The introduction of cloud telephony has brought about a revolution in the world of telecommunications as a whole and is paving the way for a less hardware-centric future.
It slashes setup and installation costs by eliminating the need for purchasing expensive hardware to host a business’ own services on and the need for renting out extra space to fit all of that in, not to mention the fact that adding extra lines to it is a breeze.
But how does one go about becoming a cloud hosting provider and how does it all work?
That is the topic that we are delving into today.
What Is Cloud Telephony?
To start off, we need to understand what cloud telephony is.
In simple terms, it refers to phone systems that utilize the internet as a substitute for landines. It boasts improved speeds and comes with a lot more customizability than a traditional phone system does, fully utilizing its digital environment.
The introduction of omnichannel into the fold is something that traditional telephony systems could not manage either where different communication channels could get unified and interacted with at the same time.
Of course, the capabilities differ from one provider to another, but it is up to the service providers themselves to create compelling package offers that will attract businesses.
Thankfully, this is all easy to manage for UC providers thanks to cloud telephony’s intense scalability and flexibility, allowing you to adjust your offer based on customer demands.
Who Are Cloud Telephony Hosts (Service Providers)?
Better known as UCaaS (Unified Communications as a Service) providers, cloud telephony hosts are, as the name implies, providers of the UC service.
They are the ones who provide use of their servers to individuals, businesses or other parties, usually on a subscription basis, but it all depends on the offers provided.
They are the ones who take care of server maintenance and service uptime while the renting party reaps all the benefits for a fee.
The case is a little different if a reseller is in question as they could be using the servers from the parent company or their own, but the result for the end-user is mostly the same.
The Requirements To Become A Cloud Host
Now that we have the basics out of the way, it is time to go through the cloud hosting essentials which there are not many of, but they are equally crucial all the same:
1. Market Research
The first item on the list is research. You need to take a good look at the existing market in your area to see potential obstacles and opportunities and leverage whether one outweighs the other.
This consists of looking into any existing competitors in the area and their offer as well as the needs of the customer base for your target audience.
An abundance of competition may appear daunting, but if their offer is lackluster compared to what the audience is looking for, you may have a chance to pull the rug under them.
So, get to poking around and data gathering so you can establish the legs of your business to move toward further requirements.
2. Servers
To be able to host anything, you need access to servers and, contrary to popular belief, the cloud still runs on physical servers. Hypervisors offered by Bicom Systems’ SERVERware solution offer the option of cloud hosting from our own servers, or you can take our solution and host your own instances if you so choose.
3. The Right Cloud Telephony Provider
Once the servers are taken care of, you will need to find a reputable cloud telephony provider whose offer fits within your expectations, and your budget.
Nowadays the options are plentiful, however, Bicom Systems offers flexible solutions that cater to the needs of a wide array of our partners at competitive prices. Our partner-focused mindset is sure to strike an agreeable offer with you as well should you consider it.
Besides, we can even take care of requirement #2 on our own end by hosting the software for you.
4. Establish The Offer
With the initial prerequisites in place, work with your cloud provider to find the ideal shape of the offer that you want to present to your customers.
If you have chosen wisely on requirement #3, this should not be a big issue.
And, if your market research was well conducted, you should be able to craft the perfect package for your target audience without any unnecessary feature bloat that your clients did not seem to show an interest in.
4.1 Ensure Legal Compliance
Before proceeding any further, you will need to ensure that your offer meets legal regulations in your desired area of operation and that the software included is compliant on all points, otherwise you may be stopped in your tracks before you even get going.
5. Assemble The Teams
No business can run without staff, so assembling the right people for the job is crucial, and there are a lot of parts to fit into the puzzle of a successful business.
Anything from the more front-facing marketing, sales and customer service departments, to the backend of tech support and development, the latter of which is usually provided to your customers by the cloud telephony provider (though be sure to check beforehand).
6. Market Yourself
Finally, you need to promote your offer in order to attract customers in the first place. Make an easy to navigate website to lead your customers to and then branch out toward various marketing avenues like social media, content marketing or advertising online through Google Ads or similar services.
Similarly, going out to expos and other events where you can present your product to the audience is another great alternative.
Just make sure to target the options that are most frequented by your target audience in order to see better results and not spend your budget unnecessarily.
Feel free to let more campaigns run initially to get a feel for conversion rates, then cut out ones that do not meet expectations if need be.
How To Manage All Of This
This may seem like a long and extensive process, and it is, but a good portion of it is made easier with the right cloud telephony provider as I have mentioned before.
Bicom Systems assists their partners in their journey to hosting cloud telephony services by offering both the software and setup assistance, tech support staff, and training on software use and handling.
Solving The Challenge Of Brand Recognition
We also help solve the additional challenge that a new cloud telephony host can face which is brand recognition by giving you the option between our own, branded software, or a white label or private label solution to help you put your own name on it and create your own imprint on the world of cloud telephony.
Is Cloud Telephony Still A Better Solution Than An On-premise One?
“Around 60% of corporate data is stored in the cloud”
Source: Thales Report
Each of them comes with their own advantages and challenges, but overall, the cloud wins out if your target audience covers a lot of newer businesses or businesses that are looking to transfer from an on-premise solution.
We have done a more detailed breakdown of Cloud vs- On-premise telephony that you can look into to better understand why some businesses prefer one over the other and vice versa.
Take The Right First Step
Stepping into the world of cloud telephony hosting can be a sizable challenge, but it has also never been easier to do so than now and it keeps becoming progressively more accessible.
That said, you must not slack on the initial setup requirements and should do your due diligence as it will make operations much smoother to manage later down the line thanks to the solid foundation that you would be setting up.
And, finally, be sure to choose the right provider to help glue everything together and hold it tight, a provider that is willing to adjust to your needs and the needs of your customers so every party comes out on top.
Bicom Systems is one such provider, and we hope that we can show this to you first hand.
So, be sure to contact us to make that first contact, or request a demo of one of our products to see if our robust offer is what you and your customers are looking for.
We are looking forward to our potential partnership and are eager to support you in any way that we can.