The cost of your company’s voice services can really add up and take away from your revenues.
VoIP or Voice over Internet Protocol is a great alternative that relies on an internet connection to transmit voice calls. Instead of a traditional landline with PBX equipment, businesses can use VoIP to receive, place, and route calls. VoIP also enables remote work, since call features and capabilities travel with workers.
VoIP capabilities have been in existence since the 1990s, but the services are becoming more widely adopted, even by small businesses. In addition to cost savings, companies are also realizing increased flexibility with VoIP over plain old telephone service. With cloud-based functionality, a VoIP line can cost as little as $15 a month, compared to $50 or $60 with a conventional business line.
Let’s discuss the benefits of VoIP.
What are the Benefits of VoIP?
The main benefits of VoIP for business are that the service is portable, it offers enhanced features, and it’s easier to set up and maintain. Compared to traditional service, you can operate VoIP service from anywhere with an internet or cellular data connection.
Your business also gains enhanced features and capabilities like instantaneous call forwarding to more than one individual. And there aren’t any jacks and wiring to set up and maintain or phone equipment to buy and constantly upgrade.
VoIP is Perfect for Remote Work and Multiple Offices
There are 4.3 million employees in the US that work from home at least part-time. The majority of workers (76%) are more likely to remain loyal to an organization if they can work under flexible schedules.
Businesses of all sizes need to not only respond to changing employee preferences but also address increasing operational costs. Going remote helps you save on utilities, leases, and the costs of owning facilities. But going remote or maintaining several satellite offices can pose problems when it comes to phone services.
Do you reimburse employees for their cellular phone or landline at home? And how do you ensure these services will integrate and create a seamless experience for all workers and clients? One of the benefits of VoIP over traditional telephony is its accessibility. Employees can access company-operated VoIP services from an app on a mobile device. It doesn’t matter where they’re working or if they’re located miles apart.
Versatility and Mobility
If employees are away from their home offices, they can still receive calls and notifications. They can have calls forwarded to a cell phone or a landline while traveling, which means you and your workers are no longer tied to a physical desk or have to risk missing calls.
Clients also receive improved service, as they don’t experience any interruptions or delays. As far as they can tell, the experience of reaching your company and employees remains the same.
Most VoIP lines come with enhanced features that improve productivity. For instance, while talking on the phone, employees can receive and read voicemails left by other callers. If they want to forward an important voicemail, they can do that within a few seconds. VoIP messages can be sent to multiple people. Of course, you can add features as your business grows.
Softphones are Essentially Software-Based Phones
Softphone apps are software-based phones that eliminate the need for physical phone equipment. Skype and Ring Central are examples of apps that enable VoIP calls. These apps let your employees use the organization’s VoIP services without a company-issued phone.
Even if your staff works from a central office, using softphones will cut down on your expenses. You won’t have to buy phone cords and decide between different phone models. And you don’t have to worry about equipment becoming obsolete, as softphone apps periodically update, and you can purchase software maintenance agreements that cut down on update costs.
Mobile Integration
VoIP phone service can integrate with other communication tools, including mobile phones and devices. Employees can make and receive VoIP calls using a wireless carrier’s network. They don’t end up using their calling plan’s minutes and don’t have to worry about roaming charges, in most cases.
All they have to do is open the VoIP app and maintain a cellular data or WiFi connection. If they’re working from home, a hotel, or another facility with WiFi, this can cut down on cellular data costs.
Mobile integration adds to portability and versatility because your clients won’t notice whether you’re working from the road. You and your employees can fulfill requests and communicate with each other as if you were all in the same location.
Enhanced System Features
Unlike conventional business phone service, VoIP lines often come with built-in enhanced features. Things like call forwarding, mobile voicemail, and conference calls are often part of your base service charges. More importantly, these features travel with you so you don’t have to worry about them being tied to onsite phone equipment or line capabilities.
Many VoIP carriers offer different package levels, depending on your needs. You can downgrade or upgrade as those needs change. Lower packages might apply to 20 users or less and businesses that see value in a voicemail to text features. Higher packages might include video conferencing with hundreds of users and unlimited document cloud storage.
Easy Installation, Configuration, and Maintenance
Since hardware isn’t involved with VoIP services, you won’t have to wait for equipment to arrive. And technicians won’t need to show up on-site to activate phone jacks or install infrastructure. Employees simply open up the software on a device with an internet connection. Although workers may need some training on the application, most VoIP software is fairly intuitive.
Account reps should provide preconfigured software or walk you through the initial setup. Maintenance is also easy with periodic downloads and online support.
Low-Cost-Per-Call
Monthly prices will vary between packages and service providers, but the cost per call with VoIP is significantly lower than traditional business phone service. You can divide the total cost of your service by the average number of calls you make to get the cost per call.
Increased Security
VoIP service can offer increased security over traditional landline service because you can add enhanced encryption features. This encryption makes it harder for hackers to breach your phone calls and gather proprietary information.
Conclusion
The benefits of VoIP are clear. Between the cost savings, better security, fluid calling, and flexibility to be on the go, voice over the internet is a great choice for your company.
To implement the utmost business strategy, turn to Alltek’s VoIP services.