Canterbury City Council has become one of the latest in the rapidly expanding list of employers to take advantage of Voice over Internet Protocol (VoIP) technology as part of their business phone systems.
The council is reaping the rewards that the technology offers after a recent revamp of their telephony which saw their legacy business phone systems retired in a bid to offer employees the option of working from home or other remote locations with ease.
Cathy Eastwood, the council’s Customer Service Manager, said that the newly installed business VoIP not only offered them optimum efficiency when it came to handling calls, but also provided members of staff who worked shifts with an appreciable balance between their jobs and their home life. She stated:
“The majority of our 47 staff are now set up to work from home, 20 doing so on a regular basis, and two working permanently from home.
“This has produced a very positive outcome in terms of improved productivity, efficiency and motivation.”
According to one expert, any company with mobile or peripatetic employees should seriously consider VoIP in an effort to boost productivity.
Kurt Marko, writing for Information Week, stated that all companies should consider how they can provide a communications experience that includes instant messaging, video conferencing and VoIP.
He added that companies that have a large number of employees working remotely may benefit from an IP PBX system, as the installation of a VoIP based telephone number at the home of an employee is a relatively straightforward task. However, smaller companies or new businesses should consider a hosted PBX, as it requires less investment upfront.
He added that when taking into account a telecommuter’s physical isolation, any additional communication channels such as VoIP can be particularly beneficial and increase productivity.
