Will Mobile VoIP take over?
We all agree that the industry has changed and it is very apparent that a Cloud PBX solution with surrounding services is replacing legacy onsite PBX or stock Business Phones. Aside from this shift in investment, more and more features are being enabled and included in the desktop phone and softphone applications.
Likely before VoIP was a serious conversation at your organization, mobile phones were used in business communications first for key executives, managers, salespersons, and remote workers. In the beginning, there were very few guidelines and tools to split costs so many companies paid the entire monthly bill and asked the employee to keep personal use to a reasonable minimum.
As IP Business Phones improved, Mobility became the norm
As Canada adopted the first generation of VoIP solutions and Unified Communications, the desktop and conference telephones were changed out. Softphones were offered on laptops for those road warriors as the connection to business communications. Concurrently and independently mobile phone use also grew exponentially as it became a standard tool for business. The Phone System and the individual mobile phone assets were used but not integrated together on an organizational level.
Today the two worlds have evolved and the Cloud PBX has become the platform of choice and will replace single-ended Business Phones. Mobile phones developed to place free local and long-distance calls over WiFi, hence the game changed again. Now mobile application software allows users to participate in call management, collaboration, and integration to business systems that drive efficiency. Depending on your type of business and employee profiles you may ask yourself if all you need are mobile phones, and forgo the IP desktop telephone.
Can you just go using mobile phones?
Certainly, a super small or start-up ventures can initially begin with only mobile phones attached to individuals. But as the business grows and employees are added your customers will expect a central phone number on a Phone System to call and need to get help via re-directed calls. A central switchboard operator or Cloud PBX directing your calls will be a sign of establishment to potential clients. Remember that mobile phones are still susceptible to draining and/or dying batteries, getting out of coverage, and the not so occasional voice quality issues.
Most of Canada’s mid-range and leading full-service Cloud PBX Service Providers (RingCentral, Versature, MightyCall to name a few) do have a branded mobile application to place on a device to complete the Business Phone System picture. Typically this facilitates presence, call transfers, contact lists, voicemail to email, and management statistics. Generally, they all have yet to recommend a total mobile deployment for Business Phones, but they also don’t sell mobile services.