Coleman Technologies Blog

How the Cloud Helps Businesses Communicate

Having a strong communications strategy for your business can go a long way. With the options that are now available through the cloud, your business can significantly cut your communications costs by utilizing technologies like Voice over Internet Protocol (VoIP) and video conferencing. Today, there are complete communication platforms that integrate all necessary communications into one easy-to-control solution.

This comprehensive platform, called Unified-Communications-as-a-Service (UCaaS), combines your business telecommunications and messaging with your web and video conferencing and collaboration. UCaaS gives your business the technology it needs along with the following options:

• Disaster recovery
• Managed support
• Thorough analytics
• Management software integration
• Regulatory support
• Global service delivery
• Available support 

...and more!

Available Technology

Below are some of the technologies a UCaaS platform offers:

Telephone

A powerful and feature-rich telephone system is one of the most important parts of a business’ communications platform. A VoIP system uses your organization’s bandwidth to deliver reliable voice services at a substantial cost reduction. Each VoIP platform can offer a whole cache of features, including:

• Call Management/Auto Attendant
• Call Queue
• Call Routing/Screening/Transferring
• Call forwarding/Voicemail
• Call Park/Presence/Pulling
• Call Recording
• Custom In-Call Music
• Custom ringtones
• Do Not Disturb
• Three-way calling
• Extensions
• SIP Trunking
• Find/Follow Me
• Voicemail services

...and more.

Aside from these features, a hosted VoIP platform offers users the ability to use the system on their own mobile phones through the use of a mobile app, effectively making any smartphone a work phone. 

Text and Instant Messaging

The UCaaS also integrates a lot of other useful messaging features. Many people would rather get a text than a call, and with a UCaaS, your organization’s messaging will integrate with other software to provide a useful collaborative option.

Video Conferencing

Today, having a video conferencing solution is a must. With more people working outside of the office, and with businesses outsourcing work to remote contractors, having a solution to run meetings over the Internet is extremely useful. 

Collaboration/File Sharing

Collaboration is the name of the game in the information age and a UCaaS can provide a solution for secure file transfer and document sharing. 

With integrations with CRMs and other management platforms a UCaaS can make your business be more efficient and productive. To talk to one of our IT professionals about the possibility of integrating a unified communication solution into your business, give us a call at (604) 513-9428 today.

VoIP Allows You to Do More

While at its core, a VoIP system is a telephone system, it allows for many more options. Since it uses an organization's available bandwidth rather than a dedicated RJ-11 connection, there are more dynamic options available. It may raise the cost of the solution a bit, but VoIP can come with instant messaging, conferencing, and call archival built in.  

VoIP is More Secure

VoIP is far more secure to use than the traditional landline because it is easier to secure a digital connection than it is to secure an analog one. The use of encryption protects all information transmitted through the system.

VoIP is More Portable

This is a big benefit. VoIP solutions can be linked to mobile applications. This means that any smartphone can become a work phone, and can be linked to the same number as the user’s business phone. This allows people to get calls on their phone without having to give over their personal number. This is either done through forwarding or by installing a simple app on the phone.

VoIP Offers Automated Client Interaction

A VoIP system can be configured to support an entire business. There are integrated automated menus that can offer a lot of value by directing calls to voicemails, alternative members of your team, and allowing employees to avoid distractions and not neglecting their incoming calls. Call forwarding, parking, and many more options can be tied to a VoIP account for additional costs.

VoIP is a technology solution for all of your business’ calling needs. Call Coleman Technologies today at (604) 513-9428 for more information about VoIP and you can get the telephone system you’ve always wanted for your business.

What is Voice over Internet Protocol?

Traditionally, telephones work by sending electricity through the phone wires and phone lines and having it converted back into sound. Today, they have figured out how to do the same process through the Internet. Sounds are sent as data packets over Internet wires and then they are unpacked to make sounds again. VoIP is the product that has come from this innovation. Basically, where you once had to have an expensive business telephone system hardwired to your place of business, you can now do the same for a fraction of the cost by using your company’s bandwidth to send and receive calls.

