In much the same way that we adjusted our home environments, moving beyond the traditional rotary phone, with its inevitably tangled cord, to a simple cordless touchtone device, businesses across the globe are now opting for VoIP systems over traditional desk phones for added flexibility and options.
A recentPew Research Center surveyof working adults with Internet access revealed that 35 percent of respondents believe landline phones are “very important” to their jobs; conversely, 54 percent consider the Internet imperative in the workplace. This indicates that the move away from traditional copper landlines is based on an increase in the number of Internet users, who prefer to communicate via email or online voice and messaging systems.
As a result of these changes, many businesses are opting for VoIP systems, which enable users to make voice calls using a broadband Internet connection rather than a regular or analog phone line. The benefits of VoIP systems over traditional landlines include the following:
Ease of Installation and Use
Traditional phones are complex and costly to set up and maintain, with wiring and extensions required to install a copper landline system. You must also depend on a technician to fix hardware should anything go wrong. This can have a negative impact on your budget as well as your productivity.
With VoIP, voice is transmitted over the Internet so no actual hardware is needed for installation. VoIP also features anarray of advantages, such as remote calling from a laptop or smartphone, scalability when adding new phone lines and integration with other IT systems, such as email, voicemail transcription, messaging and contact management.
Improved Customer Support
Legacy phone systems require human and, often, on-site support, which means that consumers are at the mercy of the phone company and its technicians. VoIP, on the other hand, is Web-based software that can be installed—by simply plugging an Ethernet cable into your VoIP phone—and managed directly online with customer service that is available 24 hours a day, regardless of location. This affords flexibility to both on-site and remote staff that may be accessing their phone lines in different time zones across the globe.
Greater Flexibility
Aside from traditional calling and voicemail, VoIP systems feature additional functions to enhance your business communications, such as call routing, which allows users to find or follow colleagues by routing calls through a list of numbers before going to voicemail. Users can also enjoy voicemail-to-email transcription to avoid writing down names and numbers while listening to a voicemail; data tracking reports that detail call history, duration, originator, destination and cost; auto attendant features that permit callers to interact with a menu and select the correct extension; and conferencing to engage others, anywhere, in phone meetings.
All in all,VoIPaffords businesses all the features that they have grown accustomed to with traditional phone systems plus additional state-of-the-art functions that enhance the communication experience to enable businesses to reach beyond the limitations of copper landlines.
