The advantage of cheaper calls is often presented as one of the main reasons for switching a company’s business phone systems to those offered by a business VoIP provider.
Amidst the understandable haste to take advantage of cheaper calls, however, it is important not to overlook the many other benefits of VoIP.
VoIP – or voice over internet protocol – is a mechanism whereby a company uses the internet rather than conventional telephone network lines to send and receive calls. The cost savings associated with business VoIP largely stem from a company no longer having to pay the expensive tariffs levied by traditional telephone network providers.
Other benefits of the service, however, include the following:
Firstly, personnel are not restricted to being able to make cheap VoIP calls at their desk. Provided there is an internet facility, those same calls can be made anywhere in the world.
Secondly, internet-based business phone systems can instantaneously link to other business software with which the call handler can quickly and easily cross-reference the caller’s known customer service requirements or contract history.
Thirdly, with VoIP it is much easier to add new extensions or to re-route communication lines to other extensions without the need for any rewiring. This facility is particularly straightforward to access if a company chooses to use the services of a hosted VoIP provider, rather than set up an in-house system.
On a related note, if hosted VoIP services are used these will save a company having to pay the costs usually associated with setting up in-house business phone systems.
Finally, VoIP carries the potential for accessing a whole range of separate technologies through the one internet connection. The user within the company could thus access on screen any voicemail, fax messages or emails on the same communications link used to carry voice messages.
