Experts have encouraged telecommunications companies looking to lower their overall operating costs to adopt VoIP business phone systems. Smart Business recently interviewed Ohio.net's marketing and sales director, Alex Desberg, to determine the best practices associated with implementing VoIP technology.

VoIP is advantageous compared to traditional phone systems because it is a service model, meaning telecommunications companies no longer have to spend money on continued maintenance from a third-party vendor, or paying staff members to do so. Desberg told the news provider that VoIP packages generally include support so maintenance costs can be lessened.

The expert also told Smart Business that VoIP services can be beneficial for companies that experience different demand cycles. This is especially the case for car dealerships that sell more cars during the warmer months and look to vendors to scale back VoIP solutions during the winter.

When choosing potential VoIP vendors, Desberg said companies should look for providers that have exerted industry experience in the past. Businesses without expertise should be avoided.

Organizations looking to upgrade their current phone system to VoIP are also encouraged to prepare for extensive employee training.

"Training is essential; it is the difference between a clean start with VoIP and a bumpy one," Desberg told Smart Business. "Any time you implement a new phone system, people are going to be uncomfortable with the change. You have to get all of the individuals trained and get them comfortable with the phone before the system goes live. With VoIP, the transition is seamless because we can have the new system running parallel to a traditional phone system."

VoIP systems also more secure

While many businesses adopt VoIP to lower their operating costs, the technology is also considered more secure than traditional phone systems, according to a recent PCWorld report. The news provider suggested that companies that implement VoIP through virtual private networks, or VPNs, can achieve greater reliability and improved call forwarding capabilities. For small businesses with limited spending potential, VoIP is especially beneficial because businesses do not have to manage the system themselves.

"VoIP can operate through an encrypted VPN connection for increased security," the PCWorld report said. "You can install VoIP software on mobile devices too, so your employees are always connected and reachable from a 'work' line, even when they're physically away from the office."

ChannelPartners recently obtained early results from a new study conducted by IT nonprofit organization CompTIA regarding the unified communications industry. According to the research, 80 percent of IT and business executives named UC solutions as moderately or highly valuable to their operations. Another 41 percent said their current communications budgets are growing along with their other IT sectors.

Although these trends appear positive on the surface, the news provider indicated that the growth of unified communications is still maturing.

"Even though instant messaging, video conferencing, collaboration applications, web conferencing and social tools are in place in businesses, they are used to a much lesser degree," the ChannelPartners report said. "Email and voice – analog, mobile and [VoIP business phone systems] – remain the predominant ways in which communication occurs."

Emerging technologies are also expected to significantly impact the unified communications landscape. These solutions include such options as social media, mobility and cloud computing. The latter, in particular, has continued to gain steam as a viable UC platform and many organizations are adopting it for their cloud phone system.

Virtualization also impacting UC

While many technologies influence the development of unified communications, experts have also suggested that virtualization will be key player moving forward. InformationWeek's David Carr reported that UC and virtualization have been on a collision course for years.

The writer attended the UBM Enterprise Connect Conference and reported industry expert Irwin Lazar spoke about why the technologies are becoming integrated. His company conducted a survey and found that approximately 16 percent of companies are virtualizing their UC servers, while nearly 40 percent have no plans in place. The remaining businesses are currently planning such initiatives.

SMBs willing to spend for UC

As more technologies impact unified communications, adoption of UC is poised to rise. Among U.S. small and medium-sized businesses, this is especially true. According to a study conducted by Access Markets International Partners, U.S. SMBs are projected to increase their unified communication spending from $1.8 billion in 2011 to an annual compound growth rate of 16 percent through 2015.

"This change in SMB interactions and the proliferation of multiple devices in the workplace are making it increasingly relevant for SMBs to empower their workforce with technologies that enable quick and easy transitioning between conferencing and collaboration solutions," the study said.

Some companies find it difficult to take advantage of the data coming through their call center, according to a recent CIO report. The news source cited several industry experts who suggest options available to help businesses retrieve this valuable information and improve customer relationships and overall operations.

