INTERVIEW
What is Driving Cloud Telephony
Comms Business Magazine talks to Keith Jackson, Director of Channel Sales at 8x8 about the rise of the cloud
telephony system in today’s workplace
The way we work is
undergoing seismic
change with exible hours
and working from home
becoming commonplace. In
larger organisations, the o ce
landscape has changed to match
new practices – with breakout
spaces and multi-purpose ‘agile
areas’. But, as we prepare for life
post COVID-19, things look set
to change again.
One certainty is the
focus on remote means of
communication is likely
to increase. With so many
channels available, the need for
a simple voice call has grown.
For many businesses, providing
customers with a single point
of contact is essential while a
recognisable phone number
pre x is more likely to be
trusted by customers, too. is
is where the cloud telephony
system, or software-based PBX
shows its strength. It combines
the convenience and simplicity
of desk-based phones with the
exibility to pick up and make
calls from anywhere.
A cloud telephony system is
not tied to a physical network
in the o ce. is brings a
huge number of advantages,
not least, scalability. As your
business grows, simply add
more lines without needing
extra infrastructure. If your
business is seasonal, add extra
connections when you need to,
then simply cancel them when
you don’t.
With a cloud telephony
system, it’s possible to equip
desks with physical handsets
but are connected via the
internet. You can pick up or
make a call in the usual way
or, with the click of a mouse,
listen and talk hands-free with
a headset. is is ideal for
companies where team members
work from home, or are out
on call, and gives call centre
agents the exibility to stay
fully connected while working
remotely. Any designated team
member can pick up a customer
call from wherever they are,
using any connected device.
Cloud telephony systems
typically o er an extended
range of features. Besides
allowing users to make and take
calls – either from their own
dedicated extension, general
business number or helpline
– a software-based PBX can
automatically route callers
through to the right person.
Cloud telephony allows callcentre
operators to work from
home at all hours, yet still work
e ectively as a team. ey are
also compatible with third party
software, including customer
relationship management
systems, and o er the ability
to record calls and collect and
analyse call data where needed.
One barrier to the uptake
of the cloud telephony system
is unfamiliarity and 8x8 has
recently addressed this by
integrating its cloud telephony
Keith Jackson, Director of Channel Sales at 8x8
system with Microsoft Teams.
is service o ers employees
all the advantages of the 8x8
phone service along with the
increasingly popular Teams
interface. As well as ensuring
enterprise-grade call quality,
8x8 o ers native integration
with 35 di erent business
applications. Call screen
synchronisation and logging
of call information, including
links to the call recordings, can
lead to greater productivity and
improved customer experience.
Another bene t of cloud
communications systems is that
they include capabilities that
extend well beyond the bounds
of voice-only communications,
with integrated messaging,
video calling and multi-party
conferencing.
It’s easy to see why the cloud
telephony system is stealing a
march on xed-line desk phone
solutions. ere’s little doubt
that companies with a cloud
communications platform
already in place found it much
easier to react when large
numbers of employees had to
switch overnight to remote
working. ose companies are
very likely to be considering a
software-based PBX for future
business continuity plans.
e smart phone has already
almost completely superseded
the xed-line home phone, and
the rise of the cloud telephony
system now looks unstoppable.
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