As the nation prepares for the great ISDN Switchover in 2025, how can partners help their customers prepare?
While adapting to new methods has been easy for many, for some businesses introducing new technology has not been quite so simple. With unified communications and collaboration systems delivered over an Internet connection now becoming the norm, it’s important for partners to think about how they can help their customers integrate these systems ahead of the ISDN switch off in 2025.
So, it’s important for partners to think about how they can help their customers integrate these systems now to get ahead of the curve.
Although working from home offers wider opportunities for employment and a better work-life balance, it seems that for many, technology is the biggest frustration for home workers.
Recent research conducted by Vodafone and RingCentral, a leading global provider of cloud-based business communications and collaboration solutions, has revealed some of the problems for hybrid workers when working outside of the office and the frustration it causes.
Switching between home office and work office is straightforward when you can take the tech with you, but the use of landlines remains an issue with 17 per cent of hybrid workers stating they are without a home landline so can only make personal calls on their mobiles and 10 per cent are without a home landline so cannot make calls at all.
The frustrations also expand onto voicemails, with 7 per cent having to disable voicemail systems due to hybrid working and 9 per cent advising that they cannot access their voicemails when out of the office and they find it frustrating.
We have launched the Vodafone Business Unified Communications (VBUC) platform in partnership with RingCentral to provide a simple solution to help businesses as they prepare for the Integrated Services Digital Network (ISDN) and Public Switched Telephone Network (PSTN) – to be shut down in 2025.
The platform is available to businesses of all sizes. In addition, we’ve also introduced new enhancements which now put mobile at the heart of the user experience.
The VBUC platform now provides an intuitive, unified experience that lets users make calls and access a Unified Directory system making it easier to collaborate across the organisation including with colleagues who do not have a VBUC licence. Additionally, users can send messages and launch HD-quality video meetings – whether working remotely or on the go with their iOS or Android mobile device.
In essence, businesses can use the VBUC platform to access their suite of RingCentral collaboration and messaging applications wherever they are and powered by Vodafone’s award-winning network to ensure no disruptions.
Partners can also monitor the performance of the VBUC platforms using the analytics and reporting function. This allows partners or their customer to spot and fix issues quickly.
Unlike standard business reports on most platforms which only tell you how the platform is performing, analytics on VBUC can show how the user experience is performing, where there are issues, and the causes so partners can spot a problem and fix it often before the customer even knows – giving an uninterrupted service to the customer.
We also recognise that partners have a local presence and the skill set to support their customers; therefore, partners can tailor the support wrap for the product and additional solutions they may need as a complete communications package to provide their customers with exactly what they need.
Our partners know it is vital to help customers think about their future. The ISDN telephone network was originally introduced in 1986, and by 2025 it will be switched off entirely. The underlying PSTN network is already being phased out, too. Going forward, all telephony will be internet-based and so it’s critically important that partners help their customers ensure the required level of internet connectivity is in place before migrating phone lines to a new system.
Being able to work from anywhere is a key part of our working lives. And by being able to take your entire office with you when you’re working out of the office is crucial to allow true flexibility with communications.
The new mobile enhancement for VBUC offers a complete extension of the office allowing users to be always connected, able to access the files or contacts they need, and they can do so with confidence from this market-leading full-service unified communications solution.
To discover how your business could benefit from this unified communications offering go to Vodafone Business Unified Communications.