Moving to a Hosted Business Phone System

Cloud computing has transformed business operations and technology as we know it. From cloud-based applications to storage solutions, the cloud has become the next frontier for many aspects of businesses of all sizes throughout all industries. The cloud has even become the next go-to for telephone services, despite many business owners opting to stay with their traditional phone systems.

The reluctance to join the cloud-hosted phone systems revolution is typically rooted in a misunderstanding of the technology and a concern for the migration process. Here, we’ll discuss common questions related to hosted business phone systems to help you understand the process and make your transition as seamless as possible.

What Is a Hosted Phone System?

Hosted phone systems are business phone systems that operate from a data center or in the cloud rather than from a physical infrastructure at your place of business. Typically, hosted phone systems utilize the internet to make calls and, as a result, offer more flexibility and functionality than traditional phone systems.

How Does a Hosted Phone System Work?

The main body and functionality (servers and switches) of a hosted business phone system are located in the cloud. A business or organization typically pays a monthly subscription fee to access the system, which is monitored, updated and maintained by the provider. For users, accessing the system is as simple as plugging in a desk phone. Often, the transition proves much easier than business owners expect.

What Are the Benefits of a Hosted Phone System?

In addition to the standard features one might expect from a business phone system, a hosted phone system offers unique features such as the ability to access your business phone via a mobile device or computer. With advanced web applications used in hosted phone systems, the customer experience is seamless regardless of whether the business is utilizing a desk phone or an off-site device to answer the call.

Because there is no physical infrastructure to deal with, hosted business phone systems are scalable and flexible, ensuring that business owners can easily adapt to whatever may come their way. With hosted phone systems, calls are clear, reliable and secure, and team members often appreciate that they can use their existing phone numbers.

Hosted Phone System Migration Checklist

If you’ve decided to take the leap to a new hosted business phone system, here’s a checklist of steps that will ensure the easiest transition possible for you and your team.

Determine your business’s needs regarding phone system features. Decide which features of a traditional phone system are most important to you. In addition, choose which advanced features you must have and which you can live without. (Example: softphone, mobile app, call transcription, collaboration tools, etc.)

Test network readiness, plan for bandwidth needs and evaluate network security.

List your business’s current number of users, phone numbers, phones and extensions.

Allocate a budget, project timeline and desired completion date for the system upgrades.

Find a reliable, local provider to help streamline the migration completely and implement the new system.

Taylored Systems — Hosted Phone System Experts

For over 35 years, Taylored has been helping our client partners determine the best communication solutions for their needs. We aim to help businesses shift to hosted business phone systems that offer all the features and functionality they expect alongside additional benefits they may not. Our experts can help determine the right solution for your business, no matter what size.