Statistics show that most of you reading this are subscribed to some sort of monthly service or delivery of goods. Music and video streaming services, meal kits, delivery of home goods, your ISP or satellite company, your smart phone, the list goes on and on. The subscription e-commerce market has grown by more than 100 percent a year over the past five years. Reason why? It simplifies our life by giving us the goods and services that we need without requiring us to mail a check, drive to a store, or even speak to another human. Since subscriptions are designed to make our lives easier, why not consider subscribing to hosted communications for the office? Here are 3 good reasons why a phone system in the cloud is the next subscription you should sign up for.
OPEX. It’s a Good Thing.
A subscription, at its core, is simply agreeing to pay in advance to receive a product or service. With a hosted phone system, just like a subscription, you pay a small fee (typically per user) once a month. Having a phone system that is an OPEX (operational expenditure) is favorable because the rapid changes in technology make it hard to predict IT infrastructure needs. With on-prem systems, warranties will expire, features may become outdated, and then you are stuck with the system long after you make the purchase. With a hosted phone system, there are no commitments past the contract length that you sign. Any office or business can have a robust, feature-rich phone system without shelling out big bucks on day one, reserving your capital expenditure to allocate towards your more immediate endeavors.
Ease of Use and Deployment.
One of the great things about a software subscription, in particular, is that you don’t have to worry about tracking packages, damaged goods, and having to worry about a piece of equipment that could break or get damaged with use. A phone system hosted in the cloud eases the weekly aches and pains of managing physical hardware. There is no on-site equipment to worry about failing or becoming outdated. There is no separate payment going to an analog or T1/PRI provider for phone service. Most importantly, your IT team isn’t spending all of their valuable time rolling out updates to the system and providing support to the end users. You simply “subscribe” to the Cloud and receive phone service over your existing internet service provider with all the features and support coming direct from the vendor.
Growth Without Limits.
Just like you can add new users with ease to your mobile provider’s “family plan”, you can also quickly and painlessly add new users to a hosted phone system. Many business owners fail to estimate the future growth of their company. Most hardware-based systems have a limit to the number of users that the system can handle, forcing you to upgrade the appliance should you outgrow it. Since a hosted phone system is managed by the vendor on their hardware in a data center, there is no limitation. You can simply add users and phones to your system, just like you would add onto your other subscription services.
When it comes down to it, the subscription model is ultimately pro-consumer. You are receiving a constantly updated and supported hosted phone service without worrying about a large, upfront investment. The latest and greatest features will always be at your fingertips, keeping your company ahead of the curve, and the term “lack of communication” will never be an issue. Your IT team’s (or person’s) valuable time will be spent focusing on other aspects of the company’s technology, not worrying about the phone system. Perhaps the most positive thought is knowing the sky’s the limit on user count, freeing up your business to grow without being held back by a hardware limitation. When it comes to business, I’m usually a “go against the grain” type of person, but if there is one bandwagon I’m ready to hop on because of its proven benefits, it’s going to be this subscription way of life.
Experience the power of a hosted PBX. With Switchvox Cloud, all features are included, and we recently discounted our pricing. If you are ready to see how much money a hosted phone system can save you, click here to get a quote today.