Is VoIP Right For Your Business?

If you’re looking to scale up your existing communications infrastructure, switching to Voice over IP (VoIP) could be the next step for you.

Client-facing businesses require phone systems that they can depend on to remain connected under any circumstance. Whether you operate out of one office location, manage a remote workforce, or have multiple locations across the globe, traditional landlines might not cut it for you anymore.

If it’s time for you to switch over to a more unified communications solution in order to increase connectivity amongst your team and customer base, VoIP could be the solution for you. Discover what it is, how it works, and the different ways it can benefit your business.

What is VoIP?

In simplest terms, Voice over Internet Protocol, more commonly referred to as VoIP, is a way of making phone calls over the internet. In reality, however, VoIP is a much more complex and integrative communications system that can allow you to dial anyone in the world from anywhere in the world.

How does it work?

VoIP phones are not tethered by traditional copper wiring the way regular (or analog) phones are. The phones are connected using the same kind of broadband internet connection that plugs into a computer.

VoIP phones convert your voice into a digital signal that travels over the Internet. Even if you are calling a regular phone number, the signal will be converted to a regular telephone signal before it reaches that destination. VoIP can also allow you to make calls directly from your computer, a special VoIP phone, or a traditional landline connected to a special adapter.

VoIP versus Traditional Landline

The VoIP versus landline comparison is really a comparison of old versus new technology. The best way to compare these two methods of voice communication and determine which is best for your business is to consider four key areas: features, reliability, cost, and convenience.

1. Features
While many of us probably haven’t touched a landline in a while, we probably all remember that they come with only a few basic features. The internet capabilities of VoIP phones, on the other hand, permit them to provide extensive features like voice-to-email, automatic call forwarding, cloud synchronization, integrations with 3^rd party products such as Salesforce, Outlook, Google and many more! If you have a remote workforce, a VoIP system also allows for calls to be transferred to distributed customer care reps with ease. So, if you’re looking for ways to keep your remote customer service reps or employees connected under any and all circumstances, VoIP is the best alternative to traditional landlines.

2. Reliability
We all know that a phone call made via a landline will never get disconnected through internet disruptions. However, since VoIP lives in the cloud, your connectivity to the cloud becomes critical in its latency and uptime. In simpler terms, if your internet goes down then your customers won’t be able to reach you. A VoIP solution should never be implemented without a careful network assessment and management of your office network and internet connection. This is where a managed network from a partner such as Synchroworks Consulting can help. When done right, VoIP has a higher reliability and greater backup options then traditional phone systems and landlines could ever deliver.

3. Cost
You might be shocked to hear this but switching from landline to VoIP could save your business some serious cash. VoIP is usually 40-60% less expensive than traditional landline services and eliminates the need to maintain hardware that can cost thousands of extra dollars. Let’s not forget the cost of long-distance calls – with VoIP, you no longer have to worry about extra expenses for reaching customers or employees across the globe.

4. Convenience
The convenience of being able to make a phone call to anybody in the world from wherever you are is a huge advantage, especially in today’s remote world. Now more than ever, keeping your landline phone can be problematic as employees are more mobile — and therefore harder to reach at the office through their landlines. Given that most callers do not leave a voicemail if their calls go unanswered, it’s extremely important to have employees be able to take a call no matter where they’re working. To make things even more convenient, VoIP allows for landline numbers to be ported over so no one has to worry about the hassle of switching numbers and updating systems. This is a compelling feature given that keeping old numbers is one of the main concerns that businesses have about going completely mobile.