Connectivity IT Solutions Are Key In a Hybrid World
With enterprise-level connectivity IT solutions, your business can better connect and communicate with employees, customers, and stakeholders. With all of the changes in technology, the variety of these services is impressive, and they have become more popular due to the pandemic.
CNBC’s recent survey on remote work concludes hybrid offices are the way to go. Take a look at some of the highlights:
- 45% of the companies surveyed reported an increase in hybrid workforce models in the second half of 2021.
- Approximately 32% of organizations surveyed expressed a preference for a “person-to-person” employment model.
- In a survey conducted by Mercer in May, 70% of companies said a mix of in-person and remote working would become the new norm.
Your company may have the same problem of managing a distributed workforce, so these connectivity IT solutions can help.
Multi-Site Network Deployment
Your business may have grown in size and complexity during this pandemic. This increase may require you to rely on a trusted partner to develop a complete network transformation for you to have the proper multi-site network deployment.
A reputable industry leader can make this possible by enabling a system adapted to your unique requirements. Is your company looking for a managed SD-WAN with dual SD-WAN devices, dual Internet routers, and a nationwide virtual connection to AWS, for instance? To plan, design, deploy and manage these customized network solutions and more, you must work with a company with multi-certified engineers, network architects, and project managers.
Make sure you review your candidate’s certifications and accreditations before you choose. Read below some of the services you can enable with the best providers.
SD-WAN
An SD-WAN architecture enables companies to connect their users to applications by leveraging the Internet. A centralized controller manages wide-area network traffic through SD-WAN so that it can change quickly, securely, and reliably. As a result, users enjoy higher performance and an enhanced overall experience.
Using an SD-WAN solution may increase productivity and reduce IT costs for your business. Additionally, an SD-WAN solution is the most reliable and secure WAN technology, ensuring those factors are covered. These solutions’ end-to-end encryption will always keep your business safe from attacks.
You will also see a boost in application performance. Intelligent routing and path selection are just two processes that ensure a fast and seamless Internet connection. Additionally, SD-WAN eliminates the chance of configuration errors. Simply improved performance can be an advantage for any company, and your business will not be an exception.
Multi-Protocol Label Switching (MPLS)
The best IP switching and routing are combined in this standardized protocol. Instead of long addresses, it uses short path labels to direct data between network nodes. The network can connect sites at various speeds, and locations can connect directly in a full mesh network.
Virtual Private Network (VPN)
This approach uses secure connections using the public Internet. Mobile users can use this method to connect to the system remotely. With VPN, the overhead is reduced, and the user can also access data while traveling.
Remote Desktop
Operating systems and software allow applications to run remotely on the server while displaying locally at another terminal. Setting up a desktop to act as a host within a secure account is possible. Users can access and control the office desktop remotely from any computer with Internet and login access. Using this method, businesses have complete control over where their data is stored. They never have to worry about losing data, even if something happens to the devices.
Ethernet
Ethernet is traditionally used for office networks, but it can now be used between offices, with options such as point-to-point circuits or MPLS-enhanced multi-site networks. If your network requires a lot of bandwidth, this is a good solution.
Cloud Computing
Companies with multiple sites find it very easy to collaborate and connect using cloud-based tools. Rather than storing information on computers or servers in the office, the information is stored on the internet so that businesses can access it through any compatible device. Everyone with the correct credentials can access that information anywhere with an Internet connection. By syncing data across all devices, cloud computing provides real-time information updates.
Related: Complete Guide to SD-WAN
Multi-Site Call Center or Phone System
Whether you call it a multi-site call center or a multi-location phone system, your business may need to adapt its current communications infrastructure to the needs of a distributed workforce. This is where a multi-site call center solution comes into play.
Through a leading cloud-based service, you can scale call center teams instantly to engage with customers anywhere and anytime. Even better if your provider can give you an enterprise-level solution that is an alternative to an on-premises system. With this deployment, your mobile call center will have robust analytics, metrics, and features.
If you partner with the right provider, you can stand out as a leader in providing top-notch customer service to your clients by monitoring agent calls with a comprehensive reporting system. To find rich-featured cloud call centers that will provide flexibility and cost savings, you just need to look for them.
Don’t settle for less than the following characteristics and features when choosing your partner for these features on a multi-location phone system:
General characteristics:
- Bundled, integrated service with voice, data, and call center capabilities
- Advanced IVR services
- Full-featured ACD
- Unified Communications
- No capital, maintenance and upgrade costs
- Network-based queuing and queues that span sites
- On-demand service with “anywhere’ agents and supervisors
- Guaranteed business continuity
Monitoring, analytics, and reporting capabilities:
- Flexible supervision and quality assurance
- Flexible ACD reporting engine
- Centralized database of all queue and agent metrics, spanning multiple locations
- On-demand, scheduled and customized reports
- Real-time reporting
- Monitor real-time activity at remote locations of remote agents
- Monitor using mobile devices (tablets)
- Call analytics
- Audio mining of recordings
- Notifications and alerts
- Monitor trends and identify problems
- Monitor agents and queues from anywhere
- View status of any agent or queue from the supervisor client
- Monitor any call, regardless of agent location or device
- View call logs for agents and queues
- Manage, reorder, and retrieve queued calls
- Silent, monitor, or barge in on calls
- Real-time and historical reporting
- Real-time dashboard of agent and queue activity
- On-demand ‘canned’ reports of key metrics
- Schedule reports for automatic delivery
- Customize reports for your operation
Benefits of a Multi-Site Call Center or Phone System
With all these features, it is evident that your business will obtain numerous benefits from migrating to this infrastructure. The following are a few:
- Enhances business efficiencies and reduces costs. The system eliminates the need to purchase and maintain PBX hardware and software at each location.
- Provides remote working capabilities for agents and supervisors.
- Easy to deploy and provides a better customer experience.
- Offers integrations of multiple applications, creating a unified communication.
- Eliminates the need for expensive trunk lines, PRIs, or bonded T1s by streamlining phone line management from each location.
- Manages MPLS across an exchange line or other telco networks with reduced costs and complexity.
- Enhances the ability to seamlessly transfer calls between business locations and dial directly from extensions.
- Enables partners and customers to reach employees through a single corporate line.
- Ensures that employees at multiple locations do not have to contact third-party support services or send IT staff with experience in telephone systems to each site whenever changes are needed.
- Facilitates office moves, setting up new sites, and changing, adding, or removing users.
Related: Get the Best Value from Unified Communications Integrators
You Can Do It All with a Trusted Provider
You don’t have to be overwhelmed by all these technologies. A leading provider will analyze your business and suggest the right course of action. Connectivity IT solutions can be simple with the right ally by your side.
Today’s businesses rely heavily on communications and collaboration. Make sure your employees are well-prepared for success and your customers enjoy their interactions with you.
Voice solutions from BCM One are available to businesses of all sizes; including SD-WAN, Voice-enabled Teams, and UCaaS. Additionally, we are a Microsoft Gold Certified Partner with a dedicated Microsoft practice, offering Microsoft 365 and Azure deployments, among others. We have experts from our accounts department and our network engineering team who will guide you through deploying and optimizing any connectivity IT solution. Contact us to learn more.