Making the move to new technology is not always an easy one, especially if you’re used to traditional platforms. My in-laws recently upgraded to high speed fiber and even put an adapter in to take advantage of VoIP. The attraction was definitely the $10 a month instead of $30 they’re paying for the landline, but when I mentioned to my father-in-law that there are a lot of benefits to IP over analog, his response was a pointed, “You lost me there.”
Such a scenario isn’t really that uncommon, especially among the residential segment of the market. Hosted phone systems are readily available, and with high-speed connections, consumers no longer have to rely on the landline connection. In many a situation, the idea of streamlining communications to reduce cost and access enhanced features offers significant appeal.
At the same time, IP phones don’t have to cost a lot of money. For the commercial business environment where migrating to the technology platform means investing in 100 or more new lines, a lower operating cost is enough of an argument to make the change. Overcoming the cost of that many new phones, however, can get in the way of making a decision. Thanks to a new rental program from Digium (News - Alert), deployment cost doesn’t have to be the barrier.
According to a recent Channel Partners Online report, the company has announced a new IP phone rental program to support its Switchvox (News - Alert) Cloud hosted phone service. The aim is to deliver more and greater options for partners, while small and medium-sized businesses can more affordably leverage unified communications systems. The upfront costs are eliminated and all services are combined into one lower monthly bill.
Renting IP phones through a hosted phone system can also lend to an enhanced level of support not always readily available in the IP world. For instance, the company that opts to implement its own IP PBX (News - Alert) system can take advantage of lower operating costs, but still has to invest in the hardware to complete the migration. Likewise, the company must provide its own support, updates and enhancements, or secure a support agreement with a provider who can meet these needs.
If the same organization were to rent its IP phones, this cost is eliminated and operation expense is simply rolled into the same bill. The organization pays for only what it uses and Service Level Agreements (SLAs) generally ensure optimal uptime and support. These benefits alone are driving the demand for rental programs, which are becoming more common throughout the industry.
While such a deployment strategy makes sense for the business, it didn’t for my in-laws. In fact, my father-in-law is well-known for his ability to save a penny or two. He wants to purchase the equipment and pay the lowest cost over the year possible. In translation, he has purchased a system that has yet to work properly and support generally comes from someone in our household. It’s not necessarily ideal, but at least they’re willing to embrace new technology.
Edited by Alisen Downey