Telephone Systems: Unified Communications Cuts Costs

The convergence of landline, mobile and Internet technologies is often dubbed “Unified Communications”. But they’re not unified if they’re bought in from different providers.

Unified communications is another key area where it makes bottom-line sense to source all the services from one solution provider that offers end-to-end efficiencies from interoperable technologies to combined billing.

Cut Skyrocketing Telephone Costs

1. Evaluate your telephony mix: Aim for packaged pricing based on data used rather than on minutes expended. Assign routine communications to the lowest cost channel (usually email followed by land lines), reserving cell phones for high value communications.
2. Set usage policy: Who really requires mobile phones and when should they use them? Should staff be accessing their personal Web sites and sports scores on company equipment and time? Should they be dealing with long voice mail prompts and menu prompts on peak rate mobile charges?
3. Look for a telephony partner who can provide combined pricing and billing as well as converged equipment and services: You’ll want a packaged deal on landline, mobile and Voice over Internet Protocol (VoIP)/Voice over Broadband, plus service back up and replacements.
4. Make sure your telephony partner is right for your size: They should have the capacity to handle the needs of organisations smaller and larger than yours, ensuring that you can upsize or downsize your services without loss of efficiency or commitment. And they should be able to help you set up voice menu/voicemail driven systems that don’t require a customer to punch in five steps to reach the right recipient.
5. If you’re looking for a PBX system, assess reconditioned as well as new equipment: Also consider leasing as opposed to outright purchase.

Talk to us about cutting the costs of your telephone systems.

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