A publication by:

www.fonality.com

How Improved Communications Fuel Business Growth

No matter what products companies build or which services they provide, everything they

do rests on their ability to communicate with people: customers, employees, the public.

The Internet revolution has radically redefined the abilities of companies and people to communicate

with one another; and it has reshaped their expectations. The same infrastructure that lets people

stream their favorite movies into their living rooms enables businesses to maintain an around-

the-clock, around-the-globe conversation with their workers, suppliers and customers.

In an age when a machine shop in Chicago can videoconference with a supplier in Shanghai,

small and midsize businesses can collaborate like never before — if they choose the right tools.

Companies today face a mind-boggling array of communications challenges.

In addition to providing the best products and services, companies have to

provide workers and customers around-the-clock connectivity.

Small and midsize businesses want to:

• Increase productivity of their employees

• Enhance the experience for every customer

• Help teams work smarter and faster

• Leverage mobility to make the most of every business hour

• Integrate systems offering simple user experience

Improve Productivity

For many companies looking to modernize their

communications systems, the first decision is between a

traditional phone service and one based on newer Voice over

Internet Protocol (VoIP) technology.

VoIP uses the same networking technology

that enables websites and email. But as anyone who has spent five minutes surfing the

Internet knows, that connectivity can bring chaos. Companies need a simple, elegant

solution that improves productivity by taking advantage of Internet technology.

Communication Challenges for Small and Midsize Businesses

Improve Customer Service

Small and midsize businesses need access to automation tools that answer customer queries, provide

product support and direct callers to the people and information they need.Today’s consumers expect

even smaller companies to have the same communications capabilities of a large call center.

Improve Collaboration with Employees

Supervisors need communication tools that can help them hire great people

and keep them engaged, productive and motivated. Those employees expect

to be able to use all their tools, all the time, wherever they are.

Leverage Mobility Across the Company Ecosystem

These days everyone is connected via smartphones, tablets, laptops and traditional desktop

PCs. Companies need to be able to tie everybody together and make sure nobody — remote

employees, suppliers, customers — gets left out of the conversation.

Integrate Multiple Communications Systems

A small or midsize company aiming to upgrade its communications

capability needs to make sure its VoIP provider can

Communication Challenges for Small and Midsize Businesses

The right communication tools can help companies attract top talent and keep them

satisfied and productive. Those same tools also can enhance employee engagement,

which can make companies more efficient, and hence more profitable.

A 2010 report by human resources consulting firm Towers & Watson compared the financial

performance of firms with highly engaged workforces and those whose

employees were less engaged. Companies that focused on

employee engagement had an operating income improvement of 19

percent in the span of a year. Firms whose workers were less

engaged averaged a 33-percent decline over the same period.

How should growing companies keep their employees

engaged? Start by instituting a regular series of milestones

for check-in, feedback and increased responsibility, says

business growth consultant Bill Ringle, founder and CEO

of LearnWell, a business advisory and training firm.

Ringle advises companies to engage with new

employees once a month to provide feedback on

their performance and find out what they think

company management is doing right and what could

be improved. This helps employers to learn about problems

or dissatisfaction early enough to keep their workers from jumping ship.

Leveraging the Power of People

Today’s employees expect their toys to be tools: They want to be engaged via their smartphones,

tablets, laptops and other devices.

The key to making that happen is to employ a unified communications (UC) system, which can help

companies seamlessly integrate multiple locations and connect mobile workers while ensuring that

internal communications can scale quickly as the company grows.

UC is built on an integrated platform to support and enhance the wide range of communications

functions that competitive workplaces require. Voice, data and video communications are all managed

on a single IT infrastructure accessible from a range of mobile phones and devices, laptops, tablets

and in-office equipment.

By allowing employees to access data, applications and other critical business tools by simply

“plugging in,” a unified communication system improves productivity and allows organizations to

quickly support a growing employee base without heavy investment in IT staff and equipment.

Build Engagement with Unified Communications

A business process is a series of steps or tasks that produce a product, service or outcome. For

companies upgrading their communications systems, developing a map of their business processes is

essential.

