Cloud Telephony is finding its utility across the sectors

Cloud telephony has rapidly changed how businesses contact consumers and employees. Before cloud telephony, companies could only use PBX and EPBAX lines to call customers and workers. While PBX and EPBX lines do facilitate communication, they are ineffective for managing very high call volumes.

Today an enterprise has to manage hundreds of calls between employees and customers daily. Using traditional phone systems to handle such a large number of requests is difficult and expensive. Because conventional phone systems need wires to work, using them to manage hundreds or thousands of calls every day proves chaotic.

Furthermore, the cost of operating a traditional phone system is significantly higher than that of maintaining a cloud telephony system.

The reasons mentioned above are just two of many behind cloud telephony's popularity and usefulness. Today cloud telephony is being used by virtually every industry. A few reasons cloud telephony proves invaluable to the education, healthcare, and financial sectors are as follows.

Cloud Telephony in Education Industry

The education industry is the foundation of an economy. Well educated students of today grow into the able leaders of tomorrow. Everywhere, the competition to gain admission into prestigious schools, colleges, and universities is fierce.

When admissions results are expected, schools and colleges receive a torrent of calls from anxious students and parents. Managing such a large number of calls using traditional phone lines is extremely difficult. Institutes that don’t use cloud telephony usually have to allocate additional human resources to tend to the enormous increase of incoming calls.

However, colleges and schools that use cloud telephony can use its IVR feature to manage calls. With an IVR programmed to receive calls, hundreds or more calls can be operated simultaneously. Callers have merely presented menu options and select one that meets their requirements. If they need to know the results of an admission test, all they do is select the right menu option and input the corresponding roll number.

Cloud telephony automates numerous processes and streamlines others. Hence educational institutes can free up resources they would otherwise expend on answering incoming queries.

Education institutes also use cloud telephony to increase enrollment. When a visitor visits an educational institute’s website and wants more information than that found on the site, they only need to select a “click to call” button available on the site. After clicking the "click to call" dial, they quickly fill an online form that asks for their phone number.

A cloud telephony system then bridges a call between an agent- who has additional information about the educational institute- and the visitor to the site. With such smooth processes in place, educational institutes increase enrollments.

The IVR systems built into cloud telephony systems are versatile. They are being used not only to declare results but also to share when events are scheduled. Additionally, they are used to send SMSs blasts to existing and prospective students, communicate with parents, and to create toll-free numbers.

Cloud Telephony’s Uses in Healthcare

Like in the education industry, cloud telephony has a plethora of uses in the healthcare sector as well. Cloud telephony systems are being used to make appointments between doctors and patients and to cancel appointments when necessary.

Also, the built-in IVR of cloud telephony systems is helping route calls between patients and doctors automatically. Such accessible communication between patients and doctors results in good relationships between caregivers and patients.

Emergency room doctors are also using the technology. For instance, when critical patients arrive, on-call emergency room doctors instantly share the patient’s data with other physicians in the hospital. When such data is shared, every caregiver quickly gets up to speed and collaborates in treating patients.

Cloud telephony is also making it easy to share lab test results with patients. Many who undergo tests in healthcare facilities that use cloud telephony call the establishment to know their test results. Such smooth interaction saves time, effort, and costs for patients and healthcare providers.

Cloud Telephony’s Uses in Financial Services Sector

The financial services industry is even more competitive than the education and healthcare industries. Finance is a cut-throat business where the slightest edge is all that stands between success and failure. Cloud telephony gives this edge.

It has a wide range of uses in this vital industry. For instance, every financial entity knows that it is essential to keep clients happy. People are very sensitive about their financial data and its security. When required, they expect to be able to speak with an agent quickly.

Cloud telephony makes this possible. A cloud telephony system can easily support an army of agents tasked with answering customers’ queries. A large number of available agents mean a negligible waiting time for callers.

While routing calls is essential, it is equally important to resolve queries quickly. Cloud telephony's built-in IVR answers the most common questions posed to banks and financial institutes. Customers needn't wait to speak with an agent to know their balance; all they must do is enter a few details about their account and the IVR shares the requested data.

An undeniable advantage of cloud telephony is that it is always on. Hence a customer can call a bank at any time of day if necessary. While many services aren't available late in the evening and early in the morning, cloud telephony's IVR is always working. Customers who have generic queries can have them answered at any time. Such service attracts customers; they gravitate towards financial institutes offering them.

The three industries mentioned above are only a handful of those benefiting from cloud telephony. The technology has transformed many industries and made many businesses more competitive. Already widely used, the technology is still young and will likely have a broader range of applications in the decade ahead.

 Yatish Mehrotra, CEO, Knowlarity Communications