When the pandemic hit, many companies started to experience the real value in remote phone services.

Businesses' capability to work remotely got tested, and in most cases, forced. Even with the world justifiably afraid of a virus, work still needed doing, and people still needed an income. However, many companies just weren't prepared.

Simple water-cooler conversations were out the window. More importantly, many companies didn't have the processes or technologies to stay in touch when everyone left the office. They found they needed more than their current setup because most of their structure was designed for employees to remain in the office.

Businesses that are looking to advance or scale their phone systems are facing a tough decision today. 

How flexible is your current PBX? 

The telecom industry is a complex matrix of companies and partners providing the hardware, connectivity, services and software required for Unified Communications, including phone, fiber, cable, advanced telephony functionality, and more. 

Upgrading your Private Branch Exchange (PBX) is a requirement if you want to avoid system outages, hefty server costs, and replacement components that are no longer manufactured. 

The challenge is finding the right PBX for small business. Depending on your needs, an upgrade can save you time and money, as well as provide your business with features that take their efficiency to the next level. 

When it comes to choosing the right PBX system to use for your small business, there are a number of factors involved that will sway your decision toward using a particular system. The best way to get a handle of these factors is to examine the benefits and drawbacks of the different types of PBX systems that are available.

If you're looking for a replacement for your business phone system or just starting a business and looking at what phone system to purchase, you're probably swimming in what may seem like a sea of acronyms. 

But, it all really boils down to two choices... Primary Rate Interface (PRI) phone systems (traditional telephony), and voice-over-IP (VoIP) phone systems delivered over Session Initiation Protocol (SIP).

What happens when you don't have access to your office?

If you're like many, you've probably seen the lack of communication it causes — especially if everyone is used to working face-to-face. While a lot of companies find interim solutions, they end up losing efficiency. They lose tasks that fall through the cracks because they're adopting new systems.

To make matters worse, most of the options they have to take their communications mobile rely on paying to access another vendor's network. They have no control over how that network operates.

A private mobile network gives organizations complete control, allowing them to set their own rules and systems, like voicemail, texting, and call recording.

But the question remains: How can you get a private mobile network — and how can you get it ASAP?

Is big telecom selling you short?

Global telecommunications providers spend a lot of money on national marketing campaigns. Super Bowl ads. Full page newspaper advertisements. Their spend for online advertising exceeds some local government budgets for technology! They always say they're the best or the fastest or the latest and greatest. But, the very nature of big telecom is to maximize profit. They want the highest possible return-on-investment (ROI) on their network assets. It's not their fault. That is what Wall Street demands. 

Don't get me wrong. We here at Atlantech Online are stone cold capitalists. We’re all in business to turn a profit. However, making money doesn’t have to come at the expense of your customers. You don’t need to cut costs required to satisfy customers to compete, especially when cutting costs means cutting quality.

Here’s what big telecom doesn’t advertise in their Super Bowl commercials.

Voice-over-IP telephones (VoIP) are quickly becoming the most common way for organizations to manage voice communications. Adopting VoIP and SIP trunking allows organizations more options for communications than legacy PRI and Centrex services via major telecommunications providers.

Organizations who are considering ways to save on their phone bill may consider SIP trunking as an option. With a cloud provider for SIP services, the initial investment is minimal. If you’re confused by SIP, it’s purpose, and what it replaces, you are in the right place.

Though email, instant messaging, tweeting, and other social media communication, have been adopted for business purposes, telephone calling, especially now that a huge portion of the population is working from home, remains the most personal and often convenient method of communication.