The need for swift business communication has increased dramatically. Clients and staff alike want answers now. AND from wherever they happen to be: at home, in the field, or in the office. But are you finding that your phone is the slow link in your business? If so, installing a VoIP phone system is likely worth considering to boost productivity. It’s a no-brainer really: Tech advances in telecommunication have made it easy for us to have effective business communications these days using the internet.
What is VoIP?
Voice over Internet Protocol (VoIP) is an internet-based phone service, transmitting voice and video conversations via the internet instead of traditional phone wires. The technology has been around for a while, in fact, but it’s recently become even more widespread in companies due to
- the increase of smartphone use and Bring Your Own Device (BOYD),
- improved computer chips, and
- faster internet connections.
The advent of 5G can only increase the adoption of feature-full, low-cost VoIP phone systems.
Sound good? You may be wondering how it works.
How Do VoIP Phones Work?
The technology uses computer software to record your voice, codes it into a digital signal and then sends it over the internet instantaneously.
While the Voice over IP phone can look similar to a traditional phone, the process is much more advanced. When you make a call over VoIP, this is (briefly!) what happens:
- The phone connects you to your Wi-Fi router in your Local Area Network and sends the digital signal to a virtual private exchange hosted by your phone providers.
- This prompts your VoIP service provider to call the other party via one or many carriers.
- The call is then sent over the internet and exchanges data packets from your IP phone.
- Lastly, once it reaches the end destination, the VoIP phone system converts the digital signals back into analogue (the sound you can hear).
VoIP uses virtual phone numbers that are not tied to a specific telephone. Therefore companies can choose what numbers they want, such as regional ones – although this can lead to robots pretending to be genuine humans! To counteract this, the U.S. government has introduced a protocol to identify callers.
What Are the VoIP Advantages For Your Business?
1 Cost savings
Do you have a large traditional phone bill? Calling over an internet connection eliminates a lot of these running costs. How so?
First, VoIP usually treats your long-distance calls as local calls. In addition, VoIP providers usually charge lower international call rates compared to traditional telecoms companies.
Second, there are no hidden fees forcing you to pay premiums for features like call forwarding, call screening, and caller ID – which most VoIP plans typically include.
Third, VoIP providers charge monthly flat fees per number of users for unlimited calls. No special equipment charges. No extra IT staff needed to maintain the system.
2 Portability and mobility
Does your business operate remotely in some form or other? Because your staff work from home or they travel around as they work?
VoIP phone systems let you and your staff be as mobile as you need. Both your mobile users and your desk-based users can connect to your telephone system without the need for a complex technical setup.
It’s ideal for your remote or work-from-home employees to use business numbers and other video conferencing tools and easily connect into your network.
3 Scalability
Do you find yourself running out of phones in the office? Onboarding several new employees who all need a desk and phone?
Cloud technology means you can expand phone lines and users much more conveniently than with traditional systems. Your business can therefore expand to meet changing and future requirements without having to install and set up new phones at separate locations or in new office spaces.
How Does VoIP Boost Your Productivity?
To boost your productivity in realistic terms, you need a unified or streamlined communication system. Your VoIP phone system contributes to that by removing the boundaries that traditional desk phones erect.
Here are just three ways you may notice your work patterns improving.
1 Improved relationship with customers
The VoIP phone enables faster communication between staff and with clients. For instance, when a customer calls, employees can use your CRM and other customer interface tools to bring up data straight away on your dashboard. Your customers no longer endure that frustrating pause while the sales rep or other executive reports back after looking up the details elsewhere.
Other features that help with customer relationships include
- automatic call forwarding,
- voicemails,
- transmitting multimedia messages such as video information,
- call analytics, and
- anonymous call rejection.
Your staff can simply work on their customer-facing tasks without interruption, with all data to hand.
2 Improved office collaboration
When it comes to connecting your workforce in different departments or office locations, VoIP excels at promoting in-office collaboration. You don’t want separate tools to carry out different tasks.
So, instead of using separate services or special equipment to connect employees, VoIP technology connects all members of your company over one local network for voice calls, video conferences, and shared screens. Business productivity increases with better inter-office connectivity.
This kind of internet phone system therefore gives you the chance to unify your communication technologies into one system, so teams don’t have to work in a variety of applications to call, message, email, or chat. Productive chat, we mean!
3 Streamlined remote work
Remote work is now common, and your company will want to support and resource a more remote and diverse workforce. The VoIP model has been proven to work well in these circumstances. And a bonus is that you can therefore pick the best talent to work for you wherever they live.
VoIP technology has come to the fore in recent years and enabled a smooth transition to the rise in remote work. As a result, your team can communicate in clear, high-quality conference calls from anywhere and their work continues seamlessly.
Is VoIP Right For You? How to Get Started
In today’s business environment, having a VoIP phone system makes business sense. To make sure you have the right solution for your needs, we at OneSource, Houston, are more than happy to help you get started.
As your VoIP phone managed service provider, we can help you overcome the stress of low productivity, missed calls, and poor phone functionality. You’ll discover that a low-cost, easy-to-install system that you can scale up according to your workload is awesome!
Schedule a free consultation with one of our experts to learn more and get you started!