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Boxx Communications Ltd

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Hosted VoIP

Accelerated move to a ‘Distributed Workforce’

1st February 2021 by Kelly Green

The unexpected events of 2020 turned into a transformational learning experience for us here at Boxx, which helped us accelerate our strategic plans faster and look to a remote-first future with real confidence.

Progressive approach

We had already been moving towards operating as a distributed workforce. We had the technology in place, so technically we were capable, but we weren't quite there culturally. We were happy with the team working from home on occasion and coming into the office 3-4 days a week, but ultimately, we felt compelled by the concept of distributing the workforce, and we aimed to be there by 2023.

At the beginning of last year, we were operating from a very nice suite of offices at Witan Studios in central Milton Keynes, and our team liked working there. It was easy to reach and a convenient place in which to host customer and partner meetings.

witan office

Then the Coronavirus pandemic and the subsequent first lockdown came along, and that forced us all into working from home.

Making the change

We found it relatively easy to make the switch and indeed, as the months passed and with working from home encouraged throughout, we found that remote working really did work for us, our team and our customers.

Our staff had more flexibility and did not have to travel to the office every day. At the same time, they were still available and accessible. Our productivity was excellent, and we maintained our high standards of customer service throughout.

Moving forward

As a consequence, we decided to bring forward our plans to switch to more flexible working. Conveniently, our lease at Witan Studios was due to expire in November [2020], and we were intrigued by the new Spaces business centre, just a few minutes down the road. It has similar characteristics to our previous office, in that it is central, easy to reach and brilliantly designed for co-operative, collaborative working. But crucially, it gave us the ability to take that remote-first approach.

We have a small private office, a central point where our teams can meet and work, together or individually and if we need additional desks at any time, or to make use of a meeting room, Spaces can arrange that quickly.

Our people can choose where they want to work on different days – and they don't always have to plan that in advance. They can be more flexible, which allows them to juggle their responsibilities and commitments, while also being readily available and accessible when working—meeting the needs of both the business and our staff.

flexible working

Working together

There are many benefits to working in this more dynamic and distributed way. Wherever our team are working from, our staff can collaborate in virtual spaces, using tools such as Microsoft Teams – and that's what they do most of the time. It is much easier to bring together a group of individuals for an online meeting than to arrange a physical gathering.

But we also have a great central location and an excellent working environment that gives our people to a sense of unity and belonging – of being part of a strong team.

Unexpected benefits

We've also benefited unexpectedly by moving to the new office. Other businesses are operating from Spaces, and we've already found that we've been able to help them, and they have been able to help us. The move has thus expanded the pool of local talent on which we can draw.

unexpected benefits

Bolder and braver

Our accelerated move to a more distributed workforce has broken down the walls between us, our customers, and our partners. In this sense, the whole pandemic has been transformational. We were moving in this direction already, but the unexpected events of 2020 pushed us forward and made us bolder and braver. As a result, we've been able to advance much faster and with real certainty and confidence.

A good learning experience

It's been a perfect learning experience for the whole Boxx team. As communications and collaboration technologies make home and remote working more comfortable and more viable, we're ready and better-equipped than ever to help our customers to adopt more flexible working practices and transform their businesses in 2021.

Images Credit: All Things Business (2020)

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Filed Under: Cloud & IT, Hosted VoIP, How We Help, Office News, Services, Voice

Technology empowers working in a world without walls

5th November 2020 by Kelly Green

Prior to March 2020, work took place for the majority, in the office - A physical workplace attended in person, in some cases, in the masses.

When the Government guidance to work from home was first announced, businesses quickly found themselves in one of 3 categories:

  • Forward-thinkers with the technology already in place to support moving to remote working seamlessly.
  • Reactors who were prepared to hit the ‘just do it’ button and implement digital transformation projects ahead of schedule to enable remote working.
  • Traditionalists unable to commit, for whatever reason, to the adaption required to facilitate working from home efficiently.

For those falling into the middle category, what emerged was 3 years of digital transformation progress in just 3 weeks!

Microsoft Teams reported the number of active users doubling in this short period and Hosted VoIP - a cloud-based, voice over internet protocol telephony solution – also saw exponential growth.

James Green, Co-Owner here at Boxx quotes:

The UK was already on a journey towards internet-based telephony with the industry’s 'copper switch off’ planned for 2025. With the features and benefits of a Hosted VoIP solution able to keep the cogs turning for many businesses - for example, the ability to handle calls seamlessly when working remotely, with the same call management features that would have been available in the office - adoption has accelerated during COVID and this is set to continue.

As the UK moves through the second wave of the pandemic (and hopefully out the other side at some point), business again fall into different categories determined by their thoughts about what the future of the workplace looks like...

There will ultimately be those who either desperately miss the conventional office environment or in fact need to work under the same roof for specific reasons.

