Could switching to VoIP telephony be the missing piece of a puzzle that leads to new levels of success for your business?

Despite all the advances made in modern technology over the last decade, there’s no getting away from the fact that we’re still reliant on the good old-fashioned telephone.

Or is there?

In early 2017, Zion Research released a new report that valued the current VoIP market at $83 billion USD (roughly £63 billion GBP), with that figure expected to rise to $141 billion USD (£105 billion GBP) by 2021.

On the face of it, such figures are hardly surprising.

Over the last couple of years, more and more businesses have begun ditching traditional landline telephony and making the move to VoIP phone services.

Wondering what all the fuss is about?

Haven’t yet decided whether this kind of  telephony is right for your business?

Today, we’ll discuss just some of the biggest benefits of VoIP solutions for business, and why now might be the perfect time to make the move.

Before we do, however, a quick explanation.

What is VoIP?

Commonly known simply as VoIP, Voice Over IP telephony is a method of delivering telephone services via the Internet, allowing you to send and receive voicemails, and communicate in real time with anyone, anywhere in the world, via an IP Protocol.

Using a VoIP client installed on a computer or smartphone, or even a VoIP adapter which allows you to connect your landline phone system to a LAN network, this method doesn’t just allow you to communicate with other people who are using hosted telephony, but also those who are calling you (or who you call) on a landline or even a mobile telephone.

At its most basic, this approach may already be familiar to you through popular applications like Skype, though it’s in the business environment that VoIP really comes into its own.

What Are the Biggest Benefits of VoIP Solutions for Business?

In the early days of internet telephony, businesses were put off by what was perceived to be poor quality calls, but today, high-speed broadband and improved technology ensure that audio quality is clear, and that there’s no lag or no dropped calls.

Yet that’s far from the only reason why VoIP phone services are becoming the preferred telephony choice for increasing numbers of businesses both here in the UK and globally.

Quick and Simple Set Up

Always thought that hosted telephony is as costly and complicated to set up as it confusing to use?

Allow us to bust that myth for you.

The truth is that deploying a VoIP solution for your business is remarkably simple.

The miles of expensive cabling required by landline systems are unnecessary, and there’s practically no hardware required beyond your VoIP telephones.

In terms of set up, an experienced professional will be able to set up your Interactive Voice Responsive (IVR) technology, ensure you’re set up with hunt-group technology for effective customer service, and configure your own, bespoke VoIP dashboard.

Using that dashboard, and your telephone system itself, is also incredibly easy.

VoIP solutions are designed to be highly intuitive, which means a short learning curve for you and your staff before you’re able to use your new system without a hitch.

Cost Savings Across the Board

Businesses in London report overall cost savings of between 40% and 80% by switching to hosted communications.

Those long, unwieldy cables we mentioned earlier that you need for your landline system? They’re not only expensive to install in the first place, but also to maintain and repair.

Typically, these costs are included in your monthly phone bill. Naturally, removing the need for those cables removes them from your bill.

Then there’s the cost of calls themselves.

With VoIP telephony, internal communications won’t cost you anything, even if your business is based at multiple locations.

Wireless systems can connect those locations, enabling your business to talk freely between any and all of your VoIP numbers.

Meanwhile, the cost of both local and long-distance calls are much lower than with landline and mobile systems, which again ensures your business saves money.

Flexibility

If there’s one reason more than any other why scores of businesses are making the move to a VoIP phone service, it’s this one:

VoIP phone packages come in a wide range of options, so there’s always a solution to suit any businesses, even sole traders.

Further adding to the cost savings, packages are determined based on three factors:

• Number of DDIs (Direct Dial Ins)
• Number of extensions and channels required
• Estimated monthly call volume.

This way, businesses only pay for what they need, with the scalability afforded by the internet meaning it’s easy to expand or reduce plans as your business changes.

You may, for example, begin with a single user solution that incorporates line-hunting technology, voice-to-email capability and other advanced features, before upgrading to a multi-user system when your business expands.

Should you expand into multiple locations with many employees, you could even consider investing in IAX/SIP Trunking, which uses your existing secure data connection or VPN (Virtual Private Network) to channel both communication and data through a single connection.

Enhanced Productivity = Increased Revenues

Last but by no means least, we come to the one reason why businesses make most of their decisions:

To drive profits and grow.

According to a study carried out by Sage Research, businesses they surveyed reported an average increase in productivity of 3.9 hours per week, per employee after switching to a VoIP solution.

This improved productivity is gained by significantly reducing the time it takes to make, receive, and process information from calls.

With line-hunting and call-forwarding, hold time is dramatically reduced because anyone can answer no matter where they are in the building (or even outside if calls are routed to a smartphone with a VoIP app), whilst seamless integration with popular Customer Relationship Management (CRM) systems can improve bookings, call logging, and even reduce the time it takes to look up customer information.

Combined, such features mean one thing: More time that your employees can spend on driving your business forward, delivering great customer service, and ultimately increasing your revenues.

For a free demonstration of VoIP solutions for business, contact Pacific Infotech online today. Alternatively, to discover how we can help save you money on your business communications, call today on 020 313 76707.