Are We Really Gonna Talk About Phones?

If you're like me (or like I used to be) you probably never give the phone on your desk a second thought. We all know how it works right? You pick up the receiver and dial a number to make a phone calls. There's nothing new there. It's old technology, or so we may think. In reality the phones of today are not just for making phone calls. They are connected communication devices with a lot more power than ever before. If phones systems have made such an existential change then the agent of that change is most certainly voip technology.

Voice over Internet Protocol (VoIP) phone services are rapidly becoming the preferred choice for businesses looking to improve their communication and reduce costs. VoIP phone systems work by transmitting voice and other multimedia content over your internet connection, rather than traditional phone lines. This allows businesses to take advantage of the latest communication technology, providing a range of benefits that traditional phone systems simply cannot match.

An Inevitable Change?

This change to VoIP seems almost inevitable. We recently had a client who chose to stay with her analog phones when it was time to renew the business phone service provider. The new provider did indeed allow her to keep her analog phones and phone system but they in turn added a device to convert all those calls to VoIP calls. So even though she was hoping to avoid VoIP all the company's calls were now being handled as VoIP calls. It's no wonder, then that "by 2026, the corporate VoiP services market is expected to grow to $83.0 billion" What is driving this change, and how can businesses benefit from this trend will be discussed in this article.

Cost Savings

One of the biggest advantages of switching to VoIP is the significant cost savings that it can bring. With VoIP, there's no need for separate phone lines and equipment, which can reduce hardware and installation and maintenance costs. This can save businesses a significant amount of money, especially for those with multiple locations or remote workers.

Moreover, the cost of making calls is often much lower with VoIP than with traditional landline phone systems. This is because VoIP calls are made over the internet, which is often cheaper than using traditional phone lines. This can be a major advantage for businesses that make a lot of calls, either domestically or internationally.

Improved Productivity and Flexibility

Business voip phone systems can also greatly improve the productivity and flexibility. With a voip solution, employees can make and receive calls from anywhere with an internet connection, which can be especially useful for remote workers or those who travel frequently. This allows businesses to stay connected, even when employees are away from the office. VoIP technology was a key technology that facilitated the work-from-home pivot that many business underwent during the peak of the COVID-19 pandemic.

Another advantage of voip business phone systems is the ability for employees to collaborate and share data more effectively. Features such as conferencing and call forwarding can greatly improve communication and reduce downtime, helping businesses to be more productive and efficient.

Enhanced Features

Business voip phone systems can also greatly improve the productivity and flexibility. With a voip solution, employees can make and receive calls from anywhere with an internet connection, which can be especially useful for remote workers or those who travel frequently. This allows businesses to stay connected, even when employees are away from the office. VoIP technology was a key technology that facilitated the work-from-home pivot that many business underwent during the peak of the COVID-19 pandemic.

Another advantage of voip business phone systems is the ability for employees to collaborate and share data more effectively. Features such as conferencing and call forwarding can greatly improve communication and reduce downtime, helping businesses to be more productive and efficient.

Enhanced Features

VoIP phone services also offer a range of advanced features that traditional phone systems simply cannot match. For example:

1. Voicemail-to-email is a popular feature that allows users to receive their voicemail messages as audio files attached to an email. This makes it easier for employees to access their voicemails, even when they're away from their desks.
2. Call routing and recording are other popular features of VoIP services. These features can be used to direct calls to the right person or department, improving customer service and streamlining business operations. Call routing can also take into account time of day, and call origin to make that call routing decision.
3. Interactive Voice Response (IVR) is another feature that can be used to automate customer service, reducing the workload on call centers and improving the overall customer experience.
4. Find Me Follow Me refers to technologies that allow voip phone systems to make several handsets ring as the same call destination. For instance, a business owner may have a voip desk phone on their desk at the office and one in their home office. Find Me Follow Me would allow the voip phone system to make both those desk phones ring when calls come into her extension.
5. Mobile Device: Many small businesses have workers who work in and out of the office in a fluid manner. Voip phone systems are uniquely suited to assist in the is area. With an easily downloaded app call a 'soft phone' or software phone, and employee can use their smart phone as their extension for receive phone calls and placing phone calls. When combined with the "Find Me Follow Me" feature mentioned earlier it creates a complete telephony strategy that allows for no missed calls, ever.

Scalability

Finally, another advantage of voip systems are their scalability. With VoIP, businesses can easily scale up or down their communication services as needed, without having to invest in new equipment. This allows businesses to adapt to changing needs, without having to worry about outdated or insufficient communication systems.

