0Taking Communications to the Cloud:© 2013 VOXOX, Inc.

VOXOX

5BENEFITS OF A

FOR MULTI-OFFICE BUSINESSES

HOSTED VoIP SOLUTION

a VOXOX eBook

2 INTRODUCTION

3 TOP CHALLENGES

7 FINDING A SOLUTION

12 THE FIVE BENEFITS

18 MAKING THE SWITCH

24 ABOUT VOXOX

CONTENTS

Small to Medium-sized Businesses (SMBs) are looking for more creative ways to not only reduce

expenses, but also to increase employee productivity and efficiency. These needs are amplified for

businesses with multiple office locations and telecommuters. A dispersed workforce comes with

some communication challenges. This strategy guide will explore two areas:

1 How the voice and Internet needs of businesses with multiple locations present a unique challenge2 What can be done to unify the communication needs of these businesses while achieving a better

return on investment.

This eBook is brought to you by VOXOX — the most comprehensive Unified

Communications provider in the industry. We provide complete phone and Internet

solutions that help businesses save money, simplify their communications and are easier

to manage compared to traditional phone systems. The foundation of the company's

offerings is its award-winning unified communications service delivery platform that

enables the company and its customers to build powerful, scalable applications and

services. Our promise at VOXOX? You’ll love your phone!

INTRODUCTION

VOXOXWe empower communication from engaging consumer applications to robust business ecosystems.

© 2013 Voxox, Inc.

TF (866) 514-VOIP (8647)

P (866) 900-9000

F (858) 587-7036

E sales@voxox.com

9276 Scranton Road

Suite 300

San Diego, CA 92121

Learn more at voxox.com

. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

IS THERE A PROBLEM?

TOP CHALLENGESOF MULTI-OFFICESThe communication challenges of businesses are

particularly complex when multiplied by more than

one office location, whether that involves branch

offices or telecommuters. The pain is often easily identified from the billing perspective, but stretches

into many operational and customer-facing touch

points as well. The following pages identify five key

challenges facing multi-office businesses.

First and foremost is the pain of having to manage a separate phone system and service

provider, often the local phone carrier, for each office location. This also means separate

billing and operational costs for each office. Then take into account the idea that employ-

ees in different locations may actually want to speak with each other. If they are in different

locales, states or even countries, the call usage charges can really add

up. A large percentage of a company’s calls are out-

bound to customers and outside contacts, so

keeping a close eye on those call usage rates is

also very important. This is of particular interest to

businesses with a global reach, as international calls

can quickly run up a company’s phone bill.

TOP CHALLENGES

of Multi-Office Businesses

TALK IS NOT CHEAP1$

As if costs associated with phone usage are not enough to give business owners a

headache, next consider the operational challenges. Often businesses with multiple

locations, employees that work from the road, or telecommute from

home, have issues connecting calls between offices or even just

knowing what number to dial for a particular employee. This

dispersion is most apparent to the customers of multi-location

businesses, as they often have to spend time looking up phone

numbers or hang up and dial different local phone numbers if

they reach the wrong location.

TOP CHALLENGES

of Multi-Office Businesses

CONNECTIONHEADACHES2

Another issue that often comes into play with traditional phone systems is the cost of

the phone systems themselves. Traditional premise-based phone systems are essentially

those that must be housed and managed onsite or “on premises” — hence the name

premise-based. This may be a good fit for a business looking to manage their system

in-house, but it also involves a huge capital investment in equipment.

Your equipment, like most technology, will be outdated in the

not-so-distant future. Bundle that challenge with the need for staff to

install and manage that equipment, and the Total Cost of Ownership

(TCO) begins to rise to a level that is simply out of reach for many SMBs.

While managing this equipment in-house may have its benefits for some

businesses looking for more control, it also means that when they lose

power or disaster strikes in one location, their phone calls cannot be transferred

elsewhere — their customers will simply hear a busy signal.

TOP CHALLENGES

of Multi-Office Businesses

EQUIPMENT &MANAGEMENT COSTS3

FINDING A SOLUTION

to the Challenges

CRAFTINGA STRATEGYSolving the many communication challenges of SMBs

is not a one-size-fits-all solution. Every business has

unique needs, especially multi-location businesses.

