How VoIP Can Streamline Business Communications

Introduction

Voice-Over-IP (VoIP) is a type of phone system that allows you to make phone calls over the internet. This comes with many advantages for businesses looking to set up a phone system, as it allows for greater flexibility to meet common business needs like automated receptionist, recordings, and call groups.

In this article, we will discuss the many advantages that come with having a VoIP system and along with some considerations to keep in mind.

Benefits of Voice Over IP

Cost Savings

One of the greatest benefits of VoIP systems is the cost savings you can have by eliminating some of the costs that you may encounter with traditional phone systems. These might include:

• Less phone lines needed for your business: As you can link multiple phones to the same numbers or a process to determine where to route to call.
• More cost-effective hardware and software: There are many budget friendly landline VoIP phones you can use, or even apps that can be used in place of a physical phone (softphones) that can be downloaded on both PC and mobile devices.
• Eliminating long distance charges: If you have remote workers, even outside of the US, you can make calls to them through your system without incurring long-distance charges. This works because everything is routed through an internet connection rather than the public switch telephone network.

Enhanced Communication Features

A great advantage of VoIP systems is the ability to add logic and features to your call system. Some of these features include call recordings, voice-to-mail, and an automated system to route calls to the right groups to handle. However, this list is not exhaustive, and you could include all kinds of automations feature into your phone system.

Scalability and Flexibility

Voice Over IP Systems allow you to scale to your needs by having a simpler system to manage your physical and virtual phone numbers, extensions, and call routes. It also allows to easily add or remove new lines and choose where those lines point to when someone calls.

Improved Accessibility

VoIP Systems allow you to connect phone lines to a system that can route your calls to any device. Whether it is a landline phone, a mobile app, or a desktop computer, you can configure your system to be available to answer wherever you are. If you have remote workers, all you need to do is send them the preconfigured phone. Once they plug it into an internet connection, they are ready to receive  and make phone calls for your company. 

Considerations

The quality of VoIP calls depends highly on your internet connection stability. This can be problematic if you need to make calls from remote locations or areas with limited or unstable internet connections. Additionally, if you need to make 911 calls, it is not 100% guaranteed because you may be experiencing an internet or power outage. It is a risk that must be weighed carefully, and it would be wise to have an alternative method to make emergency calls, such as a cell phone.

When setting up a VoIP system, your calls will be going through an internet connection. Therefore, we always setup the VoIP system to communicate through encrypted channels to protect your phone calls.

Finally, a VoIP system can be difficult to setup and maintain, and it be challenging to integrate with your other infrastructure. Therefore, you will need to have dedicated professionals that can maintain the service, hire an external team to help you, or subscribe to a VoIP as a service plan.

Conclusion

Having a Voice Over IP system is highly beneficial for businesses. It can create a more reliable system around your phone communication by allowing your customers to reach the people they need more easily. It also helps improve record keeping and auditing of calls through recordings and even automated transcription of calls. VoIP systems can help your business scale while integrating with the rest of your IT infrastructure as needed.

Even though there are certain limitations such as the need for a stable internet connection and the maintenance or subscription costs incurred by the system, it is still a key technology to help your business grow while keeping good communication infrastructure within your premises. If you are in need of assistance in getting a Voice-over-IP system set up, contact Antemodal today to speak with an implementation expert and find the solution that will fit your needs.

FAQs

• "Is VoIP better than a landline?"
• • Generally, we believe that VoIP systems are the better options for most businesses. However, although VoIP has many advantages, it depends on having a stable internet connection. Therefore, it might not suit your needs if you have frequent power or internet outages.
• "How reliable is VoIP?"
• • Generally, it will be as reliable as your internet connection is.
• "Can VoIP work during power outages?"
• • If your VoIP server is off-premises or cloud-based, you will still need to have backup power and internet connectivity to reach the VoIP servers.
• "What equipment is needed for VoIP?"
• • You only need a VoIP phone and an internet connection for the most basic setups, and you can use software to connect your phone or computer.
• "How does VoIP affect call quality?"
• • A VoIP system can affect call quality if there is some connectivity issue between the phone and the destination. However, unless there are network issues that affect the stability of the connection, the call quality should be as good as any regular phone call.