How Does VoIP Work to Save Me Money?

VoIP presents several options that work to save your business money. They include:

You’re Paying for One Less Thing

Your business telephone system has worked, but the cost is high. Of course, you’ve needed it, but today, VoIP offers just as much in the way of features as a dedicated telephone system, but it does it through your Internet connection; a service that you almost assuredly have and use regularly. 

VoIP is Easier

Since VoIP is delivered via your Internet connection, your staff no longer needs additional infrastructure--such as a wired connection for every phone--to be able to make calls. You can scale your hosted VoIP solution up and back as you need. What’s more, for many solutions you can utilize your staff’s personal devices as reliable work phones through the use of a mobile app. That’s much easier.

VoIP is More Efficient

Most VoIP solutions enable you to provide them with an auto attendant feature that provides directions to callers. This reduces the time that people need to be on the phone. Clients get connected with the person they are calling, while employees won’t need to deal with their phone ringing and causing interruptions.

There are many other benefits to VoIP solution. If you would like to learn more about implementing VoIP and saving money in the process, reach out to Coleman Technologies at (604) 513-9428!

VoIP and Conferencing

Every business needs to have a telephone system, that much is understood. Traditional telephone companies haven’t invested in their infrastructure and it shows. While some telephone companies have started updating their systems, the functionality that the modern business needs necessitates interactive capabilities. This is where a VoIP solution comes in. For a fraction of the cost of a traditional telephone system, companies can use their existing Internet connection to run an enterprise-level telephone system that has all the features they need. 

A base Voice over Internet Protocol solution comes with some of the features you most expect out of a business phone system such as call forwarding, voicemail, call routing, and more; but, when you expand a VoIP solution, you can get very powerful tools such as conferencing, instant messaging, and even video chat solutions. Hosted in the cloud or on dedicated local hardware, VoIP is one of the strongest and most cost-effective communications tools you can get for the modern business. 

Email

Most businesses use an email system for business correspondence. Some even use commercially available solutions. This isn’t ideal as there is plenty of information exchanged in the course of business that would be sensitive in nature. That’s why we believe that it is important for a business to use business-grade email. There are quite a few different options to choose from as businesses can opt to host their own email, or select a cloud-hosted solution. 

If security is a concern--and it almost always should be--a locally-hosted server could be the way to go. Today’s cloud-based email platforms, especially those that come with high-end productivity suites, are created with advanced tools like built-in encryption and artificial intelligence. These tools go a long way toward making the cloud-hosted email a viable selection for the modern business. 

Messaging and Collaboration

No matter what communication solutions a business chooses, it has to be able to fuel increases in productivity. Today, there are cloud-based productivity suites on the market that provide people the ability to work together in real time. This collaborative growth is a main component of the development of new and exciting productivity software.

In fact, the need for organizations to maximize their resources on projects has pushed software developers to begin to create better collaborative software. New software with hundreds of third-party software integrations, real time instant messaging, and other great features are revolutionizing project management. 

With more people working together from different locations, and more businesses outsourcing key parts of their operations, communications are going to continue to be one of the most important aspects of the business landscape going forward. If you would like to talk to an IT professional about which new communications tool would be a good fit for your business--and, how these tools will save your company money--call the IT experts at Coleman Technologies today at (604) 513-9428.

Voice over IP is a service that utilizes something that you already pay for to eliminate the costs of telephone providers from your budget. VoIP uses your internet connection to make and receive calls, so in a way your business is saving money and consolidating its infrastructure.  VoIP is also customizable to make sure that it suits the specific needs of your business. Here are some of the major benefits that you can expect to reap from utilizing a VoIP solution.

