Small-Medium Business (SMB)
Cisco expands Small Business offering in the UK
Cisco recently announced the expansion of its offering for small businesses in the UK, with the launch of Placetel with Webex; putting all of your business communication in one place – from calls and online meetings, to team messaging.
Small businesses in the UK have experienced a year like no other. Currently employing over 60% of the workforce in the UK (Federation of Small Business, 2020), small businesses are at the forefront of changes to working dynamics, not least how companies have adapted the ways they interact with their customers. According to Cisco’s Workforce of the Future research, of those surveyed, 34% of people working for small businesses say they expect to spend most of their time working from home in 2021, highlighting the need for a simple, flexible and scalable all-in-one communications solution for smaller businesses.
Placetel with Webex provides everything a small business needs to operate in a hybrid way, with video conferencing and instant messaging through the full version of Cisco Webex, full cloud telephony functionality with more than 150 features, integration with other software such as Salesforce and Zendesk, and transparent pricing all in one easy-to-manage subscription.
Placetel, now part of Cisco, and its offering with Cisco Webex has experienced exponential growth in its initial market, Germany, offering small businesses an enterprise-grade collaboration solution with a flexible subscription model and attractive price point. Placetel has over 30,000 businesses as customers, including fast-growth scale-ups such as HelloFresh, N26 and Rocket Internet. It adds on average 100 customers every day.
Now, Placetel with Webex will be available to the UK market for the first time, and will bring the following benefits to small businesses:
- Scalability – with flexibility to easily scale up and down.
- Simplicity – add or remove users through an easy-to-use cloud-based dashboard, managed through dropdown boxes or graphics.
- Security – No compromises on security. Because Placetel is part of Cisco, it has enterprise-standard security through Cisco Webex. As a cloud-based, platform, updates happen automatically, so users are protected with the latest version.
Nicolas Papin, Head of International Sales at Placetel said: “We’re excited to be launching in the UK, and now feels like the best time, as this nation of innovative small businesses return to a period of expected growth. 99% of businesses in the UK are recognised as a small or medium sized business, so it’s only right that the same quality of cloud calling and collaboration tools and services as those used in large enterprise organisations are now made accessible for them, too”
Papin continued: “Given our history as a cloud phone pioneer, we are able to complement the full version of Cisco Webex with our proven cloud calling offering to create a truly powerful all-in-one solution.”
Aine Rogers, Head of Small Business, Cisco UK & Ireland added: “Small businesses are the backbone of the UK, and as we enter this phase of recovery, we want to ensure that we’re supporting entrepreneurs and fast-growth businesses as they navigate a new normal. The future of work and the way people interact with organisations will be hybrid. This means businesses of all sizes need a platform that enables the workforce to collaborate with employees, customers and partners alike.”
She continues: “Placetel with Webex delivers enterprise-grade solutions in a package built specifically for small businesses, ensuring they can return to growth in the most inclusive way possible.”
Placetel with Webex is the latest addition to Cisco’s small business offering, which includes networking, security and collaboration products for businesses of all sizes.
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About Placetel
Placetel is one of the leading providers of cloud-based business communications solutions and a pioneer of IP telephony in Germany. Since entering the market in 2008, Placetel stands for product innovation, flexibility through digital end-to-end processes and reliable cloud calling and unified communications solutions, specifically tailored to small and medium-sized businesses.
Since 2018 Placetel has been part of Cisco and is now offering an all-in-one business communications solution for SMEs with Placetel + Webex, combining cloud calling, team messaging and online meetings in one unified application.
Placetel combines the technology, innovative strength and security concept of the world market leader Cisco with user-friendly software, individually scalable services and personal support. The Cisco unit with its headquarters in Cologne employs around 100 people with more than 30,000 customers currently relying on Placetel for their business communication.
