COVERSTORY 21
A technology that has really come of age, and is being embraced by businesses
the latest version every couple of years. This is eliminated as the provider will continually upgrade the platform within the monthly fee. By using IP telephony, retailers no longer
have to own and maintain their own servers and switches for telephone systems, and retailers can benefi t from better functionality delivered to each of their sites at a lower cost than in-house systems. By paying on a per handset per month
Hosted IP telephony Signifi cant cost savings can be achieved by deploying IP telephony. For example, because this technology uses the IP network connection to send and receive calls, the need for multiple analogue telephone lines is removed. Multiple IP handsets can use the same MPLS broadband circuit as payment transactions, Internet access and data transfer without affecting call quality. With an IP telephony service, there are
no charges associated with inter-company calls, so calls between stores or between HQ and stores are free. Similarly, calls made to landlines and mobiles are normally priced at highly competitive tariffs. Hosted IP telephony services are
constantly evolving, yet monthly rental prices remain competitive. A common extra expense in the traditional voice telephony world is having to upgrade all software to
basis, costs are directly proportional to store numbers and can be fl exed up or down when required. The result: lower, controlled and more fl exible costs. Iconnyx said retailers report that, as
well as offering cost savings, IP telephony provides far greater functionality than traditional services, offering an integrated, multi channel service that is available when customers want to use it. Flexible call/message routing can ensure that no customer queries are missed no matter what time of day or night. Calls can be routed to the best person for the query, even during peak times when staff rostering can be a challenge. Single number contact means issues are resolved quicker, avoiding customer frustration from being passed to the wrong person.
Other common uses for this technology commonly found in the retail sector,
include IVR (interactive voice response), which provides for automated information services 24 hours a day. Using this, standard information such as stock availability, opening hours, product questions, etc can be provided on a pre-recorded announcement, fi ltering out important calls to ensure they get through to the right person or department immediately. Increasingly, retailers of all sizes are
starting to realise that it is no longer necessary to buy and house multiple telephony servers and switches, or to have specialised phones. Through the IP option, this can be hosted, managed and maintained externally at a reduced cost compared to hosting in-house. All of this means that the retailer can save money, reduce management overheads and reduce capital expenditure. As one of the UKs leading providers of hosted voice-over IP (VoIP) services, TeleWare was the natural choice to be Iconnyx’s chosen telephony partner, having been providing hosted services since 1997, with over 50,000 customers using their services. TeleWare’s platforms are built using the highest level of design and engineering features available in the world, surpassing uptime, security, cooling and power redundancy standards of most other hosted communications platforms.
JANUARY/FEBRUARY 2011 RETAIL TECHNOLOGY
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