For years, companies didn’t have much of a choice when it came to their phones. Either they had to make do with a traditional system or invest in a bulky, expensive PBX system. The problem was that neither solution was ideally suited to small- and medium-sized businesses. The former couldn't always accommodate large numbers of users, and the latter wasn't affordable.
VoIP (Voice over Internet Protocol) telephony solutions have changed all that. Now SMBs can enjoy the same high-level phone systems as large enterprises do without worrying about costly calling rates and complex setups.
However, many people think using VoIP will result in poor-quality calls. The truth is that VoIP call quality is actually as good as, and in many instances better than, that of landline phones. And there’s a lot more your company can do with a VoIP telephony solution.
Increased professionalism
VoIP systems have a number of subtle features that can add a wow factor to your business. For instance, having background music playing while a caller is on hold may not seem like a big deal, but it reflects well on your company. There is nothing worse for a caller than to be put on hold and hear nothing, because they might think you have hung up on them.
Getting through to whom you want to talk to has never been easier, too. With the auto attendant function, callers can easily reach the person they’re looking for by interacting with a menu and selecting the options they want, without having to remember an extension number.
Advanced phone features
VoIP provides numerous features that can significantly improve your business in more ways than you can imagine. For starters, find me/follow me allows for calls to be routed to a set of listed numbers before going to voicemail. Let’s say someone calls your cell phone but it remains unattended after a few rings. The call would then be forwarded to your office phone, and eventually your home phone. If the call goes unanswered, it will finally land on voicemail. Chances are you’ll never miss important calls again.
VoIP also offers a range of employee-coaching call features that let you monitor and help your staff when they’re on the phone. You can listen in on calls and even whisper advice to your employees on what to say during the conversation without your clients being aware. These tools allow you to better understand how your staff communicates over the phone, and help them improve in real time.
Massive cost savings
If you need to make a lot of long-distance calls, switching to VoIP should be a no-brainer, since you get unlimited nationwide and international calling. VoIP can also cut your travel costs if you have multiple offices or meet with your clients often: robust video calling features allow for face-to-face and conference meetings, without the unnecessary travel time and expenses.
Depending on your technology partner, you might be able to implement a VoIP system without any hardware and software costs, in which case all you have to pay for are the installation and low monthly service fees. After that you can sit back and watch the savings accrue.
It’s easy to see why businesses are making the transition from traditional phone systems to VoIP. It increases flexibility and professionalism, and is a great value for money. If you’re tired of making do with inefficient, out-of-date phone systems, talk to the team at USWired about VoIP solutions today.