Then there will be some who will see this new way of working as an opportunity, who won't go back to the old 9-5 and now question why we ever spent hours each day commuting when that time could be used much more productively. Not to mention conscious of the positive impact on the environment that mass home-working brings.

Finally, there will be the ones who embrace a hybrid approach... Perhaps downsizing the office and working on-site in rotation, whilst at the same time embracing the concept of ‘working in a world without walls’. Technology empowers non-geographical working and allows work to be considered ‘something we do’ rather than a physical ‘place we go’.

Work is something we do

Whatever approach is adopted, lessons will have been learnt from the COVID-19 pandemic that will shape the way businesses work going forward.

At Boxx we pride ourselves on recommending bespoke solutions, based on individual business requirements and plans for the future, wherever they may be...

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Filed Under: Hosted VoIP, How We Help, Services, Voice

Are you ready to support working from home…?

9th March 2020 by Kelly Green

With the benefits of being able to work remotely on the rise more than ever before – it is now critical that businesses can work as effectively away from the office or usual place of work in order to remain successful.

Whether it’s to allow employees to spend more time at home with their families and improve work-life balance, as contingency plans in the event of power outages, bad weather or health scares, or to improve customer service, there is no longer the need to compromise on productivity when working remotely.

Remote Working Facts

But how can I enable my team to work from home...?

Cloud Telephony

The introduction of Hosted VoIP has allowed many businesses to thrive outside of the office with several features, such as call flexibility and analytics/reporting available via desktop or mobile apps, that weren’t previously available on-the-fly with traditional telephony. These apps have the same functionality as a desk phone and come with collaborative features such as video conferencing and text chat.

Unified Comms

This is the term used to describe converging solutions to integrate some, or all, of the following features to provide a next-generation and future-proof communication service: Voice / Video / Chat / Email / Directory Services / Document Sharing / Desktop & Application Sharing.

A Unified Communications solution is suitable for any size business looking to improve productivity, encourage collaborative team working, attract more diverse talent and/or increase business efficiency.

Office 365

Microsoft are at the forefront with their world-recognisable, best-in-class suite of Office 365 products. Cloud-based, reliable and always up to date, their desktop applications are designed to meet the demands of your business. Proving to be growing in popularity is Teams, which enables true collaboration in real-time.

If you want to find out more about remote working and how to ensure your business is able to support it, opportunities, you can register your interest in learning more below.

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Filed Under: Hosted VoIP, Voice

Connecting MK in 2020

10th February 2020 by Kelly Green

2019 was a great year for Boxx and for 2020 we have even bigger plans…

Our focus for this year is two-pronged.

  • To support businesses migrating from traditional to IP telephony in MK, ahead of the planned 2025 ISDN switch off.
  • Improving internet connectivity for Milton Keynes businesses utilising the new gigabit speed CityFibre infrastructure.

Telephony Migration

With many years’ experience in providing telephony solutions nationwide, we’ve been at the forefront of BT Openreach’s plans to replace the use of analogue telephony in favour of IP (i.e. voice solutions delivered via Internet Protocol).

We’ve have made it our mission to educate businesses about the options available, from VoIP (Voice over IP) to SIP (Session Initiation Protocol), which can bring many benefits, including cheaper calls, improved call handling, higher call quality and greater resilience.

As a leading supplier of telephony in and around our hometown of Milton Keynes, where better to start than in the local community?

Milton Keynes has a thriving business economy with expansive growth plans ahead, so it is imperative that organisations both large and small are not only aware of the upcoming changes to the telephony landscape, but also equipped to migrate in a way that best suits their business.

Providing VoIP to Milton Keynes Businesses

MK Gallery are just one of a portfolio of Milton Keynes organisations for whom we have not only implemented VoIP migration, but also utilised technology to meet their overall business objectives.

Kate Chadwick – Deputy Director (MK Gallery) quotes…

Our partnership with Boxx began with the provision of connectivity, but our relationship quickly developed, and it soon became clear that they genuinely wanted to enable us to deliver on our own business goals. As we neared a critical project deadline, the grand opening of the new MK Gallery, Boxx proactively guided us, and liaised seamlessly with our outsourced IT Partner to achieve the implementation of numerous business-critical telephony & connectivity projects in a timely manner. In addition to championing us through this milestone launch period, Boxx exceeded our expectations and have become advocates of MK Gallery and we have enjoyed working with them in positioning our new gallery firmly on the MK map.”

Delivering the Fastest Internet in Milton Keynes

Supplying Direct Internet Access connectivity solutions to UK businesses has also been an established key offering from boxx but the arrival of CityFibre infrastructure (the UK’s largest alternative provider of wholesale fibre) to Milton Keynes is enabling MK businesses to future-proof from the ground up.