A process map defines each step in a company’s critical tasks. Examining their processes one step at

a time helps companies eliminate waste, speed cycle times, improve customer service and enhance

employee motivation. Process maps also make it easier to train new employees because they can

simply refer to a list or diagram for guidance on how to do certain tasks.

Process maps can be developed by asking employees in a specific

department or division to write down the specific steps involved

in the work they do every day. The employees’ lists can be

synthesized into a process map that outlines all the jobs that

must be done to satisfy customers and operate the business

at a profit.

Companies looking to upgrade their communications

systems can scan their process maps to identify

steps where communication happens. This

helps them determine which services they need

and avoid purchasing unnecessary services.

Creating Effective Processes: Mapping

A well-executed process map can show a company where it needs to change its ways, but it’s up to the

company to implement the most effective, workable changes.

One priority is to keep employees connected. Salespeople on the road, customer service people in

call centers and distribution personnel handling shipping and receiving should all have centralized

information centers where they can add information to customer files and share order and scheduling

information.

Allowing mobile or remote employees to connect via a variety of

devices and into a centralized, cloud-based system increases

their effectiveness and productivity while making it easier for

them to update data and customer feedback. For example, a

cloud-based customer relationship management system makes

up-to-the-minute information available to all employees who are

authorized to access it, reducing miscommunication, errors and

delays that can cause issues with customer orders.

Setting the right priorities when streamlining businesses

processes pays immediate dividends and puts small and

midsize companies in a better position to respond quickly

and effectively when it comes time to scale up their operations.

Creating Effective Processes: Setting Priorities

A traditional telephone network, while dependable, brings with it high prices and limited features.

Voice over Internet Protocol, or VoIP, is much more efficient than traditional phone networks, offering

lower rates, no long-distance charges and all the multimedia options Internet users enjoy.

VoIP systems are deployed in two ways:

Hosted, or Cloud-based Hardware and software are owned, managed and operated by the provider.

Service is accessed using the Internet. Some benefits:

• Quick set up - New users can be added in minutes, new locations in several hours

• Reduced cost - No need to purchase equipment, software, or maintenance contracts

• Simplicity - Web-based interface removes the need for specialized training.

On-Premise For larger companies requiring customization or those with multiple locations,

an on-premise solution often is the better solution. Benefits include:

• Combined VoIP and analog voice services

• Support for multiple offices, telecommuters and remote workers

• Compatibility with existing telecommunications carrier contracts

• Enhanced reliability enabling switching back to analog services when a VoIP link is unavailable.

Considering Options: Traditional Phone Service vs. VoIP

Unified communication (UC) systems combine traditional email, chat, Internet access, and application

support while integrating traditional phones, smartphones, tablets, and computers. With UC, a phone

call may trigger a voicemail prompt and allow the employee to return a call by simply clicking on the

message.

UC also is integrated into a company’s customer contact system, so calls in progress

and on hold are visible on a computer dashboard and can be moved with a drag-

and-drop feature, which helps direct calls more quickly and efficiently.

VideoVisual communication between workstations improves productivity while giving your employees

and clients relationship-building “face time” and saving a bundle in travel costs.

CollaborationA good UC system keeps employees informed

of co-workers’ presence and preferred

method of communication. By checking

the system’s dashboard, employees can

usually see whether colleagues are available

and whether it’s best to communicate by

phone, chat, email, or another method.

Unified Communications Brings Everything Together

A company with 50 knowledge workers earning salaries between $40,000 and $100,000 migrates to

UC. Downtime is reduced and the IT staff is allowed to refocus on activities that benefit the company’s

bottom line. A modest, two-hour-per-day gain in efficiency results in an annual productivity gain of

nearly $1 million.

Because UC offers the functionality of the most sophisticated phone systems, small businesses can

offer sophisticated, responsive customer service just like a large corporation. The business can receive

unlimited inbound calls and make unlimited outbound phone calls and maintain standard functions such

as call forwarding, hold, paging, intercom, and voicemail, among others.