In the past, traditional call center measurements revolved around the number of calls received, the average hold time and the resolution rate, CIO reported.

"Over time, companies added more sophisticated workforce management tools including global scheduling information – to help with network call handling, scheduling, real-time adherence – but the data collected was agent performance- and efficiency-related," said John Magliocca, principal consultant for a management consultancy firm, according to the news source.

However, new analytics tools are helping organizations mine data that may have gone unnoticed with traditional methods. Tony Filippone, HfS Research executive vice president, said there are several factors that have led to this change, including the continued demand placed upon call centers from social media and other online channels, according to CIO.

The news provider also reported that Filippone said companies need greater training and real-time solutions to improve their call centers.

Deepek Advani, vice president of predictive analytics for an IT solutions vendor, asserted that some organizations are using text and sentiment analysis to analyze their unstructured data more effectively.

"Many companies are integrating this call center data with their transactional data warehouse to reduce customer churn, and drive up-sell and cross-sell [activity]," Advani said, according to CIO. "Call center logs can provide invaluable insight on what customers were calling about, and can also provide insights for future product requirements."

Improved equipment, employee satisfaction also needed

A new study conducted by Frost & Sullivan suggested that more companies are searching for more effective equipment and technologies to support their contact center and worker happiness. Of the businesses surveyed, 66 percent of call center managers said improved solutions can help keep their employees' satisfaction rates high, while 60 percent cited career opportunities, since many workers view this position as important advancement chances.

Frost & Sullivan industry analyst Brendan Read noted that contact centers have improved their perception of being difficult places to work, but high turnover rates are still an issue and must be addressed moving forward.

The rapid growth of mobile, social and cloud computing technologies has made it possible for employees to achieve their tasks without physically being in their offices. A recent Computing.co.uk report highlighted how these trends impact how organizations use PBX.

"This means that the mobile phones of remote workers are seen just like their deskbound colleagues as extensions of the PBX; calls can be simply transferred and everyone can pick up their responsibility on a hunt group," the report stated. "Rather than lone wolves and road warriors, everyone can be seen to be on the same team."

The news provider added that there are no restrictions regarding how this service is offered, whether it be from an on-premise solution or hosted service from a cloud provider.

While some companies have continued to support their legacy PBX systems in the face of new and improved options, many experts agree that businesses should upgrade to cloud-based services to save costs. A recent TechDay report asserted that the latter solutions not only help organizations lower their budgets, but reduce frustrations associated with older technology.

The growth of bring your own device among small and medium-sized businesses has continued gaining steam, and this adoption is also driving the need for effective unified communications solutions to support the trend.

A recent survey of nearly 1,500 SMBs from 100 countries conducted by IT networking firm Spiceworks revealed that more companies are gravitating toward BYOD. Of those organizations polled, 75 percent currently support the use of employee devices such as the iPhone, iPad and Android-powered smartphones.

Spiceworks said that 60 percent of SMBs support the iPhone, while 55 percent and 41 percent have an infrastructure in place for Android smartphones and the iPad.

"Data from this recent survey confirms that the consumerization of IT is flourishing among SMBs, although opinions vary on how to manage its impact on organizations," said Spiceworks co-founder and marketing vice president Jay Hallberg.

While some experts suggest that small businesses stay away from supporting employee devices because they may not be compatible with their networks, leading to a dip in productivity. TeleCom Reseller's David Byrd has a different take on the matter. According to the writer, a unified communications platform addresses this potential problem and ensures workers remain efficient.

A new study by Frost & Sullivan revealed that contact center firms are seeing increased retention due to improving career opportunities and evolving technology. Telecom solutions like VoIP PBX and unified communications provide significant advancements that help businesses increase productivity and the quality of work done.

According to the survey, 66 percent of call center managers cited better equipment as a major factor keeping employee satisfaction high. Additionally, 60 percent said that career opportunities contributed, as more professionals seek advancement in contact centers, rather than viewing them as transitional positions.

