A keyphone is a traditional desk telephone with a central unit and a handset. It can support up to 50 users and is often used by small and medium-sized businesses. It has a dial pad and special buttons that allow users to route calls to other extensions and access features such as: possession or transfer.
Key systems were once a step up from rotary phones and large PBX systems. However, as equipment ages and more flexible, scalable, and cost-effective solutions come to market, many companies are upgrading their infrastructure to the cloud.
Why it’s hard to let go of your button-type phone
For many businesses, this reliable technology has been the silent backbone of communication even before the Internet became a part of everyday life. Keyphones have improved office efficiency and productivity with features such as call forwarding, hold, conference calls, direct dialing, and paging.
Button phone systems are generally easy to use and, above all, friendly. Most adults have used a push-button phone system at some point in their career, so there’s no big learning curve when hiring new employees. With a simple explanation of how to access voicemail and which extensions belong to whom, most new employees will be up to speed by the end of their first day.
This makes it difficult for many businesses to let go of their outdated keyphone systems, even when there are better options.
In other words, button phone systems used to be easy to use, predictable in cost, and easy to maintain, with all the advanced features you’d expect from a business phone. These strengths have made the company a mainstay in business communications.
However, after more than 50 years of use, this technology is slowly fading away. And today’s businesses need to consider modernizing their phone systems sooner or later.
Challenges in migrating button phone systems to the cloud
While button phone systems still provide the basic functionality businesses need to receive calls, they lack the versatility of cloud-based phone solutions. However, extending mobile phones to the cloud brings its own challenges. You can always face hurdles when upgrading your infrastructure, and in this case, you may encounter the following issues:
- compatibility: Can my existing terminals work with the cloud system? Or do I need to invest in new equipment? You may need to purchase a new handset or softphone to use the latest VoIP services .
- Replication function: Can features like DID and Intercom be replicated in the cloud? Yes, but be sure to choose a provider that supports the features your business depends on.
- Softkey programming: Cloud systems often rely on “soft keys,” which are on-screen buttons that can be changed dynamically. You may need IT support to manually configure the changes.
- training: This is a big problem because you may have employees who are resistant to change. Do you have the time and resources to teach your employees how to use these new cloud-based systems? Do you need to train your employees how to use new features like call parking to put callers on hold? there is. Also, you don’t want to leave a potentially useful feature out there just because you don’t know what it does, so you need to familiarize yourself with all the features and settings.
Any upgrade naturally comes with challenges, but the key is to ask yourself whether the benefits outweigh the costs and whether now is the right time to upgrade. (Probably true for most companies.)
Benefits of replacing your button telephone system before it breaks down
If your button phone system still works, you may be hesitant to replace it. However, there are risks in continuing to use older systems that do not have an infinite lifespan. What if your phone system fails or your hardware becomes unsupported before you can create a backup?
But it goes beyond that. In fact, you may be unknowingly missing out on features that could make your team’s work easier and improve overall efficiency.
Sure, it might be cheaper to keep what’s already working, but like most upgrades, you don’t know what you’re missing until you switch. Cloud phone systems offer many benefits, including cost savings, increased mobility, scalability, and advanced features.
VoIP platforms like Nextiva unlock a treasure trove of features such as call recording, interactive voice response (IVR), deep analytics, and CRM integration, allowing sales reps to retrieve a customer’s file and access all previous conversations, Allows you to check your order history. and more in one dashboard.
It also gives your team more flexibility in when and where they work. If you’re considering switching to a remote or hybrid setup, a cloud-based phone system makes the switch easy. Even if some employees work from home and others are on-site, everyone has the same communication skills.
As far as cost goes, cloud phone systems come with predictable monthly fees that scale with your users, and you can easily add or remove users without changing your infrastructure. It also eliminates most of the hardware maintenance costs associated with traditional phone setups.
Investing in a cloud system can also future-proof your contact center operations, as software can be continually upgraded through the cloud.
Yes, there are challenges in updating systems to new technology. This is inevitable no matter what type of business you run.
But if you choose to upgrade your keyphone system to a cloud-based system, you’ll be able to address these challenges at your own pace, rather than being forced to do so later.