In our recent blog, What is Voice over IP (VoIP) Business Technology?, we took a look at what VoIP is, how it’s evolved, and how businesses are using it, and concluded that, yes, most likely it can help your organization. Today we’ll do a deeper dive into the benefits you will see by switching to a VoIP phone system.
We can’t, however, talk about the current popularity VoIP is having without bringing up COVID-19 and the restrictions it caused across the country. Due to the pandemic’s quarantine, many employees from all kinds of businesses were directed to work from home, if they were lucky enough to keep their jobs, that is. This sudden crisis caused businesses to scramble and create new ways for those employees to communicate with their managers and clients. At first business owners were skeptical about this arrangement. Up until now, it has always been easy to monitor the work of employees, but how can we know what they’re doing if they are working remotely?
Suddenly webcams flew off the shelves and many suppliers ran out completely. Laptops were also being scooped up, and new cellular contracts were signed so employees would have ways to stay in touch with their office. It’s the cell phones that bother us. As you know all too well, the average cost of a cellular contract is between $40 and $80 dollars per month. Usually with extra fees and penalties if you use too much data. And who hasn’t done that?
On top of those costs, you have to buy the phone! Sure, sometimes they’ll throw in the phone, but, if not, you’re looking at $600 to $1,000 for each phone. Possibly more if you’re investing in something suitable for work. This is where a lot of businesses were hit hard in the pocketbooks. And, unnecessarily so, if you ask us. There’s got to be a better way!
And there is! Let’s take a look at some of the key reasons VoIP is such a hot topic right now:
EASY INSTALLATION
IP phones are virtually plug-and-play. There is no need to run separate phone lines – your VoIP phone connects to the same network cable your PC runs on. Or, for some applications, you can even use it through WIFI. The phones are easy to maintain and should last years with normal usage.
TELECOMMUTING
VoIP technology is extremely portable, and it easily allows users to connect to your system from their office or at home. It’s even easy to connect if your employees travel abroad. Your employee’s dedicated phone number is linked to them wherever they choose to work.
CONFERENCING
With standard phone systems, you’ll often end up paying an additional service fee for hosting multiple callers when you set up a conference call. Those days are over when you switch to a VoIP system.
SCALABILITY
VoIP systems allow you to add or delete lines as your pool of employees grows or shrinks. If you’re in growth mode or scaling back, adding and removing traditional phone lines constantly can be a pain. With VoIP, you only pay for what you use, and phones are easy to add, delete, or move. You can also use your desktop computer, your smartphone, or your laptop to make and receive calls through your browser or a special app.
ADDITIONAL FEATURES
There are many features VoIP offers that can help small businesses, such as customizable call forwarding options, customizable greetings, automatic call transfer, voicemail transcription to email, detailed usage reports to help control costs, and an updatable customer contact book. There are also instant messaging and video chat functions you can use, and you can even set up an automatic phone recording that may help resolve customer issues in the future.
You’ll also get advanced call center functions. With state-of-the-art analytics, you can track the usage of your staff and calculate the amount of time they’re contacting your customers.
And most people don’t consider how VoIP can help in their marketing and sales efforts. Want to find out how many leads you’re getting from a call campaign? Use a special number to track how many calls you’re getting from it. Get call analytics and recordings, and save calls within your CRM software. Review your sales teams’ calls to give feedback. There are endless benefits to VoIP!
THE COST
The monthly and yearly cost of using a VoIP system is much less than using a conventional phone provider. Not only does daily use cost less, but long-distance calls are also cheaper when using VoIP phones. The typical savings over older phone systems is 40% or more. The reason for this is with traditional phone systems, a call is made by switching the path through a series of physical exchanges until it reaches its destination. The more exchanges you need to complete the call the more it may cost. And those exchanges need a lot of upkeep.
With a VoIP system, your voice is turned into a data packet with an identifier, and sent through your existing network, through the cloud, and into the network of your destination.
To get set up you need to get your network checked, purchase the phones, and find the best monthly contract that fits your needs. And the good news is we can help you with all of that.
A very recent study just reported that, due to the COVID-19 quarantine, 15.2% of all small businesses that closed their doors will not re-open. We don’t need to tell you that the main reason most of them won’t re-open is because of a lack of funds. When it comes to running a business, you’re always looking for ways to cut costs. And, as you can see, VoIP phone systems are definitely cost savers. Watch your budget and don’t become a statistic.
Contact us today and find out if a VoIP phone system is the kind of technology you’ve been waiting for.