However, there are common threads among them that

allow for a solution with customizable options. There is hope for business owners struggling to make sense of

the many options out there to save money on phone

systems. Let us explore

For businesses looking to reduce phone costs and take advantage of new technology that

enables them to be more flexible, productive and competitive, Voice over Internet Protocol

(VoIP) is the fast-growing alternative to traditional phone systems using phone lines from

local carriers. VoIP is just what its name implies: the voice calls are delivered over the Inter-

net. This means that the voice signal from a telephone is converted to digital packets and

delivered over the Internet instead of over traditional phone lines. When they reach their

destination, the packets are converted back into a voice signal, so the phone call between

two parties takes place just like it did between two land line phones. This is also referred to

as digital or broadband phone service. VoIP has been around for several years, but the tech-

nology today has evolved to a much higher quality, giving it more attention as of late.

The trend of switching to VoIP is catching on with even the

smallest businesses. According to a recent survey the research

firm ISP Star, 41 percent of businesses with 100 employees or

fewer have already adopted a VoIP solution. In addition, the study

reveals how 20 percent of respondents are looking at deploying

VoIP systems within the next year. Reducing financial pressure

was cited as the leading reason for making the switch.

(Source: Techworld, May 2010, SMBs look to VoIP deployment)

ADOPT NEW TECHNOLOGIES

FINDING A SOLUTION

to the Challenges

41%

One way to streamline a phone solution is to implement a hosted or

managed phone solution with a trusted communication partner. In a

hosted environment, the phone service provider manages the service

for their clients. This is especially beneficial for new businesses, office

relocations, or companies looking to augment or replace their current

phone equipment. Often in these scenarios the company takes this

opportunity to make a fresh start with new systems and equipment.

However, the purchase decision goes beyond simply obtaining new

assets, help managing these systems is often needed.

A major obstacle SMBs face when adopting a new technology is not

having enough in-house talent to implement and manage the new

solution. By leveraging the expertise and hands-on monitoring of a

hosted phone service provider, businesses can rest easy knowing that

they have a trusted partner functioning like part of the team. This

allows businesses to focus on their core competencies, not their phone

and Internet technology. It can also allow internal technical staff to

focus on other projects. However, not all providers offer this level of

hands-on support, so businesses must choose providers carefully.

KEEP IT SIMPLE AND SECURE

FINDING A SOLUTION

to the Challenges

By leveraging the

expertise and hands-on

monitoring of a hosted

phone service provider,

businesses can rest easy.

Businesses can also eliminate the capital outlay for expensive

equipment. With a hosted VoIP phone system, only the actual

phones are located in the office. The phone software

platform is located “in the cloud”. This essentially means that

the phone services are delivered over the Internet as a

service. The infrastructure is located at the provider’s

location. Clients only pay for the services that they use, and

may even lease the actual phones as well. This model

eliminates the need for large capital expenditures.

The costs and responsibility of powering, maintaining, and

supporting the phone system are covered by the provider. For

example, upgrades occur automatically in the cloud and not

onsite. Incidentally the name “cloud” was derived from the

use of a cloud like drawing used in drawn diagrams to

represent the Internet. A strong hosted cloud-based solution

should involve a complete phone system package, including

phone equipment, installation and setup, web-based software,

and ongoing support and monitoring of the network.

GET INTO THE CLOUD

FINDING A SOLUTION

to the Challenges

Clients only pay for the

services that they use,

and may even lease the

actual phones as well.

Not ready to give up on your existing equipment? For businesses that already own their

phone system equipment, but still want to take advantage of the many benefits of VoIP,

there are some providers that allow their clients to utilize some or all of their existing

hardware. Essentially this option will still deliver many of the benefits of VoIP and create

one plan for voice and internet needs while letting them use their own phone equipment

a little longer. Most Private Branch Exchange (PBX) or key phone systems are Internet

enabled or can be easily adapted to be Internet ready.

EXISTING EQUIPMENT OPTION

FINDING A SOLUTION

to the Challenges

PTSN

InternetLocation B:PBX On Site

Location A:PBX On Site

Tele-Worker

Any Phone

Free

“on network”

calls

Lower

“off network”

calls

Centralized

billing and

web-based

management

One system

for ring groups

to mult-locations,

including

teleworkers

Find me /

Follow me —

even to cell

phones

Hosted VoIP Configurations create

centralized communications for reduced

cost and increased productivity.

Hosted VoIP Platform

FIVE BENEFITS

of a Hosted VoIP Phone Solution

THE CLOUD FOR MULTIPLE OFFICESSo why would a business choose a cloud-based

solution versus an in-house phone system? There are many benefits of starting with a complete solution, from choosing a setup to installation and support.

Following are five major benefits worth highlighting.

