The options in communications today far exceed what the average business could access in previous generations. The standard landline is limiting when you consider what you can do with Internet Protocol (IP). The demand for voice over IP (VoIP) is growing, yet resellers still seem hesitant to add the option to the mix when their focus has traditionally been on-premise PBX (News - Alert) hardware systems.
A recent TechDay article highlights the opportunities resellers could be missing by avoiding VoIP as a service option. Customers are increasingly seeking alternatives to traditional telecommunications services and hardware-based phone systems as they would like to get away from the high cost and lack of flexibility. Likewise, companies are examining their current deployments to evaluate what they could effectively move to the cloud.
In fact, a number of companies of all sizes have already stopped managing their own servers and have moved Web, email and line-of-business applications to the cloud. Phone (News - Alert) systems are the next logical step in the process as legacy systems are costly, difficult and expensive to maintain, and limited in their ability to easily integrate with other platforms and applications. Plus, VoIP monitoring allows them to easily manage the system and make adjustments where necessary.
Still, some resellers are resisting VoIP in the hopes of holding onto the lucrative margins they enjoy when installing and servicing on-premise systems. The problem with this approach, however, is that companies are moving to VoIP to avoid paying those high margins. A failure to offer VoIP as an alternative could mean losing that revenue altogether. As a result, they not only lost the margin, they also lost the customer.
When new technologies are embraced in the marketplace, they’re often viewed as a threat. For the reseller, taking such a stance means they have limited their ability to meet the needs of the customer. What they should consider instead is an opportunity to proactively help manage their customers’ move to this technology to ensure they are part of the journey and not the provider left behind in favor of a better option.
Plus, VoIP does have an upside for the reseller as it’s a ready-made platform that enables the reseller to enter the market rapidly. There are fewer overheads and minimal capital layout. Channel partners often do not have to sign expensive or onerous contracts that require commitments to buy stock or inventory. The ongoing revenue stream from VoIP in the form of monthly subscriptions can actually be a better revenue model for the reseller than the large upfront outlay on the legacy system.
While companies will continue to demand legacy PBX, VoIP adoption is still growing. For resellers that want a strong share of the market, the argument in favor of offering both options is too strong to ignore.
Edited by Rory J. Thompson