Traditional vs. Hosted Voice: Is there really a true winner?

Going online, having a functional website and a positive web presence, has been on the agenda for many businesses in recent years.

However, the power and draw of the internet has not and will never, diminish the necessity for a functional and reliable telephone system. People like to deal with people and that is why the ability to actually speak to another person is so important when considering a business’ customer service. Every business must ensure that they have a telephone system that suits their needs and that won’t let them or their customer base down.

No matter what the relationship, spoken communication plays a key part. So whether it is conversations with suppliers, customers, or even between colleagues, a business must focus on quality.

To ensure that the right level of quality is being delivered, it is more than just a case of asking for a telephone line to be installed into a particular building. It is the telecom provider’s responsibility to discuss with you the nature of the calls your business carries out, how many calls are being dialled out and how many are being received at any one time; in order to provide you with a system that can cope with the pace of your business.

Keeping things traditional

As a business in today’s market, hosted telephony has probably been thrown at you from all angles as the best option for your company’s communications. Although that may be the case for a proportion of businesses, there is still a strong argument for traditional systems.

The features that are available through today’s traditional PBX solutions, can pretty much rival that of the latest Voice over IP (VoIP) system. It is a myth to think that you need a hosted solution to be able to produce call data; carry out call features such as barring, logging and transferring; and conference with multiple users.

Traditional PBX systems from the right providers can off er businesses a host of features that enhance effi ciency and overall communications performance. And as an added extra, there is no pressure for you to have an uncontended data connection in order to have a working telephone system with traditional PBX systems; unlike their hosted counterpart which relies on internet connectivity for the quality of its calls.

A traditional telephone system is located within your property; there are no security concerns as to who can access your call data because all the vital equipment is stored on-site, so peace of mind is guaranteed. Although many of the arguments against traditional systems are based on the large upfront investment that they require, it is just the one payment. Hosted systems hold a monthly charge depending on the number of seats you take and the additional features that you have signed up for, so it can be argued that a hosted system is in fact no cheaper than a traditional PBX infrastructure.

The system is only ever as good as its provider

There is not a one size fits all solution when it comes to a business’ communications, which is why there is still the choice of traditional and hosted. As demonstrated in this whitepaper, there are arguments for and against both traditional and hosted. What a business does need is the right provider who can understand their needs to be able to offer them the best-fi t solution for them, whether that is traditional or hosted PBX.

Up in the cloud

The introduction of hosted telephone systems has taken the business telephony market by storm and that is not just by chance. The functionality of an IP-based system can provide a great service to certain business types.

One of the key advantages that a hosted system presents is the added flexibility that is offers a business. Geographic location does not present an issue; you could provide a local image to a community with a local number, without even having an office there. This element of the system can also be advantageous when moving offices, as all users are able to use the same numbers, regardless. This not only dispels any downtime when migrating lines, but it can also save a significant amount of time and money on marketing materials where the number may be used.

The unified communications that a hosted solution provides means that employees can be contacted through the same number regardless of their location. This enhanced flexibility allows businesses to increase the productivity of its staff by ensuring that they are always connected to the business conversations. Although the cost of migrating to a full IP-based solution can be minimal, it is often the thought of their existing infrastructure becoming redundant that perturbs businesses. That is where the option for a hybrid solution, or SIP trunk as it is known, can become an attractive alternative. Using the existing PBX architecture and IP services delivered over a SIP trunk, a business can stagger its move to hosted telephony and therefore still get use out of its traditional system.

Considering the costs of a new VoIP system, there is not a large upfront investment that is usually required for a traditional PBX; just the cost of the handsets that the business must front at the outset. Seats can be provisioned at the click of a button, so as and when staff numbers change, it is an easy job to make sure they have a phone set up.

As the name suggests, the system is hosted by the provider within a data centre, so this may free up some precious space within your office. It also means that your equipment can be serviced by engineers located in the data centre should any issues arise.

For a business that does not rely on heavy usage on a daily basis, a hosted solution might be viable using an ‘open’ internet connection, however the quality of the calls can be in no way guaranteed. With the connections such as Ethernet and leased lines being much more accessible nowadays, hosted telephony has also become more attainable for not just enterprise sized businesses, but the SME market too.

The fixed speeds available from dedicated connections provide the perfect foundation for a hosted solution. With the ability to split the capacity for different services, you are able to ensure that you have sufficient bandwidth to safeguard the quality of your calls.

About Elite Telecom

Elite has been providing cost-effective communications with excellent customer service since 2000, providing a full range of business communications solutions via its own and partner tier 1 networks.

Elite has a culture of service excellence, flexibility and customer choice underpinned by its bespoke customer care, billing and customer information systems enabling the highest levels of quality, service and support at all times.

Operating within this fast paced and competitive communications industry, Elite understands the importance of quality customer care and is on hand to ensure products and services deliver in every respect. By doing so, Elite has a loyal and diverse customer base across all customer types and market sectors.

Network-agnostic, Elite offers a full range of tariff s across Vodafone, EE and O2 with a selection of handsets, tablets and dongles. It’s service is supported by a dedicated account manager (ME!) and customer service team, which hold over 10 years’ experience in the mobile arena.