Cost Savings

Telephone providers tend to bundle services together as a way to increase billing and increase usage of services. You might get your telephone service from a local provider that also bundles cable channels and other services you have no interest in. To avoid this, you can use an Internet provider for your phone service to consolidate costs and make managing your infrastructure easier.

Scalability to Suit Your Organization

New employees in your office always create a certain sense of excitement, but they also mean that you’re investing time and resources into accommodating them with services, including giving them a phone terminal and extension. Now, you may remember running cables and reorganizing your business to make this happen, but with VoIP, it’s as easy as creating an account and giving them a handset or headphones. It certainly makes implementing a telephone more flexible.

More Features and Dynamic Services

VoIP is a very dynamic communication solution, giving you access to multiple services like messaging, voice chat, conference calling, and so much more, all to supplement your voice chat system and give you a ton of control over your services.

Coleman Technologies can help you implement the best VoIP solution on the market. To learn more, reach out to us at (604) 513-9428.

Talent Acquisition

Consider the way that IT maintenance and management was before modern technology solutions became prevalent. Businesses had to either hire a team to manage their IT or outsource the responsibility to a third party. The key factor here is that both are limited by geographical location; if you can’t find a local business or enough talent to manage your business’ IT maintenance, it might not get done properly (or at all).

On the other hand, with remote technology maintenance and management being more available than ever before, plenty of businesses are finding that they can better maintain their technology infrastructures. What’s more is that these businesses don’t need to have these providers visit the office, meaning they get the maintenance they need without expensive on-site trips and travel costs.

Streamlining of Operations

Depending on the industry your business is a part of, you may have had run-ins with outdated technology or solutions that simply haven’t aged well. Perhaps you’re still using spreadsheets to keep track of inventory, which creates opportunities for user error and produces displacement. Maybe you’re finding that it’s difficult to find enough space for document storage, as filing cabinets are clunky and take up a ton of room. The list goes on and on… if you think of a former inconvenience, chances are there is a technology solution that has been developed to solve it in recent years.

That being said, modern technology solutions have given offices the ability to move past obsolete and outdated technology to make operations more manageable and dynamic. One great example of this is file management software and digitizing documents. It eliminates the obsolete and bulky filing cabinet in favor of a searchable database for storing your documents.

Consolidation of Resources

Your business might take advantage of several services that you think are beneficial for operations, but there is a serious chance that they are counterintuitive to your business’ bottom line. Your business’ phone service is a prime example. A phone system is critical to being in business, but it can come with considerable expenses, including some that can be avoided thanks to modern technology solutions.

The Internet gives your business the opportunity to consolidate resources in a way that wasn’t possible in its infancy. For example, Voice over Internet Protocol (VoIP) utilizes your Internet connection and eliminates the need to go through a telephone provider for this important service. VoIP uses an existing resource to lower your organization’s expenses. Furthermore, the “as a service” model allows your business to take advantage of solutions previously unavailable, and it’s all thanks to the accessibility provided by the cloud.

You might look back on the good old days with nostalgia for a time when technology wasn’t so necessary, but it’s hard to deny the effect that it has had on the business world. You want someone managing your technology that knows a thing or two about how to get the most out of your resources. To learn more, contact Coleman Technologies at (604) 513-9428.

It goes without saying that having a comprehensive communications strategy is critical for the functionality of your business. Many businesses use traditional phone systems, and they pay handsomely for them. VoIP is a great way to utilize the bandwidth you already pay for to facilitate a business phone solution.

A VoIP system works by transferring sounds into data packets and then transferring them in real-time over an Internet connection. The sound is simply unpacking the data packets. The reason so many small businesses are switching to a VoIP system is that it allows an organization to manage their telephone system cost more effectively.

Nowadays there are hosted VoIP options that present companies with a virtual call center of sorts. Essentially, instead of hosting a stand-alone server at your place of business, the telephone system is hosted in the cloud and accessed through a web client.

