Should Your Company Be Making The Switch To Voip?
Voice over Internet Protocol or Voice over IP can be a valuable communication tool for your company
. VoIP can save you big money, while ushering in tons of great features that traditional analogue phone systems can't offer. This alone is a strong reason that your company should be making the switch to VoIP.
Many companies across the world are making the switch from their old analogue phone systems to new VoIP solutions. If your business hasn't made the jump yet, you probably have a few questions: How exactly does it work? What are the benefits of it? How much does it cost? Aren't there a lot of drawbacks?
We'd like to walk you through IP telephony, and the impact it can have on your business.
What is it?
VoIP stands for "Voice over Internet Protocol", and it means that a phone solution uses the Internet to make phone calls, rather than a traditional phone line.
This communication resource works exactly like an analogue phone - you can even use your existing phone with it (though there are also more advanced phones that take advantage of the host of features voice over IP offers.
What makes this phone system better than using a traditional phone?
There are a number of reasons why this communication tool is preferable to traditional phone networks which often gives companies the incentive they need to switch to Voice over IP.
* Save between 30% to 75% in phone costs: With traditional analogue phones, your business needs a full phone AND Internet network. When you're using Internet telephony, however, you only need the Internet - already a big savings, as you're cutting out your phone carrier's expensive infrastructure.
* Systems utilizing internet protocol offer great features that traditional solutions can't compete with:
1) Voicemail-to-email and fax-to-email delivery, along with voicemail, caller ID, call forwarding and much more are supported.
2) With a traditional phone solution, only two people could speak to each other at a time. As VoIP conversations are carried in small packets across the Internet, there's no limit on how many people can be on a call, which makes conferences quick and easy!
3) Don't have a phone available? You can make calls from your laptop using your usual number.
* Business location is no longer a concern: Traditionally, businesses would have to have a phone number that correspond to where they're located. Alternatively, there's no restrictions on what number you have with IP telephony - you can have a company based in Boston, but advertise a Washington area code if it makes more business sense.
But aren't there quality issues with this type of communication resource? Isn't the sound quality not as good as normal analogue phones?
While in the early days there were some sound quality issues, the technology (like everything else Internet-related!) has come a long way in the last few years. Modern solutions are indistinguishable from analogue in terms of sound quality, and offer many features that analogue solutions do not.
How do I find good VoIP hardware companies?
There are a number of IP-enabled solutions out there, and if you're looking to convert your business, we'd recommend working with a Voice over IP advisor to help you discover the best solution for your business, and implement it accordingly. It will be important to review some of the top service providers and check out their plan details, rates, fees, and ratings so that you can make an informed decision as to which provider will best serve your company's needs. In that way, you will be able to move ahead with confidence and be able to make that all important switch to VoIP.
by: Alex Martin
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