With an ever-increasing dependency on digital technologies and the rise of cloud-based services, businesses are able to realise productivity improvements and increase efficiencies when full fibre connectivity is deployed in Gigabit Cities, like Milton Keynes.

We recently delivered an impressive 5 Gigabit internet solution to Milton Keynes University Hospital over the CityFibre network. Not only was this a landmark delivery for us, the solution was also a record-breaking offering from CityFibre too, clearly demonstrating our ability to work strategically with specific business objectives in mind and ‘thinking outside the boxx’ in terms of how to deliver the solutions required to achieve them.

Connecting MK

If you’re looking for faster, more resilient internet connectivity in Milton Keynes, we’d love to help you understand how you can utilise telecommunications to work more strategically to achieve business growth.

To learn more about how we’re Connecting MK, just get in touch.

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Filed Under: Connectivity, Hosted VoIP, Office News, Voice

What is IP Telephony – The terminology explained…

3rd February 2020 by Kelly Green

IP telephony is a hot topic right now because of the upcoming changes to the way telecommunications is delivered here in the UK. One of the biggest challenges that businesses face is understanding what IP Telephony is, the upcoming changes and all the associated terminology.

There are many different terms and phrases that relate to IP telephony which can have similar meanings and can be renamed depending on the supplier’s preference. This can make it very difficult to understand.

To make IP telephony easier to digest, we’ve created a glossary of terms for you that can help you make more informed decisions when migrating into the world of internet telephony.

  • Cloud/Unified Communications
  • The combined use of multiple internet-based communication methods within a business. These methods are often integrated and include voice, email, chat, conferencing, video and more. Unified Communications can be referred to as UC.

  • DECT – Digital Enhanced Cordless Telecommunications
  • DECT is a worldwide standard that allows one or more portable, cordless phones to be connected to a base station. For example, Yealink offer DECT handsets which we can offer with our hosted solution.

  • Hosted Solution/Hosted VoIP
  • A hosted solution means you purchase licenses for your users but the infrastructure to run the system is hosted by a third-party provider in the cloud., For example, a Horizon license would be owned by you but hosted by Gamma.

  • IP – Internet Protocol
  • IP is a set of rules that allow for the sending and receiving of data via the internet.

  • ISDN – Integrated Services Digital Network
  • ISDN is a single telephone line that has a minimum of 2 simultaneous connections and a maximum of 30. It’s a medium between a PSTN line and VoIP system, however BT Openreach are phasing out all ISDN lines by 2025.

  • On-Premises (On-Prem) Solution
  • An On-Premises solution is the opposite to a hosted solution. You own the license with an on-premises solution, but you also must host the infrastructure to run the system. An example of this is the LG iPECS solution.

  • PBX – Private Branch Exchange
  • A PBX is a private telephony system that controls the routing and switching of calls within a business.

  • PSTN – Public Switched Telephone Network
  • PSTN is the traditional public telephone network and work on a basis of ‘a single line hosts a single connection’. They mainly work using analogue signals (rather than digital which is used in ISDN) and PSTN Lines can also host a broadband connection.

  • SIP – Session Initiation Protocol
  • SIP is a method used in conjunction with a PBX to send and receive voice calls, video calls and other media.

  • SIP Trunking
  • Internet-based telephony services on SIP is known as ‘SIP Trunking’. This allows for users to make calls over standard PSTN lines using IP Telephony and Soft Client technology.

  • Soft Client
  • Otherwise known as a Softphone, a Soft Client license enables VoIP calls from devices such as your Desktop PC or your mobile, via an app. This is an essential product for mobile/flexible workers.

  • VoIP – Voice-over Internet Protocol
  • VoIP is the technology that allows a telephone connection to occur over the internet instead on through physical telephone lines.

We hope that this list of terms has helped clarify what IP telephony is, what the advantages are and assisted you in making the right decision as to what solution is best for your business.

In the meantime, if you’re unsure about which solutions fits your business best and/or are worried about the ISDN/PSTN switch-off mentioned above, there’s no need to panic.

You can download our PDF “ISDN Switch-Off – What are the options?” below.

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Top Hosted VoIP Providers…

26th January 2020 by Kelly Green

For businesses that haven't yet migrated to internet (IP) telephony but are interested in finding a cloud based ‘Hosted VoIP’ system, the vast number of solutions and service providers here in the UK, can make it hard to make the right choice for your business.

It’s important to consider not only the price, features and benefits of the cloud VoIP offerings available, but also the level of service you’ll expect from your chosen supplier, on a day-to-day basis.

That’s why we’re going to highlight some of the best UK Hosted VoIP providers, compare the benefits of choosing a local or national supplier, as well as share our favourite product choices with you...


5 Business VoIP Providers UK

National providers are telecoms suppliers who work with businesses of all sizes across the country; in some cases, internationally. Large national suppliers can offer some benefits such as slightly better rates, however they can also come with a number of downsides, including a less dedicated customer service experience.

