News Flash: on demand phone service is NOT new. You, or someone you know may have a cell phone plan that is Pay-As-You-Go (PAYG). PAYG accounts are easy and convenient cell phone plans that has no monthly fees. PAYG plans offer the subscriber access to a mobile service with a pay per minute plan. Another well-known service are long distance (LD) phone cards that offer an access number and password to give low rates to call someone overseas.
With the rise of Software as a Service (SaaS) products provided through the internet cloud, startups and small businesses have access to enterprise-grade solutions. Gone are the days when you needed to build a business case and cost analysis for investing and deploying key business tools and infrastructure.
Low Initial Investment
Traditional enterprise telecommunications solutions can start at a cost of a couple of thousands of dollars for a simple set-up – such as one office/location. And for complex call-center solutions or multi location offices, the cost can go up to multi-tens of thousands of dollars. With on-demand service, there is little to no investment depending on your current setup and needs.
No Monthly Costs
Traditional telephone systems need analog or digital access to connect to the public telephone network (POTS). With on demand service, there are no monthly recurring costs for voice access to get a minimum telecom presence up and running as you will only pay for what you use.
Greater Ease of Use
When doing any changes in a telephone system, better known as MACD’s (moves adds, changes, and deletions), a simple task like changing an employee name or extension becomes a process that seems to involve a highly specialized consultant. A “certified” system technician will need to be called in and scheduled in at a minimum cost of one hour service, which can range from $85 to $125 per hour depending on your cities competitive landscape. SaaS admin dashboards are easy to use and allow for anyone to make changes on simple tasks today.
Painless Upgrades
Because the SaaS provider manages all updates and upgrades, there are no patches for customers to download or install. The SaaS provider also manages availability, so there’s no need for customers to add hardware, software, or bandwidth as the user base grows.
No Contracts
On demand phone service (or PAYG) plans typically do not come with any multi-year commitments. It is very typical for any telecom provider that offers analog or digital voice services that connects to the phone system to come with a 3 to 5 year contract.
On demand phone and PAYG phone service is opening up the opportunities for startups and small businesses to add an enterprise level telecom platform to their operations. If you are starting a business and looking to get a phone number consider a SaaS On Demand Service like Slingshot.
