Should your business switch to VoIP?
Have you come across a business with a regional telephone number different to that of their physical address? The likelihood is that this business is using a VoIP phone service in order to lower their telecommunications cost and increase the productivity of their employees.
What is a VoIP Phone Service?
Similarly to an email, a call made through VoIP travels through the internet. When somebody calls you through a traditional telephone system a number of signals are sent around the country at phenomenal speeds. However, with VoIP that call is translated into data and sent over the internet.
As the call takes place over the internet, it requires few physical facilities and as a result, businesses who use a VoIP system witness reduced costs. However, many believe that VoIP provides a poorer audio quality. At its inception this was true, however, today VoIP provides audio quality at the same level as that received on a traditional telephone system.
It’s because of this that many small businesses, who had previously sat on the side-lines, now choose VoIP over alternatives for their office systems and mobile phones.
The benefits of VoIP?
As we’ve already explored VoIP is often cheaper to implement and maintain than traditional business telephone systems. It is also capable of providing the same level of quality, dependent on which provider you use.
Unlike traditional systems which rely on a telephone connection, VoIP systems can be used anywhere. All you require is a broadband connection and the handset which is programmed with your personal number. This means that you’re able to use a VoIP phone system in a hotel or at home without any technical knowledge or infrastructure.
In addition to this, VoIP phone services also support virtual phone numbers. This means that you’re able to have a regional telephone number, even if you don’t have a physical address in that region. This is something used by businesses across the UK to appear local to prospective customers.
Also, a telephone number which uses VoIP can be configured to ring on multiple devices simultaneously, for example a mobile phone and landline. This increases productivity by up to 3.9 hours per week, according to Sage Research.
Implementing a VoIP Phone Service?
Implementing a VoIP phone service is very easy, however, it requires an expert who understands the technology behind it. A dedication to understanding your business and how it operates ensures that you’ll have the telephone system necessary to achieve your goals.
You should also ensure that you test a VoIP phone service for yourself prior to installing it throughout your entire business. This will allow you to ensure it provides a good quality of audio and is easy to use and maintain, at which point you can roll it out confidently.
Finally, prior to implementing a VoIP system ensure it is protected against denial-of-service attacks. As the calls travel through the internet as data they are vulnerable to hackers who wish to intercept and collect data from calls. While providers can not guarantee that their security is unbreakable the ongoing maintenance of it will aid you in protecting your businesses communication capabilities.
Whatever your businesses goals are, VoIP phone services should certainly be a consideration. Due to their affordability and impact on productivity, they can prove essential to maintaining and growing a business which relies on internal and external communication. This is particularly true within businesses who often have their employees working remotely.