"Equipment and technologies that improve the employee work experience are a relatively low-cost way for today's organizations to both increase employee satisfaction and distinguish themselves from other potential employers," said Kelly Myers, an industry expert.

Seeking to improve employee satisfaction and retention is a key contributor to higher quality service in a contact center, which can lead to higher customer satisfaction and, ultimately, increased profit. By deploying tools like VoIP service and improved hardware, a business not only is ensuring the quality of work it provides, but its future success in the industry as well.

Business communications methods are constantly evolving, and as systems change, decision makers can develop new strategies and plans for operational and collaboration needs. However, according to Unified Communications Strategies contributor Orrin Broberg, some systems integration managers are concerned that solutions like unified communications will force managers to reassess their resourcing and potentially downsize. However, some experts do not agree.

Unified communications provide a variety of benefits that can reduce the need for a large employee pool, such as increased productivity and more efficient operations that allow professionals to get more work done in a day. According to Broberg, companies deploying UC solutions can be more selective about their staffing and "pick the right players" for the roles that need to be filled. However, managers may be able to focus the benefits that UC provides on accomplishing complex tasks, rather than more tasks in general.

In order to accomplish this, business leaders will have to hire professionals with more specific training, who will be able to lead other workers on more detailed projects. This can lead to new innovations and opportunities for a business to take on new ventures rather than the downsizing that some worry about, as the news source shows.

More call centers are recognizing the need to adopt social media as part of their customer service system. According to a recent survey by a leading customer relationship management software company, about 60 percent of businesses in the United States and United Kingdom have integrated Twitter or Facebook with CRM tools, and 85 percent of those companies have adopted both services.

According to the report, social media adoption is largely affected by the size of the contact center. Approximately 40 percent of firms with 1,000 or more agents have had a social media support initiative in operation for over two years, compared to 53 percent of smaller centers, which stated their current programs were deployed within that two year period. However, overall, 56 percent of businesses stated that they implemented social media support because of customer request.

"The most successful customer service program will happen for businesses who incorporate social into their overall customer engagement practices, and really keep pace with the way their customers are communicating with them in all areas," Mitch Lieberman, an industry expert, said, emphasizing the focus on consumer satisfaction.

By staying up-to-date with customer needs and current telecommunication trends, a business will not only encourage improved service, but keep profits high by increasing caller satisfaction.

Upgrading a business phone system is important, especially with so many different options available today. For some companies, this can seem like a daunting task. However, according to Dynamic Business, this process can be made simpler by addressing a few basic considerations, such as feature, support availability and the need for future growth.

Of the various legacy and cloud-based VoIP PBX solutions, there are a number of options that a business can consider: on-premise VoIP service, cloud VoIP, hybrid solutions and traditional PBX. In order to pick the optimal solution, a business needs to consider which features and how much support it needs for deployment. However, one vital question many business forget to consider is whether or not they need to prepare for future growth.

With legacy PBX, many businesses need to upgrade and add additional, expensive hardware to support an increase in employees. Hosted PBX solutions do not require this, however, and provide impressive savings through pay-as-you-go options. Whether it has 20 employees or 200, a company will only pay for the data that it uses and still receive the highest quality service.

While many professionals take time off in the summer, for some, the season remains busy. However, cloud-based unified communications solutions can allow these workers to enjoy some time away from the office without missing important deadlines.

For those who need to remain productive even when on vacation, UC components like cloud VoIP and video conferencing can allow them to check email and remain in contact with coworkers through real time communication tools. UC also provides improved mobile support that legacy systems often do not, allowing professionals to get away from their desktop or laptop computer and check messages from a smartphone or tablet, from anywhere they get a 3G or 4G signal, not just a Wi-Fi connection.

Working while traveling can be difficult or even impossible for some, but with improved access to work networks and data, a business can keep this option as widely available as possible, allowing even the busiest professionals to take a well-earned vacation.