Is your company hanging onto a legacy phone system in order to avoid the costs of an upgrade or a replacement? If so, you may not realize just how much that old phone system is really costing you.
If your phone system is more than 10 years old, your maintenance and infrastructure costs are likely increasing every year. One study estimates that companies spend roughly $7,200 per year on telephony maintenance costs — and likely much more than that for older analog phone systems such as private-branch exchange (PBX) and Centrex systems.
Maintenance for these older systems becomes especially challenging after the 10-year mark because that’s usually when manufacturers stop supporting PBX servers, routers, cables, phones and other gear. Once that happens, it can be really tough to find replacement parts and other components. You may be able to find parts from aftermarkets and other alternative sources, but the prices are likely at a premium and the quality may be questionable.
Beyond Hard Costs
Maintenance costs don’t tell the whole story, either. As older systems become more unstable over time, there’s a greater chance of dropped calls and system outages that could result in lost business and reputation damage. There are also hard-to-quantify opportunity costs involved with systems that don’t support the latest communication, collaboration and mobility features.
A new Forrester Total Economic Impact study of business communication systems finds that modern on-premises IP-PBX systems and cloud-based platforms with integrated mobile communications, text messaging, team collaboration and video meetings drive a 10 percent increase in employee productivity. Additionally, Forrester reports that modern platforms help generate revenue and improve customer experiences through enhanced collaboration, streamlined communication and improved problem resolution.
Upgrading to a modern business communication platform doesn’t have to break the bank. Cloud-based PBX systems can actually save you money in the long run by eliminating acquisition and installation costs for on-premises infrastructure. With minimal onsite equipment, maintenance costs are simply rolled into your monthly subscription fee.
Mitel’s Solution
More important is the ability to go beyond basic voice service and easily access communication and collaboration applications that can help you streamline workflows and improve productivity. Here are some of the key features to look for in a cloud-based phone system:
- Team collaboration: Integrated video conferencing, whiteboarding, desktop sharing, virtual workspaces and team chat rooms enhance your ability to conduct impromptu meetings and brainstorming sessions with colleagues in the office, across town or around the world.
- Mobile applications: All advanced communication and collaboration functions can be accessed from a mobile phone, allowing you to move from your desk to a computer softphone to a mobile device without skipping a beat.
- Back-office integrations: Voice, text and video communications can be tightly integrated with essential back office systems such as CRM, ERP and accounting applications to eliminate data silos, simplify routine tasks and improve reporting capabilities.
Mitel’s MiCloud Connect solution allows you to move communications and collaboration to the cloud with confidence. Selected by Newsweek as one of America’s Best Business Tools, MiCloud Connect supports a mobile workstyle, enabling users to connect, collaborate and serve customers from anywhere. With simple, subscription-based pricing, you only pay for the features you need.
As a Mitel Gold Partner, Verteks has the engineering expertise and implementation experience to effectively deliver a full range of Mitel solutions. Call us today to learn more about the MiCloud Connect offer.
