Telkom is shutting down its ADSL copper network and is ultimately forcing its business customers to move to the cloud.

This is part of Telkom’s strategy to migrate customers to a more stable network and similarly-priced products, according to Euphoria Telecom CEO John Woollam.

He warns customers to take action before the final shutdown as it could leave them without any connection – although he believes switching off the copper network will only benefit customers because of the enormous benefits and cost savings associated with cloud.

Unlike traditional business telephone systems that are pure capital expense (capex), cloud-based systems are 100% tax deductible as an operational expense (opex). More importantly, with cloud one only pays for what is required at any point in time.

Woollam says business owners need to realise that traditional telephone systems are costly and inefficient.

“With our cloud solution there are no contracts and customers can save up to 50% on their calls. And the system is easy-to-use with more than 200 powerful features including cutting-edge functionality and data rich reporting.”

Modern cloud telephone systems like Euphoria’s offering require no hardware and therefore no onsite support. This means there is no hardware to upgrade in order to take advantage of new features and technologies.

Upgrades are provided seamlessly through software changes that happen automatically in the background.

Telephone costs represent one of the largest operational expenses for most businesses, but business owners have a very informal approach to this overhead. In order to optimise this expenditure, management should have the ability to quickly and effectively see cost reporting across the organisation.

Woollam says most companies are still unaware of their operational inefficiencies and this could mean the end for many businesses in today’s tight economy. “Without accurate information, it is nearly impossible for any business to address these inefficiencies and more importantly, to manage expenses.

“The new version 3 of our Telephone Management System (TMS) is capable of significantly improving business efficiency with its workforce management capabilities,” he adds. “The system empowers businesses to control, manage, automate, personalise and analyse every aspect of a company’s phone system from one central point.”

Unlike the traditional phone systems that have limited functionality, Euphoria’s innovative cloud-based system offers multi-office coverage with remote extensions and mobile phone integration.

Euphoria provides all the communication features needed to keep business moving forward, from start-ups right through to established multi-franchise operations.