One of the greatest impacts that technology has had on the way companies operate in recent times can be seen in the world of business communication. The way many of us now connect, interact, and network while at work has been transformed by a range of technology. These technologies, often built on traditional structures, have completely revolutionized the way businesses work.
This shift has had a profound effect on how businesses function in a number of ways. Collaboration tools such as RingCentral Glip make it easier than ever to communicate with colleagues or clients no matter where in the world a team member is based. This has led to an explosion in remote working, with physical location no longer as important as it once was. Another change that has taken place has also leveled the playing field for small businesses; technology such as VoIP is allowing startups and micro-enterprises to take advantage of the same features and functions that were once reserved only for the largest of organizations with huge traditional phone systems.
What is business VoIP?
For small businesses and startups, there is a lot to be said for saving space and resources. It might seem like a good idea to work over a phone system that is managed entirely within your office, but sometimes having this control is significantly outweighed by practicality.
But first things first: what is hosted VoIP? Put simply, it is a telephone system that is managed externally. A VoIP provider “hosts” your equipment in the cloud, and you pay a monthly charge for the service. There is more to it than that, but this describes the nuts and bolts of the platform.
A VoIP phone system offers a range of features and benefits, and as any small business or startup owner knows, every advantage is a tool that can be used to drive success.
1) Help keep costs low
There are a number of reasons why VoIP ultimately works out to be more cost-effective than traditional telecom solutions.
First, the main reason VoIP is kinder on the budget is that it takes advantage of a connection that most modern businesses already utilize. VoIP operates over the same connection as your internet service, meaning no new lines have to be installed, which keeps initial overhead to a minimum.
Second, another reason that VoIP allows small businesses to keep expenditure low is due to internet calling capabilities. Because calls are made over the internet, it doesn’t matter how long distance these calls are. Farewell to long-distance calling fees.
Third, VoIP aids collaboration, meaning small businesses can operate from any location and save on travel costs.
Last, VoIP services can easily be scaled—excellent for a young startup with an ambitious growth strategy in place.
2) Robust key features
Another huge benefit of VoIP for small businesses is the countless features that are available. Find-me/follow-me call forwarding is a huge advantage to remote workers or those who work on the move, enabling connections even when they don’t stay in one physical location.
Other features that are now available to small businesses, which historically would have been too costly or too labor-intensive to implement, include advanced conferencing functionality and auto attendant. These can help improve conference call functionality and provide the perception of a much larger organization. Allowing small businesses to appear larger than or as established as competitors is a huge advantage of VoIP.
These are just quick snapshots of the beneficial features VoIP offers. Many VoIP providers differ in the core features and services they offer so careful consideration is a must for any small business.
3) Hosted solutions
Another motivation for small businesses when it comes to investing in VoIP technology is the cloud-based nature and hosted solutions available. As opposed to traditional phone systems, which require large-scale installation, hosting your VoIP services in the cloud not only saves on initial up-front costs but also helps reduce the fees for on-going maintenance and support.
These key areas show why more businesses than ever, particularly startups or small enterprises, are favoring VoIP when it comes to choosing a business phone system. Although there are some drawbacks, the pros far outweigh the cons. There’s no doubt that as technology advances and call quality continues to improve, the popularity of VoIP will keep growing.