VoIP has many advantages for multi-office businesses. One

of the most exciting benefits is that it immediately reduces

phone bills by slashing office-to-office calling costs to

practically nothing. With most hosted VoIP plans,

businesses can communicate within their own network for

free — no more paying for calls between different office

locations. This is because “on-network” calls traveling over

the Internet never actually hit the public telephone network.

The benefits of VoIP do not end there, however; the calling

rates to outside lines (“off-network”) are lower too.

The cost of VoIP is much less than a traditional phone line in

general, sometimes as much as 50 percent lower. Taking the

savings a step farther, with a hosted VoIP plan there are no

additional costs to maintain the phone system. Businesses

have a more predictable monthly operational expenditure.

DRAMATIC SAVINGS(and FREE office-to-office calling!)1

FIVE BENEFITS

of a Hosted VoIP Phone Solution

50% Lower

With most hosted VoIP

plans, businesses can

communicate within their

own network for free.

With a hosted solution, businesses can centralize billing through one

provider instead of using a different local phone carrier in each state

or city. Combining the phone needs into one plan also opens up the

possibility of pooled minutes for extra savings. But the savings do not

end there. In the not-too-distant past, businesses only had to pay for

one means of communication: phone service.

Then along came the Internet. Now businesses do not just make and

receive phone calls, they also send and receive emails and conduct

various aspects of their business online. As a result, most businesses

today now pay for two means of communication instead of one:

phone service and Internet service. Today both phone service and

Internet service can be carried over one connection. That means only

paying for one method of communication, resulting in added cost

savings and convenience.

ONE BILL.ONE VENDOR.2

FIVE BENEFITS

of a Hosted VoIP Phone Solution

Combining the phone

needs into one plan also

opens up the possibility

of pooled minutes for

extra savings.

Instead of dialing a completely different 10-digit number for each

location, a hosted solution enables businesses to use the same

main number for all its locations, with convenient three or four

digit extensions. This enables a workforce to function as if they are

all in the same office. In addition, an auto-attendant service can

centrally answer calls and route them to the right department or

employee, wherever they might be located that day. This can even

include forwarding calls to a cell phone number.

With a hosted cloud-based phone system, telecommuters are

just like every other extension on the system. All they need is a

high speed Internet connection and a phone. So, even though

Jim from sales is working from his home office in Albuquerque,

he is on the same system as Sally in accounting at the main

office. Jim can be reached at home, by cell phone or anywhere

just by dialing his extension.

CREATE A UNIFIEDVIRTUAL OFFICE3

FIVE BENEFITS

of a Hosted VoIP Phone Solution

With a hosted

cloud-based phone

system, telecommuters

are just like every other

extension on

the system.

A hosted solution provides numerous benefits that help employees

streamline their communications and boost productivity, whether in the

office or on the road. Some of these features include: setting up call routing

to office, home and cell phone numbers; conference calling;

voicemail-to-email alert services; toll-free numbers; and a soft phone that

enables them to leverage office phone features on the road. A hosted

cloud-based system can also deliver high definition (HD) voice quality

through phone hardware from leading technology vendors, such as Polycom.

Further adding to the feature set, some providers will even offer convenient

web based portals for live and easy administration of the

phone system and its desired settings.

BOOST EMPLOYEEPRODUCTIVITY4

FIVE BENEFITS

of a Hosted VoIP Phone Solution

Adding or removing lines

as staffing requirements

fluctuate is no longer the

major configuration and

system constraint

headache it once

was with

traditional

phone systems.

A hosted system is a perfect fit for a growing, multi-office

business because it enables them to scale up or down as needed

for short and long term needs. Adding or removing lines as

staffing requirements fluctuate is no longer the major

configuration and system constraint headache it once was

with traditional phone systems. For example, if a

seasonal business needs to gear up phone support

for a holiday marketing campaign, they can easily

add as many extensions and phones as they need

with simplicity. Furthermore, when an outage

occurs or natural disaster strikes, calls can be

automatically rerouted to another office. Since the

managed solution involves storage of activity, all of

the call data can be backed up.

SHORT & LONGTERM SCALABILITY5

FIVE BENEFITS

of a Hosted VoIP Phone Solution

NOW WHAT?

MAKING THESWITCH TO VOiPSo where does a business begin to navigate the waters

of choosing a hosted VoIP provider? We’ve put

together some of the key data you’ll need to compile.

The first step is to take a look inwards at your business today and estimate a few key

metrics to share with the new provider:

How many office locations, including home offices, are you managing?

What are your bandwidth and call usage needs currently?

Are you looking to make a change from existing equipment?

Or keep current equipment?

Do you have any existing hardware or software integration needs?

What business drivers will shape your decision?

What is your budget?

