Should, or must, it be this way?

The headline says it all, "it" of course is your telecom and internet. "This way" means the way your services are delivered and supported, and how - and indeed how much - you are billed.

Did you know millions of businesses still use ISDN and PBX technologies for voice and ADSL for their internet, and BT for calls? Yet the world has moved on big time. Call rates are a penny a minute UK and one or two of those per minute for most of the world, depending on the provider. Internet has gone fiber-optic so speed and reliability have increased exponentially. Voice services are now just that, a service managed in real time by exchanges in the cloud. So why am I writing this?

Essentially because it occurred to me that no one - it seems - is actually stating what, to the insider at least, is the obvious. So here are some observations. Take them, leave them, use them or do not. I hope however it will encourage you to look afresh at just what you are paying for, what you are getting, and whether this still fits with your business, so here goes...

PBX/PABX has become redundant and this means there is no longer a need for a four figure investment just to get started.

Internet access set up charges are largely redundant, costs are falling - but do not be tempted by domestic product. You are a business and the back-haul priority you need is found in a business service, not a domestic one.

Licenses have been used to wring more money from the end user. Many cloud based services use few or no such charges as "extras" such as call recording, call centre reporting and the like are now standard.

Handset prices have plummeted to the point many providers, us included, no longer charge for them per se, they are just part of the service.

Trunks/lines have been an issue for decades as every organisation needs enough but there is a cost per concurrent call. Many providers now offer models with either unlimited concurrent calls or unlimited users. This allows for the customer to better model their installation to meet their needs.

Reliability has been revolutionised through the use of cloud and multiple data centres providing geographic as well as local redundancy. This may mean nothing day to day to the end user but it is the day to day which exists more often because of this improvement.

CRM systems/databases have become ever more central to the operation of every business. Modern communications integrate with these such that records "pop" on incoming call and dialing can be by a mouse click or even by automated dialer. These functions aid hugely in productivity and the quality of information gained and shared.

IVR (Interactive Voice Recognition) allows for complete automation of the call flow to the point where orders can be processed and payments received. This has huge ramifications yet it does not cost the earth, we can provide this as standard in fact. Worth a chat?

So what is my advice? Look critically at your customer experience. Look at call flows and messaging and the media you use. Unified communications allow for seamless switching between desk phone and pc and mobile and back again. Between voice only and video and chat and back. Look at how your installation performs and if it falls short, don't be afraid to change it!