A few short years ago, the ISDN switch-off announcement had us all panicking. 

End user organisations and channel resellers alike lay awake at night fearing disastrously-disruptive fall-out that had the potential to fatally wound their businesses. 

The countdown clock is ticking even louder now, but surely panic has been replaced by planning. 

In fact, in most cases, end user organisations and resellers are way past the point of wondering what a post-switch-off future might look like. 

Cloud-based communications are now the default for organisations large and small – and those who aren’t yet there are certainly en route. 

Of course, on-premise telephony, PBX technology and the desk phone are all still playing their part, but their remaining life expectancies are shrinking fast. 

Helped along by the pandemic, the explosion in mobile and hybrid working will surely deliver the killer blow. 

And, as a result, by the time the switch-off that had us quaking in our boots finally rolls round, it’s likely to be a virtual non-event. 

That means cloud is already king…and resellers need to pick the perfect partner in order to capitalise. 

“Cloud adoption rates among SMEs in particular are really high and most have already made the move,” says Dave Reynolds, UK Managing Director of European cloud telephony giant Xelion. 

“They are now at ease with cloud technology and it has demonstrated its huge capacity to improve efficiency and reduce cost. 

“Now it is all about the procurement and deployment of platforms and applications that leverage that technology to the max.  

“Far from worrying about the end of analogue, they are looking for the next level of cloud-based innovation, functionality and service. 

“For us, that has meant talking to our end users and our partners in order to really understand what they need from their hosted telephony and then ensuring we are constantly updating and improving our platform in response” 

In Xelion’s case, that kind of ongoing innovation has produced a slick, single-user interface platform that enables seamless switching between desktop and mobile app and which is packed with functionality. 

It features single-view, single-click access to presence; menus; searchable dialer; hunt groups and wallboards plus Microsoft Teams integration; mobile, softphone or desktop call redirection; and Zoom-like, multi-room video collaboration capacity – all easily accessible via an easy-on-the-eye home screen. 

Their in-depth conversations with users and partners have helped shape the platform’s development so that it provides intuitive, practical responses to the day-to-day communication challenges experienced most acutely by the people who use it most often. 

“Use-case intelligence is so important to us,” says Reynolds. “Too many owners or managers of SMEs make procurement decisions based on cost when it’s the functionality they should be focused on.  

“We develop our solutions around the needs of Alison in accounts or Andrew in customer service or Alisha in sales support. Those are the end users who really matter and that is where the platform delivers most return on investment. 

“We often support our resellers by joining demonstration calls with their end user customers and it’s always the case that, within minutes, people are loving seeing how their existing multi-click processes will be simplified and transformed.” 

Post-pandemic, the explosion in home and/or hybrid working will of course fuel further demand for cloud-based telephony. 

It will inevitably mean the unfortunate decline of the desktop phone (traditionally a high margin item for resellers). 

But a current, massive shortage of mid-range Bluetooth headsets in the UK would suggest that, although the cloud might take with one hand, it is giving with the other.  

Home/hybrid working is also a cause for concern on the productivity front among some employers. 

But it’s just as easy to take the contrary view. 

“People management and productivity WILL be a concern for some,” says Reynolds. 

“But great platforms and great apps will mean people are MORE productive, regardless of where they are physically located.” 

Switch-off looming…? 

Panic over. 

 

 



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