NEW technology is helping professional services firms in the northwest slash their overheads and compete in the wider market.

Experts at Oldham-based DataVox said modern broadband technology had helped it develop IPCloudTalk, revolutionising the way small to medium size businesses, known as SME’s, do business.

IPCloudTalk is a business telephone system that uses the internet to send and receive telephone calls as an alternative to traditional systems. Key to the financial services, insurance and legal sectors, is a call recording tool, incorporated into the system which can generate significant reductions in overheads as call recording is normally an expensive add on to traditional phone systems.

Adrian Bailey, Managing Director of Datavox, said: “IPCloudTalk is a fantastic system for firms. It can be especially beneficial to those in professional services with the call recording tool providing a cost-effective and efficient solution to traditional office phone systems.”

The technology – Voice over Internet Protocol (VoIP) telephony – is the fastest growing type of business telephone system worldwide and works directly through a ompany’s broadband connection.

DataVox provide a variety of voice communications solutions to suit any size of business at a fraction of the cost of traditional telecommunications. Depending on their existing tariff, experts at DataVox said businesses could save up to 50 per cent on their phone bills by using the system.

The IPCloudTalk solution is hosted by DataVox and eliminates the need for businesses to install thousands of pounds worth of hardware. The Oldham company simply configures the phones for its clients who then effectively ‘plug and go’. New users can be added in line with the needs of the business.

With more and more professionals working flexibly between the office and home, all that is needed is an internet connection to be able to connect fully with their office from anywhere in the world, which helps to make businesses more responsive to their customers.

Mr Bailey added: “Not only can it reduce overheads for businesses but it can also help smaller companies deliver a big company image along with tools that ensure calls are professionally answered and never missed. This is just one way they can compete in a wider marketplace which, during these ongoing challenging economic times, is a real benefit. We have already worked with a number of companies who are successfully using the system and are receiving more interest from others as they look to operate more efficiently and effectively.”