A cloud PBX was many businesses’ saving grace when it came to remote and hybrid work during the pandemic. Now, the question becomes, is the technology still needed when creating a return to office strategy? Yes, it absolutely is.
Your business, both employees and customers, has come to rely on the advancements achieved by moving to a cloud PBX, and if you decide to downgrade to an on-premise option, you will regret it down the road.
What is a Return to Office Strategy?
A return to office strategy, or RTO, is a comprehensive plan for transitioning employees back to the office full-time or on a hybrid model. Every business is different, and the reasons you bring them back must be discussed on a case-by-case basis. According to ResumeBuilder.com, 90 percent of companies are mandating RTO by the end of 2024. You may think it’s not that serious, but employees may have strong feelings based on circumstances you might not know about. Evaluating the needs of all involved will benefit you more than you realize.
Benefits of a Cloud PBX in the Office
A cloud PBX introduced features your business relied on when you went remote. Whether you are creating a return to office strategy or not, those features are still essential to the company you run. Here’s a reminder of items you will miss:
| Mobile Desktop App | Browser-Based Configuration |
| Disaster Recovery | Auto-Attendant |
| Instant Messaging | Call Queueing |
| SMS and MMS Support | Optional Call Center Suite |
| Voicemail to Email | And So Much More! |
Your employees have benefited greatly from this initial decision to move to a cloud PBX. Will switching to something unknown be worth it?
Cost Reduction
You may have been paying for an entire office space over the last few years and want to take advantage of that investment. That’s completely understandable. Trying to find offsets for the increased utilities costs and supplies now that people are returning to the office is fine, but ditching your cloud PBX isn’t a viable option. A cloud PBX can save you as much as 50 percent in ongoing costs compared to traditional copper lines. Are you prepared to increase your operating costs?
Maintenance
A leading feature of using a cloud PBX is reducing maintenance issues since the service provider is responsible for them. The same will apply when moving back into the office, and you will continue to receive less expensive maintenance costs.
Collaboration
Collaboration is the backbone of any business, and employees spend as much as 85 percent of their work weeks collaborating with others, according to a recent article in Harvard Business Review. That’s a massive amount of time, and with instant messaging built directly into the cloud PBX, it reduces the challenges that come with context switching. Keeping the number of various programs at a minimum will increase productivity across the board. A recent Qatalog report states that, in a typical day, people spend 59 minutes simply looking for information trapped within tools and applications.
Scalability and Redundancy
Any return to office strategy would be incomplete without preparation for future disasters. The chances of another pandemic in our lifetime are small, but natural disasters are increasing at an alarming rate, and a cloud PBX is still viable for business redundancy. For example, your business is in a location that experiences hurricanes. When the time comes for evacuation, you’ve already prepared your employees and established safe places for them to go and continue working with your customers when they need it the most.
With a Cloud PBX, You Stay Ahead of the Competition and Prepared for Anything
You’re doing right by your business for establishing a well-thought-out return to office strategy that works for everyone. A cloud PBX is a crucial piece in that strategy. Pathwayz has been a leading provider in Texas for 25 years and will assist in strategizing your business operation needs. We aim to create a long-term partnership with you instead of just selling a service and moving on. Your success is our success. Contact us today, and let’s discuss the next chapter of your business.