Getting IT Done

Cloud Hosted or In House?

At this point you may be thinking, how do I switch? Do I use a cloud-hosted VoIP provider or buy a Voip phone system to install in my company?

Cloud-hosted VOIP solutions offer several advantages over in-house VOIP systems for Small and Medium-sized Businesses (SMBs).

1. Firstly, cloud-hosted VOIP eliminates the need forexpensive hardware and maintenance costs, as all equipment and infrastructure are managed by the provider. No more onsite visits from a phone technician to update the firmware on the system
2. Secondly, cloud-hosted VOIP provides scalability, as the number of users can be easily increased or decreased as needed.
3. Thirdly, cloud-hosted VOIP offers greater reliability and uptime, as providers can spread their resources across multiple data centers, ensuring that the system is always available. When you buy a system to run in-house that system's performance will naturally degrade over time until it needs to be replaced. Most voip providers are constantly updating their systems. In theory, then, your cloud hosted voip phone system will improve over time rather than degrade.
4. Fourthly, cloud-hosted VOIP provides access to advanced features, such as call routing, voicemail-to-email, and call analytics, which are not typically available in in-house systems. Finally, cloud-hosted VOIP offers increased mobility, as users can make and receive calls from anywhere with an internet connection, boosting productivity and enabling remote work.

Pitfalls of Using Vendor Specific Technologies

When making the decision to switch some companies rush into agreements with large providers. They assume that the size of voip service provider will result in commensurate increase in quality, but this is not always the case. While using vendor specific technologies like Microsoft Teams, for VoIP services may seem like a convenient option, it can also present several challenges for businesses. One of the biggest challenges is vendor lock-in, which can make it difficult and expensive for businesses to switch to a different technology in the future. Cost can also be a factor in solutions that brand voip phone systems with proprietary technology.

In addition, vendor specific technologies may limit the range of features and customization options available to businesses, compared to standalone VoIP services. This can limit the ability of businesses to fully utilize their communication systems and meet their unique needs.

Do I Loose Anything by Switching to a VoIP phone system?

The short answer is, no. Voip phone systems can do everything that traditional phone systems can do and a lot more. You don't need to give up your ten digit calling number. Numbers can easily be transferred to the voip platform. Extension dialing will work exactly as it did before. With most business voip services each extension also has a web portal where the user can make changes, such as call forwarding via their account.

What's My Next Move?

If you've read this far into the article you obviously see the value of switching over to a cloud hosted voip solutions such as the ones we offer at Syslogic. As a small business owner, switching from analog to a cloud-hosted VOIP telephone system can greatly improve your communication capabilities and save you money. Here are the steps you'll need to follow:

1. Research and choose a cloud-hosted VOIP provider: Start by researching different cloud-hosted VOIP providers to find the one that best suits your needs and budget.
   1. Use your MSP or in-house technicians for this. Many of the good providers are not household names but can nonetheless provide you with a voip system that has all the features and stability of large providers
   2. Get referrals from other business owners who have made the switch and are happy with their provider.
2. Budget the purchase VOIP equipment: You'll need VOIP phones, which connect to the internet, to replace your analog phones. Some providers offer these devices as part of the service, but some don't.
3. Set up your VOIP network: Your VOIP provider will help you set up your network, including installing and configuring the necessary software. As it's a cloud-hosted solution, you won't need to worry about maintaining the hardware. As prospective voip providers if they will be willing to do a short audit of your network to ensure that your company has the network capacity to support a voip system.
   1. Some providers will provide a document with a list of tests for your in house IT technician or MSP to complete.
4. Port your existing phone number: This step is usually completed by the voip cloud hosted provider and is important only if you have an existing number that you want to keep. In such cases you'll need to arrange for it to be transferred to your new VOIP system via a port
5. Train your employees: Make sure all employees are trained on how to use the new VOIP system, including how to make and receive calls, transfer calls, and access voicemail.

With these steps, you'll be well on your way to making the switch from analog to a cloud-hosted VOIP solution and enjoying all the benefits that come with it.

Conclusion

In conclusion, switching to VoIP phone services can greatly improve the communication and efficiency of businesses. With its cost savings, improved productivity and flexibility, enhanced features, and scalability, VoIP is the future of business communication.

If you're a business leader looking to improve your communication and reduce costs, it's important to carefully consider all options. Voip will bring great value and flexibility to your organization.