Business owners have enough on their plate as it is, the last thing they need to worry about is the reliability, whether it’s reliability from vendors, employees, or most important, their business communication systems. A phone system is the lifeblood of their business. It allows customer support to communicate with customers and sales to manage and close deals. In short, it’s a revenue driver. So, when deciding on making the switch to a hosted phone system, one of the first questions asked is, “Are they reliable?”
Hosted Phone Systems Reliability
So, to answer the question, hosted phone systems are reliable. Some hosted phone systems providers even advertise a 99.999% uptime, and your customers will experience high quality communications. Bear in mind, it depends on your Internet connection. We’re assuming you’re not running a T1 line from the early 2000s. The reliability guarantees are outlined in Service Agreements (SLAs).
Hosted Phone Is Prepared for Disasters
If you’re in an area prone to disasters, a hosted phone system is essential. In the event of a flood, hurricane, or other natural disaster you may not have access to your traditional phone system, which could result in lost business. Your callers may encounter a busy signal, or worse, a ‘not in service’ message. With a hosted phone system, your employees can connect to your business phone system anywhere with an Internet connection. Although operations may experience inconveniences, your businesses’ communication systems will not.
There’s no need to re-route calls. Just connect to the Internet and you’ll be able to access your hosted phone system’s tools remotely. Why? Hosted phone systems are off premises and there’s no hardware at your location. Your business might be interrupted, but your communications will not be.
Hosted Phone Systems Redundancy
Redundancy is a key feature of hosted phone systems’ reliability. Servers and other hardware are located all over the world in server farms and data centers. If one server fails, the other server kicks into gear to pick up the slack. The user has no idea anything is wrong and there’s no interruption to the service – it’s an instant transfer. Redundancy is essential for the customer in the event something goes wrong.
Hosted Phone Has Layers of Security
Some business owners are a little wary of adding a hosted phone system as their solution due to security concerns. They may think, ’will the system be susceptible to hacking? Is there decrypting of sensitive phone conversations?’ However, the last thing a business owner needs to worry about is the security of their phone system.
Hosted phone providers use the latest encryption using TLS and SRTP encryption, and other tools and software to stave off Spam, Phishing, or Call Interception attacks.
Hosted Phone Systems Are Constantly Monitored
A hosted phone provider is constantly monitoring their systems and infrastructure; so, you don’t have to. All you need to do is provide excellent service for your customers. Uptime is constantly monitored, along with threats. If any maintenance needs to be completed, the provider will usually coordinate and perform service outside business hours.
There might be instances when updates need to be made during business hours. If that’s the case, there should be an outline in the SLA that gives proper notification of expected downtime. If there’s an important patch that needs to be implemented, for example, you should be given plenty of warning; like 48-72 business hours. Otherwise, the systems are monitored for reliability, so you don’t need to.
Cloud Phone Systems: Another Reliable Choice
If you are looking for reliability another choice for your business phone systems is Cloud PBX. These phone systems are based solely in the cloud with no physical hardware. There are many similarities between hosted and cloud phone systems. In fact, many people use the two terms interchangeably. However, there are a few small differences. The main one being the lack of physical hardware.
Hosted Phone Is Reliable for All Businesses
Both hosted and cloud phone systems are reliable solutions to help operate your business. When you partner with Excel Telecom for your business phone service, you’re working with a trusted partner with over 30 years of experience whose goals are to exceed your expectations. At Excel Telecom, we’d love to have the conversation on how we can help you transition to either a hosted or cloud phone service. Contact us today.