  1. BT
  2. BT

    BT is the biggest name in the UK’s telecoms industry and the world’s oldest telecommunications company. dating back to 1846. BT operate internationally, meaning the scale of the business and their customer base is massive.

  3. TalkTalk
  4. TalkTalk Business

    Much like BT, TalkTalk is a well-known VoIP provider in the UK, however they were only founded in the early 2000s. Considering the size of their brand and customer base, their growth has been rapid.

    TalkTalk’s main focus is broadband and other types of connectivity, but they do offer VoIP solutions.

  5. Vonage
  6. Vonage

    Founded in New Jersey in 2001, Vonage is an American-based business with a HQ in London. They have a large customer base both here in the UK and globally.

    Vonage are a more business-focused VoIP provider who offer a range of different solutions. Alongside this, they also offer a number of collaborative tools to go alongside your VoIP system, including Salesforce.

  7. Virgin Media
  8. Virgin Media

    Originally called NTL:Telewest, Virgin Media was founded in 2006 and was the first ‘quadruple-play’ telecoms company, meaning they were the first to offer TV, Mobile, Internet and Fixed-line telephony.

    Virgin Media are similar to BT in terms of how they operate and what they offer, but they differentiate themselves by offering a more premium service. However, this USP does come at a higher price.

  9. RingCentral
  10. Ring Central

    Similar to Vonage, RingCentral is a US-based VoIP provider with a UK HQ in London. They were originally founded in 1999 and their main HQ is now in Belmont, California.

    RingCentral focus on supplying mid-sized and enterprise businesses with their own Hosted VoIP and collaborative solution.


Local Hosted VoIP Providers

Choosing the best UK VoIP provider for your business is just as important as choosing the right solution. Working with a telecommunications company that is local to you comes with a whole host of customer service benefits.

Often, local businesses have a smaller customer base than the larger national providers mentioned above, including here at Boxx. This means that we’re able to offer a more personalised, dedicated service, with the ability to visit customers on-site, even at short notice and give our customers their own account manager, who truly understands your business objectives can be reached each and every time you need to make contact...


5 Providers of Hosted VoIP in Milton Keynes:

  1. Entropie
  2. Entropie

    Entropie are located in Wolverton, just outside of Milton Keynes and they offer a broad range of telephony and connectivity solutions to small, medium and large businesses.

    ACS 365
  3. ACS 365
  4. Based in Northampton, ACS 365 offer a range on office solutions, ranging from Hosted VoIP and Internet Connectivity to cyber security and interior design.

  5. CMC Communications
  6. CMC Communications

    Similarly to ACS, CMC offer a range of business solutions, such as PCs, graphic design support and IT Financing. Alongside this, they also offer Hosted VoIP solutions – specifically Horizon.

  7. GenX Solutions
  8. Gen X Solutions

    Located in Central Milton Keynes, close to us, GenX are a small telecoms provider who specialise in IT, VoIP, Internet Connectivity and Web Design.

  9. Local IT Support Providers
  10. With IT & telecommunications overlapping more than ever before, many of these are now offering Hosted VoIP as an additional service. Mirus IT, Aztech IT and TidyTech Solutions are all examples.


Our Favourite Solutions

As an independent telecommunications company, we have built relationships with many UK VoIP suppliers and will always chose the best VoIP solution for each customer and their business. For 2020, the following are proving to be our most popular Hosted VoIP solutions.

Gamma Horizon

Gamma – Horizon

Gamma are a well-established telecoms company with their Hosted VoIP solution. Horizon is an easy-to-use, portal-based system that is scalable to fit any size of business.

Horizon is accessible via handsets, desktop client or mobile app and comes with a whole hosted of benefits, including voicemail setup, auto-attendant and on-hold messaging capabilities, call diverts, call forwarding and much more.

Collaborate is an add-on to Horizon that provides instant messaging, video conferencing and screen sharing for a complete unified communications experience.

HV.Select

Digital Wholesale Solutions (DWS) – HV.Select

DWS, previously known as Daisy, have been a leading telecoms supplier since 2001 and have recently released their new Hosted VoIP platform – HV.Select.

HV.Select is a feature rich VoIP service which comes with a host of functionality options, similar to Horizon. Each individual user of HV.Select also gets access to a desktop and mobile app too.


At Boxx, we pride ourselves on being a top Hosted VoIP Milton Keynes provider. Some of the Milton Keynes based businesses we supply with these Hosted VoIP solutions include Mercer & Hole, Interact Medical and MK Gallery.

At the end of the day, choosing the right solution and the best provider will be the one that fits your overall business objectives the best.

Hopefully, this guide can give you some clarity on Hosted VoIP UK Suppliers, but if you’d like to talk through the options, we’re always happy to help.

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