As part of your digital transformation, you’ve moved your customer relationship management (CRM) application along with some back-office functions, like finance, to the cloud. Doing so has made your business more agile. So, what’s next? If you’re wondering what other tools you can move to the cloud to support business growth, then this is the right time to consider all the advantages of a hosted PBX service.

As you would expect, a cloud-based communications solution offers the basics such as voice calling. But it also delivers many more features than your old phone system, including collaboration tools and integration with other enterprise applications, such as CRM. These additional capabilities mean a hosted PBX service, like MiCloud Connect, can deliver a long list of advantages for your business, from higher productivity to the ability to personalize the customer experience.

If you’re not sure how a hosted PBX service compares to a traditional phone system, you’ve come to the right place. Here’s a look at the top 10 benefits.

Drum Roll, Please…

The Top 10 Benefits Of A Hosted PBX Service

Improved efficiency and productivity

If you could give your employees a tool to help them work faster and more efficiently, would you do it? Of course you would! A hosted PBX service is that tool. Employees can work from anywhere, while still having full access to the system through a smartphone application. Conferencing functionality, screen sharing and business SMS keep employees in constant contact, so they can get answers when they need them with a single click. CRM integration puts customer and supplier data at employees’ fingertips. The days of wasting time fumbling for passcodes and navigating between systems to get the right information are gone.

Quick installation and ease of use

Change often means downtime and lost productivity as employees learn the ropes of new technology. Not so with a hosted PBX. In fact, plug-and-play functionality means you’ll be up and running in no time with minimal disruption. Training is just as painless, thanks to an intuitive interface that’s easy to navigate. Employees won’t skip a beat. On the contrary, they’ll be singing the praises of a business phone system that helps them be more productive.

Integration with existing systems

Switching to new communications tools can be stressful, especially if you already have other systems in place. The good news is there’s nothing to fear when it comes to integrations with a hosted PBX service. In fact, you and your team will be working faster and better than ever thanks to integrations with calendars and email, CRM systems, web dialers and more. Employees gain the freedom to work with their system of choice, managing calls directly within third-party applications and browsers.

Scalability

It’s easy to add more lines and functionality with a hosted PBX system. Simply contact your provider and they can instantly scale your service up or down. This is an important benefit if your business is cyclical. Imagine having the capability to quickly power up during peak times and then cut back lines during slower periods – without incurring fees. Scalability also translates to innovation. New features and functionality are constantly being added. With a hosted system, you can start taking advantage of new features as soon as they’re available. And if a new function isn’t a good fit for your business, there’s no need to add it in and pay for it. A hosted PBX service is all about options. Think of it as a buffet of features that you can pick and choose from to create the most cost-effective, yet powerful, communications suite for your business.

Adaptability

We already mentioned how a hosted PBX service lets employees work from anywhere, but did you know how many options you get when it comes to the kind of phone you can use? From leading-edge IP desk phones to softphones and mobile apps, employees can talk how they want and when they want. They can even switch seamlessly from one phone to another while on a call – the ultimate in flexibility and freedom.

Enhanced collaboration

A hosted PBX service actually encourages collaboration among employees. Join a web, audio or video conference call with a single click. Use individual and group messaging to communicate with colleagues quickly and easily. Create workspaces for teams where you can chat in real time and share important information. The array of tools at your team’s fingertips keeps communication and the exchange of ideas flowing seamlessly. The result? A network of employees that are connected, informed and armed with the tools they need to perform their jobs to the best of their ability.

Superior customer support

Provide the ultimate in customer service with contact center integration. Call routing supports inbound and outbound calls, as well as web, email and chat requests. Reporting features and call recording let you monitor and track progress, so you can staff appropriately, improve call resolution times and provide better training for new call agents. Omnichannel support lets you meet your customers in their preferred medium, increasing satisfaction and loyalty.

Budget flexibility

With CFOs shifting more IT investment from CapEx to OpEx, a hosted PBX service becomes even more attractive. Why, you may ask? Well, for starters there’s nothing to install. You don’t have to purchase any hardware, which can be a costly capital expenditure. With the vendor managing maintenance, your talented IT team stays focused on business growth initiatives. What’s more, subscription pricing is more predictable, so the CFO has more control over his budget. And with mix-and-match options, you pay only for the services you need now – with the ability to add or remove as your business changes. The bottom line is you don’t pay for things you don’t want, and what business owner doesn’t like the sound of that?

Reliability and security

Regardless of the size of your business, reliability and security are critical to success. With a hosted solution, the stress and headache of maintenance and updates lies with the provider. This is where choosing a vendor with a solid reputation makes a big difference. MiCloud Connect, for example, is built on Google Cloud, so you can rest assured you’re getting a dependable and secure system so you can sleep easy at night.

Be a better manager

As odd as it may sound, a hosted PBX service helps you be a better manager. Detailed call logs in tandem with advanced analytics show you how sales and marketing campaigns are doing, how well customer service is performing and more. A hosted system that’s easy to use and manage lets you step out of the trenches and focus on more strategic initiatives to grow your business. Advanced features such as a mobile-first design, collaboration tools and native integrations keep your organization running like a well-oiled machine. Rather than fixing things under the hood, you can drive at top speed toward success.

Our list could go on, but we’re pretty confident that by now the advantages of a hosted PBX service are clear. A business phone system that puts advanced features in the hands of your employees while giving them the freedom to work anywhere – all while optimizing budget flexibility – is what you get. We challenge you to find a solution that can offer this winning combination. From where we stand, the choice is clear – hosted PBX for the win!

This article was first published by Mitel.