In the past few months, businesses have grown accustomed to their employees working remotely and have equipped them with resources to do so. But as we start to slowly shift back to working in an office again, many workers and IT leaders are starting to ask the question “do we really need office desk phones anymore?”
In today’s world, nearly every American has a cell phone and landlines are becoming a distant memory (who still remembers having a voice answering machine at home?). While landlines at home are seen as outdated, desk phones are still the norm at most businesses.
Working from home has enabled workers to be more flexible in their communications, using either their mobile phone or some form of a computer which has shown us that you don’t necessarily need a traditional desk phone. Even the heavy desk phone users have been forced to adapt.
As people return to the office, it will be interesting to see if employees go back to using their desk phone or whether they will find it to be less essential than in the past.
Even before the virus, many traditional work habits were already in the process of changing as millennials, who now make up 50% of the workforce, constantly challenge the status quo as they value flexibility in their work environment.
Now as a result of the virus, these types of changes will most likely accelerate, and the below questions will become commonplace.
- If I have a mobile app for calls and messaging through my work phone, is a desk phone imperative?
- Why do I have a desk phone if my work number easily forwards to my cell phone?
- If the phone system/service has software integrated into the desktop computer via a softphone application, why should I have a desk phone?
- If I’m often away from my desk and collaborating with others, then what use is my desk phone providing that my smartphone can’t?
As you consider these questions, you should review your entire voice strategy. While desk phones may be fading away, we don’t see them disappearing altogether. Rather, they will no longer be the crucial staple they once were.
With the proliferation of smartphones equipped with mobile voice and data plans and mobile computers equipped with the same, all with high bandwidth Wi-Fi and the first waves of 5G, desk phones are falling to the wayside. We can now bring nearly the same level of service to whichever device best suits the work style of the user and company overall.
What we don’t see dropping is the demand for headsets, which are at an all-time high. Today’s market provides an abundance of options that can make the selection process seem daunting.
As times change and communication styles shift, Aqueduct Technologies helps find solutions that are tailored to a business’s needs.
– Peter Fischelis, Director of Carrier Services
If your business is looking to modernize your voice strategy, use our contact us form to speak with our carrier and collaboration experts.