Before you can consider either VoIP platform, you’ll have to determine what type of control you need over the technology. If you are someone that wants to play with settings and configurations, hosting your own PBX phone server may be the way to go, but if you are someone that doesn’t mind spending a little more per month to have these systems managed for you, a cloud-based VoIP solution should be right for you.

Your average VoIP solution provides your business with a path to cut the often-substantial capital costs of buying, housing, and maintaining an onsite telephony server. Since the provider will absorb the costs of maintenance and the outward reliability of the platform, you can spend less time focusing on managing your telephone system and more time relying on it.

Since VoIP downtime is not an option for the average business, you’ll want to consult with Coleman Technologies IT professionals to help you find the right solution to fit your business’ needs. Our staff are experts at designing, implementing, and managing computing networks that work for the modern business, so relying on us to help you deploy the right communications platform makes a lot of sense.

For more information about hosted VoIP or any other communication used to improve employee productivity and customer satisfaction, call Coleman Technologies today at (604) 513-9428.

VoIP, either hosted locally or in the cloud, can bring any business a solid ROI because you use a resource that your company already has in place, your Internet connection to send and receive calls.

Out With the Old
If you’re still relying on the traditional telephone system of yesteryear, you could be making your job more difficult than it needs to be. Businesses that still use traditional telephone systems have limited ability to grow and expand. Adding new users can mean adding new telephone lines and extensions--a process that’s not necessarily easy.

The most logical course of action is to figure out how your business can get away from traditional telephone providers. After all, these are the same organizations that are known to provide bundles filled with services you don’t need. Plus, running telephone wires and adding new users or phone numbers can be quite the hassle, and one that you don’t have to worry about with a more dynamic solution.

In With the New
With great new features that put traditional telephony to shame, VoIP is a sustainable and investment-worthy technology for any business, small or large. VoIP uses your Internet connection rather than a traditional telephone line to function, giving any device with a VoIP application and an Internet connection the ability to work like a phone. Since VoIP only needs your Internet connection, you’re essentially eliminating an expense from your budget.

To learn more about how your organization can benefit from VoIP, reach out to us at (604) 513-9428.

“VoIP is Too Expensive”
Businesses often think that VoIP is more expensive than your typical telephone bill, but this isn’t necessarily the case. The purpose of VoIP is to actually reduce the costs of your telephone bill by eliminating unnecessary services and the costs associated with them. VoIP does this because it uses your Internet connection rather than a phone connection, meaning that you don’t have to have phone lines all over your office just to give each of your employees phones on their desks. All you need to use a VoIP solution is a headset or handset and a desktop/mobile app hooked up to the Internet.

“VoIP Isn’t Reliable Enough”
In reality, VoIP is only as reliable as your Internet connection. If your Internet connection isn’t reliable, then you have a problem as is, so why not use it as an opportunity to both improve connectivity and communications all in one?

“VoIP is More Trouble Than It’s Worth”
Considering that VoIP would be replacing your current telephone setup, it’s reasonable to suspect that the amount of effort put into this implementation would be considerable. However, that’s simply not the case--VoIP requires minimal setup, as it uses your existing network infrastructure. All you’re doing is connecting your phones to the Internet, which takes no time at all.

“VoIP Doesn’t Sound Good Enough”
VoIP often doesn’t sound any different from your typical phone line connection, and if it doesn’t sound as great as you want it to, chances are it’s (once again) an issue with your Internet connection--not necessarily anything wrong with the VoIP service itself.

“VoIP Isn’t the Right Fit”
VoIP can be the perfect fit for your business precisely due to just how customizable it is to your business’ specific needs. You can mix and match the additional features you desire to save money in the long run. All of the features from any old phone company would be a considerably larger investment, and some VoIP features aren’t even offered by your standard phone company in the first place.

VoIP is simply too good a solution to not implement or at least consider. If you want to hear more about VoIP, our IT professionals would be happy to assist you. To learn more, reach out to us at (604) 513-9428.