Two into one does go.
One mobile, two separate numbers: the latest phase of the cost-saving, convenience-enhancing business communications evolution.
That’s Fixed Mobile Convergence (FMC) - a business number and a personal number on the same mobile device. Separate contacts; separate calling and messaging functionality; separate billing; and seamless switching between each.
For businesses and individuals, the benefits are multiple. The in-palm user convenience is obvious, however the economics are perhaps more surprising. Lower landline costs, lower hardware costs, reduced management costs. Also, enhanced reputation thanks to the slick, professional nature of employees being able to make and receive business calls whenever they need to and wherever they are.
The benefits are also significant for Managed Service Providers for whom the mobile telephony market may, for a long time, have looked devoid of fresh opportunity. Thanks to FMC, upselling business mobile account holders a second SIM is the kind of second wind that can boost bottom line and strengthen customer retention.
As is always the case, picking the right vendor is key.
“It’s all about integrating users’ mobile phones with organisations’ in-house telephony, whether that is via a traditional hard-wired system or a modern cloud-powered unified communications platform,” says Mark Herbert, Unified Communications and voice integration specialist at Dstny for Service Providers, whose ‘Converge’ FMC solution is a no-brainer for growth-hungry MSPs.
“Years ago, FMC 1.0 was the placing of basic call forwarding onto a PBX. When users were out of the office their calls were diverted, but they had to return those calls from their mobile, which looked unprofessional. More recently, FMC 2.0 replicated PBX functionality onto a downloadable softphone app, but apps depend on available data and can be unreliable.
“Today’s FMC 3.0 leverages the mobile phone’s native dialer via two SIM cards – one personal and one business. A user’s personal mobile can now also have a business SIM electronically added by email or, alternatively, a business mobile provided by an employer can have a personal SIM electronically added by email. The phone now has two brains and the switching between both is done automatically on a per-call basis.”
Brilliantly, mobile business calls are processed in exactly the same way as they are when they are made or received via user organisations’ PBX. Call recording or any other compliance or security functionality that is baked-in to the system is automatically replicated on the mobile device. For example, in the financial services sector, that FMC functionality is business-critical.
FMC is also a cost-effective replacement for Digital Enhanced Cordless Telecommunications (DECT) where, for example, workers on large sites or factories who do not have access to desk phones must be provided with costly, high-maintenance cordless devices in order to communicate with colleagues and customers.
Dstny calls these ‘mega niche’ opportunities for MSPs – apparently niche use cases that are in high demand in volume terms.
