Are Next Generation Communications the Future of Cloud and Voice Services?

Not all that long ago, business communication needs seemed far less complex. Your teams were, at least, for the most part, collaborating from within a central location, and your in-house phone system provided just about everything you needed to ensure connectivity. But over the past few years, you’ve likely realized it’s become increasingly more work to keep up with the rapidly evolving demands of today’s mobile, hybrid workforce. Legacy phone systems are only so helpful when you’re trying to navigate a multi-channel digital landscape.

For many businesses, working around the limitations of outdated technology means a significant investment of time and money. Leveraging multiple applications and tools for essential features like video conferencing, business SMS, and a virtual answering service effectively amounts to a piecemeal solution that isn’t efficient or cost-effective.

Once you’ve spent time investigating the cost of a company-wide upgrade, it’s only natural to wonder if next-generation digital communications platforms are another temporary fix or the future of cloud and voice services. The answer? Market analysts predict the global unified communications as a service market will reach more than $87 billion by 2031.

Why Are So Many Businesses Investing in NextGen Communication Services?

Every financial decision carries considerable weight in today’s complex, unpredictable economy. There’s no room for waste, no margin for error, and little tolerance for inefficiency. As business communications become increasingly fragmented, most business owners feel the financial burden is getting entirely out of control. In addition to being locked into paying for phone lines that aren’t in use, features seldom used, and outrageous prices for repairs and maintenance, they’re also saddled with paying additional fees to multiple digital service providers just to stay competitive.

Companies determined to manage their business communication needs in-house inevitably discover that building and maintaining a cloud-based system requires significant time and resources, including a multi-year budget and a considerable number of payroll hours. Once the system is up and running, it could take that company several more years to see any semblance of a return on its investment. Today’s next-generation communications service providers offer modern, cost-effective, scalable services, predictable pricing, network security, and the ability to choose from a wide range of service options.

Related: How to Keep Up with Business Connectivity Needs with the Rise of Remote Work

Choosing the Next-Generation Solution for Your Business Needs

In today’s work-from-anywhere environment, everyone embraces cloud-based communication and digital services, including your customers. When you invest in following-generation communication services, everyone on your team is well-equipped to connect with those customers in the way they prefer to communicate. With the right provider, you won’t have to settle for a one-size-fits-most platform. Instead, you’ll have access to numerous features, pay only for the services you need, and have the ability to scale those services as your business needs evolve.

With the services widely accepted as “NextGen” communication, there’s also no need to invest in costly equipment, so it’s easy to plan around your budget. If you still need convincing that cloud-based service is the right move for your business, consider how much more your people could accomplish with efficient communication services expertly selected to meet the unique needs of your business, your personnel, and your clients.

SIP Trunking

When you’re using your legacy phone as it is now, your incoming and outgoing calls are transmitted over a complex network of physical wires and cables. That “trunk” of wires connects your company’s private branch exchange (PBX) with your public switched telephone network (PSTN). SIP (session-initiated protocol) trunks are a digital version of the connections merging these systems. SIP trunks accomplish the same task, but your calls are transmitted over the internet. All you need to get started is internet service, a SIP-enabled phone system (or low-cost adaptor), and a SIP service provider. Just of few of the many advantages of next-generation SIP trunking include:

Enhancing the functionality of your VoIP-enabled phone system
Accessing your business phone from nearly any digital device
The ability to connect your workforce without installing a physical infrastructure
A single, streamlined platform for voice, SMS text messaging, file sharing, and more
Access to an intuitive interface for data records, SIP trunk management, and multiple tools
Reducing the risk of communication lapses from IT outages

Managed SIP Services

Standard SIP trunk services offer numerous benefits for decision-makers looking to slash the high cost of business communications. Although traditional solutions are ideal for many companies, many business owners prefer NextGen services with managed SIP (mSIP), a solution with specific guarantees. With mSIP, you’ll still be able to keep your hybrid workforce connected without the expense of maintaining legacy infrastructure. But with the right mSIP service provider, you’ll also have the benefit of multiple connectivity options, the advantages of proactive monitoring, and the additional peace of mind you’ll get from the following features:

Guaranteed voice quality across every connection
Redundancy through multiple data centers
Real-time call-by-call voice call statistics
Peering with most major carriers for better call quality
HIPAA verification – and the option of BAA certification
Custom-designed calling packages

UCaaS/Hosted Voice Services

Depending on the nature of your business, you might prefer consolidating your communication needs with unified communications as a service (UCaaS) platform. When you choose this all-inclusive approach to digital communication, you get all the advantages of multiple features, including skill-based routing, live monitoring, and application integration, without having to worry about add-on costs. With the right provider, you’ll have the option of building a solution specific to your business needs and everything you need to keep communication flowing without relying on multiple vendors. You may also appreciate any number of the following benefits:

A set price per channel per month, with no surprises
Considerable cost savings compared to analog phone services
Access to real-time, advanced business analytics and reporting
A robust telephony platform that supports a diverse network
The ability to connect communication services across multiple locations
Desktop sharing, whiteboards, and integration with team platforms

Voice Enabled Teams

NextGen voice enabled team services help you take full advantage of a platform you may already rely on to help boost the efficiency of your workforce. But instead of utilizing the service as is, your employees have the additional benefits of an augmented system with robust enterprise voice capabilities.

Many team platforms are costly on their own, their limited calling plans are only sometimes ideal for a growing business, and they need more support. With next-generation voice enabled teams, you have a workable solution designed to build out the platforms voice capabilities while giving your team the many advantages of the following features:

Compatibility with UCaaS and SIP services
Near 100% service uptime
Unified communication across voice, data, video, and mobile applications
A comprehensive suite of additional features
Flexible, affordable service designed to fill in the gaps
Network support and disaster recovery

Are You Destined to Upgrade to Next Generation Communications Services?

Many companies actively seek ways to reduce overhead costs while maximizing efficiency. But with live chat, video conferencing, and automated messaging services dominating today’s work-from-anywhere landscape, many business owners find the cost of keeping their hybrid workforce connected increasing as productivity declines. If your business could benefit from a cost-effective next-generation communications solution to maximize workplace productivity, visit BCM One.

At BCM One, we work with mid-sized, multi-site organizations to develop secure, compliant, cost-effective communication solutions. We also offer world-class customer service and support. Visit BCM One to learn more about our next-generation communications services, browse our resources, or contact us.