‘unified’.

If you’re thinking of making the switch to a cloud telephone system, you’ll need a sufficiently fast and reliable internet connection, because you’ll be relying on it for your business communications.

You may therefore need to consider upgrading to a high speed broadband solution, or consider a dedicated leased line.

The good news is that cloud telephone systems don’t drain bandwidth, so your productivity won’t be affected in other areas.

When you choose PC Docs for your cloud VoIP telephone system, you’ll enjoy the benefits of our personalised service where our experts will make sure you have all you need to get the most out of your system. We also offer a proactive support and maintenance package, taking care of everything ongoing for your complete peace of mind.