UC systems also offer transfer between stations, even when those

“stations” are someone’s home office or mobile phone. This reduces

the productivity drag of having to track down employees to get

important information. Such systems support audio conferencing and

also allow employees to have a single extension that rings both desk

and mobile phones, allowing them to receive calls efficiently, even when

they are out of the office.

A well-designed UC system is built to scale up with a company’s growth, ensuring

that communication needs always keep pace with customer and employee demands.

Supporting Growth with Unified Communications

Amtec Human CapitalCalifornia-based Amtec Human Capital found that as its business expanded, so did its need to find

solutions for mobile workers and various offices.

CEO Scott Kuethen said a new communications system from Fonality cut costs

and made employees more productive. “People feel trusted. They’re diligent

and hard-working when they’re working from home. When I consider

the system, it’s more than just a set of features. The communication

allows us to coach people more effectively, wherever they are.”

Case Studies in Growth: Amtec Human Capital

When I consider the

system, it’s more than

just a set of features. The

communication allows

us to coach people

more effectively,

wherever they are.-CEO Scott Kuethen

ProVestA unified communications system has transformed the business of ProVest

Insurance Group, an Allstate Insurance affiliate based in North Carolina.

“The challenge insurance agencies face is communications with the staff and knowing

what the staff is doing throughout the day,” says ProVest owner Jay Adkins, who installed

a UC system from Fonality. “Being able to see what’s going on from your office, in real

time, all the time, has just made a huge change in the way that I do business.”

Adkins said the improved phone system was pivotal to expanding his business to

Texas and Florida. “The system can scale seamlessly as the business expands,” he

said, “and the features have allowed my staff and me to be completely mobile.”

VariQAn IT firm based in Washington, D.C., VariQ turned to UC when it needed the ability to transfer

calls between a small network of employees and contractors working in various locations.

“UC makes us look, to the outside world, like a cohesive organization, and allows us to work anywhere

at any time,” President and CEO Ben Edson said. ”That’s a huge advantage for small companies.”

Case Studies in Growth: ProVest and VariQ

The features have allowed my staff

and me to be completely mobile.

Small and midsize businesses have a host of questions to ask before they settle on a new business communication system. Among them:

Can your solution grow with my business? Make sure the provider can say how fast it can it adjust to rapid changes in payroll, suppliers and cus-tomer base.

Will your solution integrate with my CRM system? Each CRM software package has its own quirks in addition to any customizations you have added. Make sure the vendor can adapt to your precise needs.

How elaborate is your implementation process?You need to know if your communications will be interrupted, and how much training your employees will need.

What features cause additional charges?High-bandwidth services like videoconferencing could cost extra, depend-ing on the vendor.

What size business is best served by your solution?A vendor that supplies enterprise phone systems to Fortune 500 corpora-tions might not be the best match for a company with a few dozen employ-ees.

What deployment options do you offer?Make sure your vendor can offer you choices and has the flexibility to let you change later if needed.

Considering Options: Questions to Ask

Your business communications vendor must support the technological functions your employees

use each day. Other musts: improved support for mobile and remote workers, excellent

customer support and a reliable roadmap for installing your platform with minimal downtime.

Your vendor should base its solutions on your current size and communications

practices without expensive add-ons your employees won’t use.

Look for a provider that has tiers of service and can easily upgrade

your company to the next level when growth demands.

Make sure your vendor offers the widest range of options:

Public Cloud – Pay as you go, low-cost and

scalable with no equipment to manage

On-Premise – The best of both, with UC functions in the cloud

and VoiP voice service backed up by legacy PSTN systems.

It’s clear that improved communications can help fuel the growth

of your business. But don’t just buy a system. Find a partner.

Considering Options: Choosing a Provider

Fonality provides business phone systems and contact center solutions designed exclusively for small and midsize businesses. Fonality is the only provider that can deliver the same user experience in the cloud and on-premise, with innovative features that help small businesses save time, communicate more efficiently and reduce costs. For more information, visit www.Fonality.com or call 1-888-768-3770.