VoIP for Serviced Office Buildings

VoIP for Serviced Office Buildings

Stamford Telephone have had great success with delivering flexible and reliable VoIP telephone systems to Serviced Office Business Centres.

Alongside the business telephone service supplied to each tenant there are additional requirements that need to be fulfilled for these types of premise including offering Reception Services covering Call & Message Handling.

Network Design for Segregation & Security

 Underpinning the telephone service is a fast, reliable and secure network. The switch technology used supports a number of features that simplify the security of the environment for all. Firstly, the introduction of separate VLANs for voice and data traffic allows a quality of service (QoS) policy to be assigned. Giving priority to voice traffic in this way ensures there is always enough bandwidth available. It provides tenants with the assurance that their telephone service will run reliably and at a high quality at all times.

In addition to QoS, running a hardware based Voice VLAN, for all phones connected to the network, removes the risk of cross communication between tenant offices. This Voice VLAN uses the hardware addresses of the phones installed. Typically, matching the manufacturer hardware prefix. A specific security policy for speech traffic is introduced on the business centre firewall(s). Without affecting the wider data connectivity requirements of each tenant organisation.

Lastly, switches capable of supplying power over the ethernet cabling (PoE), to every phone, means no external supplies are required. This greatly increases the flexibility of the offering. Whilst, importantly, lowering the cost of the overall solution to the property owner and the tenant.

The Business Centre Reception for New Start-ups

Many serviced offices like to offer postal and call handling services for new businesses in their area. There are two key points to offering call handling services.

Firstly, the centre needs to have a responsible numbering policy, allowing a fledgling business to retain their telephone number(s). When the start-up business thrives and grows it may decide that it wants an office of its own. Any numbers the start-up is given will now be part of their brand makeup. They will be part of their intellectual property, and therefore the business centre should allow them to be kept. Goodwill is maintained with the start-up business in this way. The new company may even take a larger room in the serviced office building.

Secondly, a flexible reception console is required to manage call answering and transfer functions. With black and white, or colour, expansion modules available for many high definition voice handsets it is possible to manage call transfer at the touch of a button. Stamford Telephone have the experience required to set this up for your Business Centre.

Company Incubation Space and Co-Working

 Extending the services offered to new businesses, serviced offices have co-working space set aside. Start-up businesses are able to rent this space on a daily basis. In addition to a desk, and WiFi connectivity, hotdesk phones are a valuable resource to offer. This feature can be configured by Stamford Telephone Company. With all calls routed to the start-up business once the staff member has logged in to the hotdesk phone, with their profile. The added benefit to both the serviced office supplier, and the incubation business, is that calls between the two parties are treated as internal. Extension to extension dialling is possible which makes calling between the two businesses free of charge.

Telephone Services for Full-time Tenants

 Tenants working from the business centre are able to buy their own telephone service. This includes a main business number, DDIs and associated extensions, voicemail, a choice of handsets and associated applications. Operating a full unified communications service suite allows the tenant to work seamlessly from the serviced office location or from home if required.

With a fully integrated VoIP solution, the business centre owner can run a separate telephone service to each of his or her tenants. Whilst having a flexible system that enables the delivery of comprehensive reception services. The centre’s reception staff can receive incoming calls on behalf of their tenants, answering the call with a tailored message. The call group routing incoming calls to the tenant and centre reception alike handles the identification of whom the caller wants to talk to.

Summary

With an understanding of the capabilities of modern VoIP Telephone Systems, and a good system design, virtually anything is possible. Your managed business telephone system can deliver all the features that the modern serviced office requires. Features that will delight the tenants and aid retention.

Should a tenant want, or need, to move on, for whatever reason, they won’t be hindered in doing so. Which opens the door to referral business for the centre. New tenants can be added to the VoIP Telephone System the next business day, without disruption. Significantly reducing any loss of revenue due to office space being empty.

Finally, running a managed hosted business telephone system, supplied by Stamford Telephone Company, automatically builds in business continuity. If the worst should happen and the building can’t be used for any length of time the telephone service can be set up elsewhere. With minimal downtime and retaining all its features. There’s no need to compromise.

It’s a win win for all concerned.

Call Stamford Telephone today on 01780 430490 or fill out our Contact Form.