There’s always a transition period when new technology starts to replace the old. But somewhere during that transition, the number of businesses taking advantage of new features reaches a critical mass, usually when the cost-benefit calculations start to really lean in the new tech’s direction. Such is the case with VoIP services, making them feasible for small businesses as well as large enterprises.
The ease-of-use for VoIP services, as well as the explosion of broadband, has also contributed to their viability. These are only some of the ways that small businesses are incorporating these services into their operations.
Support for a Mobile or Remote Workforce
You don’t have to be tied to a desk phone any longer to be reachable. VoIP services can unify your email, phone and video services into single system. Forward calls to someone wherever they are, on whatever device they’re using. This kind of decoupling from a dedicated landline opens up possibilities for telecommuting and remote access to a full array of communication tools anywhere there’s internet access. Nobody is chained to the office anymore.
Simple Distribution of Call Volume
Automatically distribute calls to available customer service agents, no matter where they are. You can deliver calls to appropriate call centers in whatever time zone fits, expanding the flexibility of your call hours. And since VoIP phone service gives you a global reach without the cost of long-distance phone costs, setting up low-cost customer service and tech support options overseas.
Customers can initiate calls directly from your website. If the customer doesn’t want to wait for a representative, they can enter their contact information into a web form and be contacted by the first available agent.
Big Features for Small Businesses
Large, expensive features, like voice and video-conferencing used to be too costly and complex to implement. But that critical mass has been reached, and now voice and video conferencing is so much easier to set up and use with VoIP. There’s no conference number to distribute for the call, and participants can be scaled to nearly any number of observers, if not actual participants.
Go beyond voice and video. The next step in communication is not just exchanging video and sound, but to allow remote desktop control. Agents should be able to help customers remotely, and colleagues can collaborate with virtual shared whiteboards and other types of dynamic interactions.
Implementing Small Business Technology
It’s important to think forward to the actual solutions that you’re expecting from small business VoIP. The best implementations will be those that allow the type of remote working and call distribution that will help reduce costs or increase productivity. Otherwise, technology is just so much boondoggle for an organization.
Kevin Schweizer is the Online Marketing Manager at Phone.com, an internet-based company specializing in VoIP phone service. When Kevin isn’t writing, he can be found watching the NFL and learning about medieval castles.
This post is not only interesting…it’s very helpful and informative. I had no idea that voIP could actually save my company money!
brilliant post… advanced technology makes everyone crazy. I love technology specially VoIP internet telephony.It helps youto combine all of your communications-including voice, data, and inexpensive, easy-to-manage solution with lots of great features.Keep on sharing like this!!
Well VOIP is nothing new for middle and large businesses. The important thing that happened in the last few years is that Hosted VOIP become a preferred solution for many businesses. In other words the expensive hardware switches were replaced by reliable “soft switches”. Soft switches are much easier to maintain and to implement. Therefore many small business are able to afford otherwise expensive VOIP Technology.
I think Kevin has described very well the benefits of VOIP for small businesses
Great article. It is fantastic the way that you have shown the benefits of VoIP and i personally think that all businesses need to utilise VoIP for their companies. It is cheaper. Many businesses do not know about this, so your post is great and informative. VoIP really is a money saver for businesses!
Thanks for sharing this article!
I think the biggest advantage VoIP offers to my clients is the ability to connect in smaller offices or branch offices with out adding big money to there phone bill.A simple internet connection, a VPN router, and there up and running, pulling services form there main office phone system.Of-course i absolutely despise hosted or cloud voip solutions…for what they charge per handset…its ridiculousness. NEC Phone systems are the best! Why pay more?
We use totally voip system’s and a hybrid digital system with voip trunk cards.
Either way saves our customers time and money. Voip is the now of small and large business Telecom.
Great post! very informative. VoIP helped a lot not just small businesses but also those in the middle one’s to save money because of it’s affordable plans, it will also help you to appear more professional to your customers when you have VoIP Service for your business.