This is the first of a three part series on hosted voice technology.

There are a lot of ways to describe the growth of cloud-based services: rapid, burgeoning, and even, perhaps, dramatic. But one thing it isn’t is surprising—that growth makes a lot of sense. When applications are hosted on a provider’s infrastructure—operated, maintained and upgraded by that vendor—businesses reap a host of important benefits. They can get cutting-edge technology without making hefty capital investments.

They can pay affordable monthly fees. And they can access hosted voice service at any time, from any location where there is network connectivity.

The real beauty of cloud-based services, however, is that these advantages are just a starting point. Hosted applications can change—and dramatically improve—the way businesses work. Nowhere, perhaps, is that more apparent than when it comes to hosted voice.

Today’s businesses need to be mobile and nimble. They need to move fast and often move wide, increasing their footprint without increasing their headaches. They need to be responsive to customers and foster collaboration between employees. In this multi-part series, companies can see how hosted voice is uniquely positioned to support, and boost, all of these traits—traits that aren’t just good for business, but crucial for success.

How Hosted Voice Untethers your Workforce

Not long ago, an employee away from their desk was an employee with limited ability to get the job done. Many of the resources they’d need—like quick access to people and information—were often lacking, resulting in delays and inefficiency. Today, that’s no longer the case. Mobile technologies—lead by smartphones, laptops, and high-speed networks—are empowering off-site workers to an unprecedented degree. Not surprisingly, these tools are rapidly catching on. More than 60 percent of North Americans now use their smartphones for work, according to the June 2013 Mobile Workforce Report by iPass Inc.

But there’s a challenge: how to leverage these new capabilities to give employees more mobility, and to give companies optimal results. Hosted voice is one way forward-thinking businesses are doing just that.

With cloud-based voice, it is the system’s provider that houses and operates the core hardware and software. This service makes the user’s location irrelevant. No longer do employees need to be hardwired into an on-premises infrastructure to use their full suite of communications tools, from voicemail to conferencing to speed dialing. Instead, they need only access the cloud from their phone or laptop. And with hosted voice, it’s not just traditional tools that users get, but special features expressly designed for mobile users, such as voicemail-to-email capability and a single phone number that rings on any designated device.

The result: a business operating with improved efficiency, and gaining a competitive edge. Indeed, hosted voice makes the following not just possible, but easily achievable:

• Improved customer communications. When customers can reach their business contacts via a single number, they can get faster responses and attention. From troubleshooting to purchase orders, callers can get what they need faster. That translates into better customer service—and stronger customer relationships.
• Better collaboration with colleagues and a jump-start on innovation. Getting ahead of the competition—and staying there—requires innovation and rapid development cycles. By giving employees the same communications tools on the go as they have in the office, cloud-based voice helps keep them connected and accessible. A sudden stroke of genius can get communicated, and acted upon, immediately. Collaboration no longer has to wait until everyone is back at their desks.
• Improved productivity. The advanced features of hosted voice don’t just boost accessibility, but flexibility. Employeescan work more effectively no matter where they are, and under conditions that would previously bring business to a halt. When inclement weather—or a sudden emergency—shuts an office, your workforce can still leverage a full suite of voice communications tools. Even when more mundane events—like a mid-day dental appointment—pop up, productivity doesn’t have to suffer.