Businesses with no technical staff will probably be more attracted to a hosted solution with

a communications partner. This is because the choice to partner with a trusted provider will

enable them to focus on their core business and eliminate additional hiring of staff. For

businesses that do have a technical team on staff, the decision to switch to a hosted

platform might involve a desire to free up those resources to focus on other core

business functions, in addition to the cost savings of not owning the equipment.

Making the switch to VoIP

THE FIRST STEPS

NOW WHAT?

For businesses that choose to go the hosted phone system route and bring on a

communications partner, they will find themselves trying to make sense of many options.

Most VoIP providers will offer the same suite of features, but the difference lies in the

quality of service and additional professional services that they can provide, making them a

true partner and not simply a supplier of products and services. Some of these services to

evaluate are:

Does the provider offer setup and installation of the newly purchased equipment?

Does the provider offer basic training for your staff on the new phones?

Can the provider offer testimonials and examples of other happy customers?

What technology are they using to deliver the voice and data services?

Will the provider offer migration support from old systems as an added service?

What kind of customer service and ongoing support will the provider offer?

Will you have access to a web portal for ease of administration and use?

Making the switch to VoIP

THE RIGHT PARTNER

NOW WHAT?

A word of caution, and perhaps confusion for some businesses; not all VoIP offerings are

equal. Depending on how the Internet connection is delivered, service may be offered at

different quality levels.

For example, an offering for Internet, or broadband, service provided by a cable

company not offering a Service Level Agreement (SLA) translates to little or

no assistance when outages occur. Furthermore, depending on how the

broadband lines are delivered and whether or not a SLA is in place,

there may not be a guarantee of Quality of Service (QOS).

The bottom line: Look for VoIP providers who can explain

and offer QOS; as well as professional services for setup

and monitoring to provide a complete solution.

Making the switch to VoIP

NOT ALL OFFERINGSARE EQUAL

NOW WHAT?

CAUTION

Making the decision to adopt a new phone system is not always a quick process, but with

the right partner it can be an easy one. Businesses should think carefully about their needs

and how they hope to benefit from the new system in order to better define their return on

that investment.

For example, a business simply looking to cut monthly expenditures to have an immediate

impact on cash flow will realize a return by achieving lower phone bills with a VoIP solution.

A company looking to increase employee productivity will need to evaluate employee

performance before and after a switch in phone system technologies in order to better

measure a return.

Whatever the motivator for making a switch to new communication technologies such as

VoIP, the benefits are here to stay, and in fact even grow as the technology continues to

improve. Businesses with more than one location, or simply a scattered workforce, will

immediately noticethe benefits of a cloud-based phone system’s features and cost savings.

Together with the right partner, multi-office businesses can hugely benefit from the

simplicity and security of a hosted cloud-based phone solution which enables them to

realize financial savings and better unify their voice and data communications.

Making the switch to VoIP

THE ROI FACTOR

NOW WHAT?

With a hosted VoIP phone system, only the phones are located in your office. The costs and

responsibility of powering, maintaining, and supporting the phone system are covered by

us and managed remotely. You only pay for the services that you need on a per user basis,

and you can even lease the phones as well. By leveraging the expertise and hands-on

monitoring of a hosted phone service provider, your business can rest easy knowing that

you have a trusted partner functioning like part of the team. A hosted solution can also

allow your internal technical staff to focus on other revenue-driving projects.

HOW VOXOX WORKS

LOVE YOUR PHONE

with VOXOX

PTSN

VOXOX IP Phones

Any Phone(Worldwide)

VOXOX Delivery Platform

VOXOX manages theswitches and routers

VOXOX

Easily add or

remove users and

phone lines.

Connect

multiple offices

together

worldwide.

Extension

dial throughout

your company —

even multiple

locations.

ABOUT VOXOX

VOXOX is a leader in cloud-based unified communications and VoIP solutions for

business and consumer markets. The foundation of the company's offerings is its award-winning unified communications service delivery platform that enables the

company and its customers to build powerful, scalable applications and services.

VOXOX is the most comprehensive Unified Communications provider

in the industry. We provide complete phone and Internet solutions

that help businesses save money, simplify their communications and

are easier to manage compared to traditional phone systems.

VOXOX

VOXOXWe empower communication from engaging consumer applications to robust business ecosystems.

© 2013 Voxox, Inc.

TF (866) 514-VOIP (8647)

P (866) 900-9000

F (858) 587-7036

E sales@voxox.com

9276 Scranton Road

Suite 300

San Diego, CA 92121

Learn more at voxox.com

LOVE YOUR PHONE