Businesses across every industry are exploring how to thrive and survive in a post-pandemic world. Capabilities such as scalability and automation are becoming increasingly important to avoid buckling under the pressure at a time where, according to Forbes, resilience and agility have become the new boardroom imperative.
These are just a few reasons why many businesses are leveraging technology and embarking on a digital transformation journey. In recent months, the global pandemic highlighted how traditional industries such as manufacturing and those managing the food supply chains were in need of a digital upgrade to handle the unprecedented demand and scale accordingly.
Business Continuity and Increased Resiliency
Cloud computing is now much more than a buzzword or nice to have. It has matured into a robust, mature platform for business services of all kinds. Multi-cloud environments now provide the additional redundancy and reliability to secure the business continuity that they have been searching for.
The traditional PBX is struggling to remain relevant when employees no longer work inside a central office building. Enabling remote workers scattered in various locations to access an aging premise-based system is unrealistic.
Thankfully, moving your operations around geographically is now much easier than with a PBX. Cloud-based solutions enable anyone to make robust and responsive call routing by sending calls directly to any department, factory or warehouse.
Increase Collaboration Across Your Entire Supply Chain
In the world of manufacturing, a phone system represents the lifeblood of its business. It connects customers and service agents, but also seamlessly connects warehouse managers and delivery personnel, not to mention the sales reps and their myriad of contacts. But the limited flexibility and customization options with an on-premise PBX are beginning to hold back the manufacturing industry.
Every supply chain is now being built on efficient collaboration. Without it, your goods do not make it out of the warehouse on time. In a digital age, manufacturers need more than a phone system. A unified communications solution makes it easier for suppliers, distributors, and employees to collaborate, regardless of their location.
Simplify Management
Many manufacturers operate multiple plants or facilities, and some will also have the added concern of managing overseas operations. One of the biggest problems with an on-premise PBX is the inability to make your decisions about the future because you are held back by expensive licensing and support costs.
Migrating to a hosted PBX solution can offer considerable value and benefits. Your cloud provider of choice will have many more resources at their disposal to add new feature sets and minimal fuss.
Essential patches and upgrades are also one less thing to worry about too. Even the dreaded threat of downtime is removed as redundancy should be routed to an off-site facility.
A hosted PBX solution enables manufacturers to simplify the management and security of your business communications. By improving communications and connectivity with your customers, you can also enhance your supply chains' performance and resilience.
Reduce Costs and Deliver More Value
Increasing the speed that your entire supply team can communicate is a game-changer in itself. But we are living in a time where the ROI of implementing any new tech project will require a debate around value and costs.
Retiring rigid pricing methods and replacing them with a modern pricing structure where you pay for the services that are relevant to your business will make these conversations much easier.
With the right planning, cloud based solutions also make it much easier to scale up or down depending on your unique seasonal requirements. When exploring cloud-based options for the first time, the reduction of operational costs, manufacturing delays, and low upfront costs will make it difficult to defend your legacy equipment.
It has taken a global pandemic to make manufacturers question many of its outdated practices. But businesses across every industry are beginning to emerge, wiser, and more connected than they were before. Resilience and continuity are now at the forefront of every business strategy.
However, it will also be a combination of communication, agility, and collaboration that will enable manufacturers to be more competitive. Being ready to respond to the unexpected with strength and flexibility will help deliver greater resilience. But most importantly, it will help keep the entire supply chain flowing.
It wasn't too long ago that unified communications were seen as nothing more than a side benefit. But business continuity planning has moved to the front of the line as a valuable reason to finally make the leap. There is an increasing argument that cloud-based unified communications are now more valuable than ever for manufacturers.
Don't make the mistake of taking this journey alone. If this is your first PBX to cloud migration, you will need an experienced partner who has a track record of helping manufacturers overcome the challenges they face unique to their industry. If you require any help or advice, please contact us and we’ll be glad to help
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Suellen Meyers: December 21, 2023
