Is your business still clinging to a landline? If moving to a VOIP system isn’t something you’ve considered yet, there’s rarely been a better time to make the jump. VOIP, or Voice Over Internet Protocol, uses the internet to make phone calls and is rapidly expanding in popularity, so much so that it is actually phasing out more traditional phone systems. There are so many compelling reasons to embrace VOIP. Let’s investigate just five of them.
1. Low Cost
Landlines are expensive and most businesses only have so much money allocated for IT in their budgets. VOIP services require minimal hardware investment. These systems are becoming increasingly accessible thanks to the rise of telecommunications wholesalers like iVox. And, lets be honest, anything that allows your already overworked IT staff to better focus on more important things is worth its weight in gold.
2. Scalability
Successful businesses grow over time. That’s just a fact. Constantly having to invest in additional hardware as your staff and office needs grow is a costly endeavour. VOIP systems are among the easiest networks to extend, whether you need to add just one phone or a call centre’s worth of extra handsets – and doing so always remains inexpensive.
3. Improved Customer Support
More traditional telephone service companies are still running on incredibly outdated business models. What this leads to is an inability to respond to customer issues in a fast and effective manner. It isn’t the IT support staff’s job to figure out these issues, either. This is an area in which VOIP has a big advantage. VOIP is built on state-of-the-art technology and with web-based support, VOIP vendors are able to dispense fast, satisfying customer service.
4. Mobility
What’s your staff situation like? Are they spread out in a geographical sense? Do they have to travel regularly? If you’ve got a hosted VOIP service, employees will be able to communicate with each other remotely at no additional cost. Better yet, every employee gets access to the same messaging and call functionality wherever they are – on the road, in the field or in the office.
5. Ease of Use
There are quite a few features that are still being offered by traditional telcos that aren’t what you’d call user friendly. Having to navigate complicated phone interfaces when all you want to do is to retrieve a voicemail or set up call forwarding is an intense exercise in frustration for your employees. One of the best things about VOIP is that you can integrate it into technologies with which your staff are probably comfortable – mobile devices and the web. Call fowarding is often little more than a few button presses and voicemails can be accessed via a mobile handset or even via email.
VOIP technology has so much to offer businesses large and small. Companies all over the world have been switching over to VOIP as a means of increasing productivity and minimising expenditure. Have you made the jump already? How has it impacted your business? Sound off in the comments below.
