Technology has changed how we communicate, but one constant of day-to-day business is the telephone. While we still use it to conduct business every day, modern technology has changed dramatically from the copper-wire landlines we’ve relied on since Alexander Graham Bell invented the telephone.
Today, Voice over Internet Protocol, or VoIP, is a solution that many businesses have turned to as an alternative to the landline. Just like the traditional phone created by Bell, the main purpose of a VoIP phone is to carry a voice conversation. While the old system used conventional phone lines for connectivity, VoIP uses the Internet to facilitate calls. It converts the user’s voice into a digital signal and transmits that signal over the Internet as data packets. When it reaches its final destination, the data packets are converted back into voice, completing the call.
This technology provides a number of major benefits for businesses, including:
Lower Cost
Lower cost is possibly the biggest reason to switch from landline technology to VoIP for most businesses. The cost difference is significant thanks to lower set-up, installation, equipment, monthly service, and maintenance fees. Take “long-distance calls”, for instance. Anyone of a certain age knows that calling long distance used to be a big deal, and it was easy to run up a big bill very quickly. With VoIP, anything in North America is treated as a local call, and overseas calls are a fraction of the cost of traditional landlines. If you’re looking for a way to cut your costs, consider VoIP.
Portability/Mobility
With VoIP’s portability, you can keep in touch using your VoIP account from anywhere. In addition, VoIP feature’s such as “Find Me Anywhere” allow call forwarding to any number wherever you are. VoIP frees you from your desk! You can access your office phone from your mobile device or any other device with an Internet connection to make or receive calls via your business number.
Increased Feature Set / Added Functionality
Communications convergence is perhaps the buzzword that launched VoIP with feature-rich solutions that provide enhanced functionality to end users. Through the many functionalities of VoIP, you can streamline the flow of information, enable better coordination and cooperation among your employees, branches, offices, and address client concerns quickly. For instance, you can send your voicemail to text or email, schedule auto-attendants, jump on a video call, setup automatic call rerouting, and integrate with third-party tools and software like CRMs. And this barely scratches the surface of all possibilities.
Scalability
In today’s fast-moving world, businesses need to be able to scale to accommodate growth and change in order to survive in today’s complex environment. VoIP is a completely scalable communications solution that makes it easy to expand or contract as needed, so your communications solution can fit your immediate needs and evolve right alongside your company. A VoIP solution does away with having to purchase expensive hardware or dedicated phone lines as you grow.
It’s clear that VoIP’s benefits far outweigh any of the drawbacks you have with a standard phone line. No matter how large or small your business, when you switch from a landline to a VoIP communications solution, you’ll enjoy the benefits.
At Allied Business Solutions, we have been helping businesses transition from traditional phone systems to unified communication solutions. To learn more about our products and what we can do to help your business, check out our unified communication business solution today.