68% of Belgian remote workers have adopted hybrid mode. Far from a passing trend, hybrid working demands adapted communication tools — yet many SMEs are stuck in the middle, still running systems designed for 100% office-based work. What if your telecoms infrastructure had become more of a liability than an asset?
In 2020, the pandemic imposed mass remote working; post-Covid, hybrid working became the norm. Today, the majority of Belgian remote workers split their time between the office and home. According to a 2024 PwC study, the trend is even upward: 61% hybrid workers in 2023, rising to 68% in 2024. While this organisational revolution benefits everyone — employers and employees alike — it also exposes a glaring gap in many SMEs: their digital and telephony infrastructure, designed for employees always sitting at the same desk, has not kept pace. Outdated standards, unreachable numbers, unreliable call forwards: all challenges synonymous with lost efficiency, employee frustration, reduced customer satisfaction and elevated cyber risks.
How can you tell if your telephony is obsolete?
According to a Beltug survey, companies face major difficulties managing personal devices and the private use of professional equipment. A significant problem, made worse by hybrid working and the loss of “control”. In the field, your traditional PABX may also be part of the problem, as this technology rests on an outdated premise: one employee, one fixed desk phone. When that employee works from home two days a week, the only option is to forward calls to a personal mobile. The result? Growing confusion between professional and personal life, loss of traceability, uncontrollable costs, and more. Inconsistent call handling, missed calls, no voicemail or callback system: these incidents degrade the customer experience and your commercial image. Worse, some employees become unreachable when working remotely. Beyond communication bottlenecks, hybrid working exposes other technical vulnerabilities (costly IT interruptions, etc.) and major cybersecurity risks.
How can you modernise your telephony?
1. Move to cloud VoIP
VoIP uses the internet rather than a traditional telephone line. Your employees take their professional line everywhere: a fixed number accessible via smartphone, calls from any connected device, innovative features, and more. Behind this evolution comes one certainty: your bandwidth needs will increase.
2. Build an ecosystem for your communications
Unified communications bring together telephony, messaging, video conferencing and email on a single platform to improve efficiency, cybersecurity and collaboration. Your telephony can also be connected to your CRM to turn calls into actionable data — because, in the age of AI, your data is a genuine source of value.
3. Invest progressively
This paradigm shift is a transition that must be prepared, planned and budgeted for. Some solutions allow your existing system and a cloud infrastructure to coexist.
