Before the COVID-19 pandemic working from home was a handy option for some of us; now it’s a necessity for most of us. Thousands of businesses world-wide have had to make rapid changes, including adapting communications technology to enable employees to work from home.
The Small Business Association of Australia’s (SBAA’s) newest alliance partner “MOVOX” can help with cloud-based phone, fax, conferencing and messaging solutions.
Cloud-based communications, like those MOVOX provides, can help members adapt and achieve greater productivity now and into the future.
Tadditional PBX vs a cloud-based phone system
If you’re wondering how to make your business phone ring from home, deploying a cloud-based PBX is easier than you might think.
A traditional on-premise PBX is a box that would sit in your office somewhere connecting phones to the outside world. However, they require a phone line for each simultaneous call and don’t allow business phone calls to be made from home. Also, adding new phones and general maintenance usually requires a technician to visit onsite at a hefty cost.
Today, cloud-based PBX technology means businesses can replace outdated physical PBX technology. A cloud PBX business phone system does not require onsite PBX hardware and avoids maintenance costs.
Cloud-based PBX technology can help workforces with productivity as their desk phone can follow them, take messages, email them and conference them. Phones connect over the Internet so incoming calls can be answered anywhere. Also, outgoing calls can appear as though they are dialled from an office number, despite being placed via employees’ home or mobile phone. Providers like MOVOX hosts such systems in “the cloud” at secure data centres. You can expand the cloud PBX effortlessly as your business grows, from one to 100s of phones and without requiring additional phone lines.
Softphones
A softphone is a software program available for Mac and Windows computers or laptops or as a mobile application for iPhone and Android devices. They provide the same functions as a physical telephone handset by presenting an on-screen keypad and interface for call features such as mute, hold, and transfer.
Softphones connect to MOVOX’s cloud PBX over the Internet or if using a mobile softphone, over WiFi or mobile 3G/4G data connection. Essentially, softphones are another extension of your cloud PBX and use the same phone number, so you can answer incoming calls and make outgoing calls, just like you were sitting at your desk – from anywhere in the world.
If you’re planning to use a softphone on your computer or laptop you’ll need a suitable headset. Please check your device user guide for headset compatibility. If you’re using a mobile softphone please ensure that your mobile phone plan includes sufficient data allowance.
Conference calls
Once exclusively available to the big end of town, conference calls have come a long way. Expensive equipment and dedicated landlines are no longer needed. In this COVID-19 landscape, businesses can bring teams, customers and suppliers together wherever they’re located without time limits, and importantly, without chewing up large chunks of the internet connection while kids are trying to home school online.
Participants join modern day conference calls by calling a dedicated conference phone number and entering a PIN. With MOVOX, businesses can record conference calls, distribute recorded files to participants, archive them and play them back on a computer. Facilitating remote working, thankfully no equipment is required.
Once out of isolation a lot of small businesses will seek to maintain their newfound agility and flexibility with ongoing remote working and reduced overhead costs via cloud-based communications.
Through SBAA’s alliance with MOVOX, members can access exclusive offers on a range of products and services, including a 5% discount on your monthly phone bill.
To find out how MOVOX products and services can benefit your business contact MOVOX’s SBAA account manager on 1800 100 800 or visit here.