The COVID-19 pandemic has forced SMEs to innovate. As a result, the demand for effective communications technology has increased. More than ever, businesses want to be able to communicate and collaborate with employees, departments, customers and suppliers all over the world.
As companies were obliged to do business remotely, SMEs looked for new and reliable ways to collaborate, communicate and improve their businesses. But the cost and complexities of using old communications systems has become outdated and inconvenient for companies.
For many SMEs, M365 Voice has been the ideal solution. Microsoft Business Voice is an extension of the Microsoft 365 and Teams package, allowing users to make and receive calls on the PBX and integrate with the Teams stack and your mobile phone.
In this blog we’ll take a look at the benefits of Microsoft Business Voice for SMEs and discuss why it could be the solution for you too.
Enables Remote and Flexible Working
As lockdown is gradually lifted and we begin a steady return back to the office, the pandemic has given both companies and individuals a new perspective on work life.
The way we work has changed fundamentally. Companies are reevaluating remote working policies, together with the way they communicate and collaborate. At the centre of this discussion is technology. What is the best way to use technology to improve communication? How can technology make work life simpler and more productive? In which technology should we invest?
Microsoft Business Voice is a phone system built for SMEs and designed to work in tandem with Office 365 to help you facilitate and manage communication throughout your business.
Microsoft Business Voice accomplishes this through a variety of features including: built-in audio conferencing, an enterprise-grade phone system, a cloud based setup and seamless integration with Office 365 and Microsoft Teams.
For the foreseeable future there will likely be a huge amount of people working from home or out of the office. Long-term remote and flexible working is a real eventuality that SMEs have started to plan for already. The prospect of this shift will have huge implications for many SMEs. To react to this change businesses can utilise Microsoft Business Voice.
Systemic change to our working patterns and locations will increase the need to link up to a mobile phone and lessen the need for traditional phone systems with handsets.
Business Voice enables SMEs to thrive in this new world of remote working, hotdesking and online collaboration.
The last year has exposed inefficiencies in the way meetings and international collaboration has been conducted in the past. We are likely to see less travel, both domestic and international, because companies understand that it is a possible health risk and often an inefficient use of time and money.
This increases the need for a reliable and portable phone system that integrates with video and chat. Microsoft Business Voice will allow SMEs to carry on conducting high-level meetings and functions in a way that is efficient and dependable. By making the switch to Business Voice, your calls and meetings will be a whole lot more pleasant and productive.
Microsoft Business Voice makes collaboration and connectivity across multiple devices easy. This means you don’t have to worry about reliability when working remotely. It enables your SME to be more flexible, capable and encourages collaborative innovation.
An Intuitive and Cost-Effective Solution
At some point in the life-cycle of your SME it becomes inefficient and costly to persist with an out-dated VOIP phone system. We understand that to move forward you have to embrace new and innovative technology. This is one of the reasons the Microsoft Business Voice has been such a popular choice among SMEs: it is an intuitive and cost-effective solution.
Recently, we have worked with companies like IDM Properties and Give A Grad A Go to help them make the transition from traditional, outdated on-premise or VOIP phone systems. A quick and easy migration to Microsoft Business Voice enabled these organisations to continue with ‘business-as-usual’ while upgrading to a highly secure, progressive and reliable phone system that was designed to sync with the rest of their communication tools.
The managing partner of IDM, Jonathan Curtis, said he “was impressed with how intuitive it was, the experience is very slick and it really compliments our current communications via Teams. In the end it was an easy decision rather than replace our traditional phone system and we managed to save money too”.
His experience echoes that of many businesses that moved over to Microsoft Business Voice. Instead of incurring the costs and hassle of maintaining a PBX you can rely on a modern cloud-based phone system that offers all the functionality and security, but without expensive hardware.
Ultimately, if you have a dynamic workplace culture you want a dynamic communications solution.
One of the significant benefits of Microsoft Business Voice for SMEs is the fact that it is easy to use. Moreover, it is an inexpensive solution that will help you to avoid any communication problems or workflow inefficiencies.
The experience is very slick and it really compliments our current communications via Teams
Allows a Unified Collaboration Experience
If you are already using Microsoft 365 and Teams, adopting the Microsoft Business Voice is the logical next step to improve productivity.
There is huge value in having a unified collaborative experience. It is not convenient to run a dozen apps side by side or multiple pieces of hardware from different companies. A unified communications solution can make your life easier. Employee communication will be consistent and it will inevitably increase productivity.
Adopting the Microsoft Business Voice when you already use Teams and Microsoft 365 will save time and money and give you an altogether better experience.
When you have a single provider for your communications, managing day-to-day responsibilities will be simple. With Business Voice you will be able to use your phone system alongside the other powerful Microsoft features, such as video calling via Teams, instant messaging, email, and document sharing and collaboration.
For those already familiar with Office 365, Microsoft Business Voice is a convenient and logical extension. It is an intuitive, modern cloud-base telephony solution that keeps the simple things simple and allows SMEs to stay connected from wherever they are.
A Secure and Reliable Solution for SMEs
By unifying your communications and migrating to Microsoft Business Voice you will be taking a step towards a more reliable and easy-to-use system.
Yes, people are beginning to return to the office, however, it is unlikely that things will completely reverse. Instead, there will likely be a continued reliance on flexible ways of working. Technologies and people’s habits have adapted to the new commercial landscape and many companies have seen the utility in remote working.
Speak to one of the Microsoft Business Voice specialists here, to learn about how M356 Voice can help migrate your existing phone system to Microsoft Business Voice.