It’s a given that every business needs an easy way to communicate with its employees and customers and vice versa. But when it comes to choosing a phone system to do so, you have a choice between a traditional phone service (PBX) or going with a VoIP solution — Voice over Internet Protocol — a technology that uses VoIP technology to provide lower cost telephone calls with more features such as direct numbers via the internet, redundancy to traditional telephone lines, mobility for your staff and connectivity between sites.
When people think of VoIP, they generally think of computers thanks to free communication services like FaceTime and Skype. But it is so much more than that for business. VoIP for business is becoming increasingly popular with corporations. Stats from the CRTC show that in 2011 alone, there were 4.4 million retail VoIP local telephone lines that represented 24 per cent of retail local lines.
VoIP solutions have a number of benefits over traditional phone systems. Here are three ways VoIP can give you a competitive edge and help transform the way you do business.
1. Increased functionality can adapt with your company
VoIP can be used in addition to a traditional phone service or it can replace it completely and once integrated into your business, it allows you to maintain one single easy-to- manage network instead of different infrastructure for voice, data and video.
In addition, VoIP-based phones can also give you additional features like voicemail to email, caller ID, conferencing and unlimited long distance without the extra fees. And as your company grows, it’s quite easy to add extra phone lines because VoIP carriers let you send multiple phone calls across your IP network.
2. It is a cost-effective tool that can save you money
VoIP offers a cost-effective and reliable way for businesses to make calls or connect remote users or remote offices, whether they are across the world or only across town. There are obvious cost-savings because it VoIP only uses one network to carry voice and data. This means that you’ll get cheaper international and long-distance rates, lowering your monthly bill overall while providing better communication company wide.
3. More user-friendly way for employees to stay connected
VoIP makes certain things that are typically impossible with traditional phone networks quite easy. Your employees are likely quite web-and mobile savvy and with VoIP technology integrated into system that they are already using, they can easily maintain access to the network at the office and at home, making collaboration and working remotely more efficient.
With wireless "hot spots" in locations such as airports, parks, and cafes, business travellers can use VoIP to work from anywhere as long as there’s a good internet connection. Incoming calls can be automatically routed to a VOIP phone and your employees can even access their voice messages via email, cell phone or landlines.
VoIP features also include "presence" technology, which allows you to see if your coworkers are available, not taking calls and how to best get in touch with them whether that be through IM, video-conferencing, data share or call control. The flexibility that VoIP offers can bolster your business communications and nimbly respond to the needs and changes of your workforce.
At Total Communication Services, we offer businesses custom, high-end solutions designed for any size. With our VoIP solutions, we offer:
1. SIP Telephone lines (VoIP) to provide more features such as direct numbers, lower costs, take advantage of the internet connections and data infrastructure
2. VoIP Telephone systems to provide advanced features for the business such as:
- Unified Messaging (Fax, voice mail and email together in email)
- Fax from your desktop
- Web Conferencing
- Permanent or travelling remote users
- Presence and call handling settings based on presence
- Mobile applications
- Connections between locations for redundancy or better communication between sites allowing 3-4 digit dialing and single reception for lower overall costs
