Cloud phone system pros and cons: Helping you to make the right decision

Every business needs a strong and flexible phone system to handle everything from cold calls and customer support to surveys and marketing. The traditional phone systems can’t handle these added pressures in an increasingly remote world. That’s why businesses are shifting to the cloud phone system for their communication needs.

In this guide to the cloud phone system, we will understand how it works, examine its pros and cons and explore options that offer more than the standard cloud phone.

What is a cloud phone system?

Also referred to as cloud telephony or softphones, a cloud phone system uses VoIP or Voice over Internet Protocol technology to make and receive phone calls. While conventional phone systems use physical infrastructure like on-premise hardware, PBX (private branch exchange) and copper wires, a cloud phone system works over the internet.

Cloud phones need only a stable internet connection to connect callers. Since the infrastructure is not on the premises, it’s also called a cloud PBX.

Cloud phone system pros

A cloud phone system can save your business money, time, and effort in several ways. If you’ve never considered getting a cloud phone, these advantages should make you consider it.

Lower costs

A cloud phone system is substantially cheaper when compared to traditional solutions. For small businesses and startups, this alone should be the reason to ditch their landlines.

With a cloud phone system, there are no upfront investments like in an on-premise PBX. You don’t have to buy expensive hardware and then take care of its maintenance. The calling charges are significantly lower. International calls are particularly cheap.

Greater reliability

Adverse weather events? Construction on a nearby road? These can disrupt traditional landlines. Customers won’t be able to reach you and that might force them to take out their frustration online and criticise your business.

A cloud phone system is immune to these disruptions since there’s little hardware involved at the user’s end. Hosted PBX systems have remote data centres and if one goes down, others can handle the load.

Quick to set up

Want to deploy a traditional phone system? At first, you’ve to get in touch with your phone company and understand their product offerings. Then, you have to pay for the hardware and wait for them to install them. The process can take weeks.

Getting a cloud phone is like using any other application. You just have to download the app and can start using your number on any connected device. As your business grows, you can get more numbers. There will be no disruption to your business operations.

Less maintenance

Most people don’t realise the amount of space and maintenance legacy systems used to demand. Even small businesses used to have ‘server rooms.’ Similarly, for PBX, businesses needed to host the hardware and take care of its maintenance.

You don’t need any trained IT personnel to either install or maintain a cloud phone system. The hardware is maintained off-site and the VoIP provider will handle any issues you might have.

Business features

Cloud phone systems offer robust business features to help you better communicate, coordinate and grow your business. Most VoIP providers will give you call recording, voicemail transcription, call forwarding, custom caller ID, auto-attendants and analytics.

Some VoIP systems also offer you advanced features such as number-sharing. These types of features will help not just communication but also your business marketing.

Good for remote working

A landline limits you to the office. A cloud phone system enables you to make and receive calls from anywhere. This makes it the perfect solution for remote work. As long as your team members can access the internet, they will be able to use their numbers.

Your customers and business partners will have no trouble reaching you or your team members. They wouldn’t know that the receiver is out of the office.

Cloud phone system cons

Needs stable internet connection

A cloud phone system will only work if there is a reliable internet connection. But this shouldn’t be a problem since either through ethernet or WiFi, most places have access to the internet, that too, at faster speeds.

Jitter and latency

Unstable or slow internet connections can create jitter and latency. This will lead to dropped VoIP calls. It would also lead to delays or echoes in conversations and force people to repeat what they would have said. If the problem persists, change your internet service provider or get an ethernet connection.

Chalkboard: Your business phone system solution

Here’s a cloud phone system that enables not just communication and collaboration but also marketing. Easy to set up, Chalkboard gives you a second line for work within a few minutes. You can share your numbers for greater collaboration and customer service.

Chalkboard comes with auto-reply for calls you can’t attend and messaging and group broadcast SMS for conversational marketing.

Download Chalkboard and try it now. It’s a cloud phone system designed to help small businesses and startups grow.