Small businesses are always looking for ways to expand their services. Whether it’s reaching out to new customers, figuring out easier ways to run the office, or both at the same time. What’s innovative and new does not just stop at modern technology. We’re in an era where we can do so much more than just stream live TV and tell our phones to call people when our hands are tied. With a VoIP phone system, you can run your small business like you never have before. VoIP stands for Voice Over Internet Protocol, so it’s basically having a phone service over the internet instead of using a landline. There are so many benefits to using this service, so keep on reading to find out more about it.
Source: Thinkstock/Magnetic-Mcc
How VoIP Works
- Choosing a provider is the very first step in using a VoIP business phone service. There are actually many providers to choose from that support this system. Some well-known companies like Vonage are available, for instance. Other companies include Mitel, RingCentral, and Voipo. These are regular phone companies that offer landline services as well. Their internet phone services compare in price to the landline services. That fact alone will help you save money on at least one of your bills. As a small business owner being able to save the money that you earn has to be a plus in anything that you do. Of course, you have to think about all of the other things that you will need from a provider as well. Be sure to see what the advantages of each company are before choosing which one to go with. For example, the number of lines you’ll need is an important aspect to consider. You’ll want to make sure you’re picking a company that supports your needs.
VoIP Pros
- One of the best things about a VoIP business phone service is the low cost, of course. $20 or less a month for a phone service for your entire office can’t be beaten. Many people that use this system actually see these phone calls as free calls. When using this service what you’re really paying for is the internet. With the service, the phone calls are supported through the server. And you would be paying for your internet for your office in any case, so it is literally pretty much free.
- Also, one major advantage is that you can take your phone calls anywhere. Not just anywhere in the office, but anywhere you have internet access. You can do this by routing your VoIP phone to whatever network you’re using. Doing this ensures you’ll automatically have your incoming calls come through to whatever phone you’re using. This makes traveling while using this phone service super easy. Also call center agents that use this service can take their calls anywhere as well, which makes it easy to work from anywhere as long as you have a good internet connection.
VoIP Cons
- Of course, there are cons to every pro, unfortunately. The good thing about VoIP is that there are not many cons. The truth is because this is an internet phone service, there are some things that you may not be able to do with your phone that you would traditionally be able to do with landline services. Let’s start with limited free calls as only certain providers allow this. Not every service provider company allows you to make calls without an extra fee. So you will have to read up on which companies charge an extra fee for calls and which ones won’t.
- Also, one of the major issues with VoIP phone systems is not always being able to make calls during an emergency. Some companies will not offer 911 service calls, 411 service calls, phone directory listings, and other common phone services such as 311, and so on. This can be a major deal breaker for some people and can affect how some offices are run on a daily basis. If you have a cell phone, of course, then this is not really an issue, but you may not have the luxury of picking up the office phone and making that call.
Featured Image Source: Thinkstock/BrianAJackson
Posted on February 15, 2023