The COIVD-19 pandemic has reshaped the way businesses operate and will likely have lasting implications. Most noticeably, the breakout forced millions of people across the globe to work from home; according to an analysis by Global Workplace Analytics and Flexjobs, about 4.7 million are working from home in 2020 in the U.S. alone.
Despite past circumstances and what may lie ahead, work must go on, and employees need to stay in touch with management, coworkers, and clients.
No matter which industry your business serves, phone calls are an indispensable part of work, and with the rise in telecom costs, you’ll likely see your bills continue to climb. However, investing in new VoIP technology may offer a simple solution.
What is VoIP?
VoIP stands for Voice over Internet Protocol, and it uses technology that allows you to make a phone call through your Internet connection rather than your phone line. VoIP may be the most significant advancement in communication since the telephone itself.
Using your Internet connection, you will be able to connect to your phone’s network and transfer data back and forth. If you have a high-speed Internet connection, you will be able to have crystal clear calls and communicate without interruption.
Are you a business owner or manager and aren’t sure if VoIP would benefit your office? Before making a decision, consider the following signs that indicate a VoIP would improve your business communications and efficiency.
1. Your Telephone Costs Are Rising
Depending on your business’ frequency of use, VoIP may be more affordable than a standard phone connection. The installation costs are relatively inexpensive, and after that, you will pay a monthly fee based on the number of users. Especially if your employees make frequent calls throughout the day, using VoIP may cost less. Plus, employees can use their work computers to make calls, meaning you won’t need to provide desk phones or cell phones.
2. You Employ a Lot of Remote Workers
Your phone bill is bound to spike when your company has a massive number of remote staff who all need to coordinate. VoIP empowers them to work from anywhere, at any time. Rather than setting up new satellite offices and paying rent, they can stay at home and log in from their computers or use their IP from their phones.
Even if there’s an office reshuffle, with the help of VoIP, everyone can make calls from their own personal or office phone numbers through their IP.
3. You Need More Power
Although you are used to using your standard phone lines for making calls, VoIP offers a plethora of versatile features to empower business. For example:
- Automated Attendants– Instead of speaking to a receptionist that may be busy, customers can connect to a virtual receptionist. They offer a simple menu to connect the lines or agents that they want to reach. If all lines are busy, it plays music and eventually sends calls to a callbox.
- Automatic Call Distributor– ACD, or the automatic call distributor, distributes calls to the right agents or resources while holding queued ones to send when the correct line gets free. Without these queues, callers wait until they receive an answer or abandon the call, which leads to customer dissatisfaction.
- Conference Calls– Since all VoIP calls use a data network that converges, which makes conference calls more accessible. Standard telephone systems will charge an extra cost to the additional service of making conference calls. At the same time, VoIP lets you do it all with the existing system. Rather than paying extra money, you can reap all the benefits and even enjoy clear video conferences.
- Voicemail Transcription– This feature translates voice to texts and sends it to the email address or contact of your choice. Voice recognition technology listens to your voice and delivers a written transcript along with the original audio to the respected person. It’s the ideal choice if you’re a busy employee who often partakes in meetings and needs your voicemail for information without wasting any time.
If these features sound appealing to you and you’re wondering where to find the best VoIP service online, do some research and compare prices, and you’ll be sure to find the right system for your business.
4. You Still Send Faxes
Although the practice of sending and receiving faxes is quite rare in 2020, some industries still require them. Usually, you will need another phone line to use and send faxes. However, VoIP integrates old technologies such as faxing or IP faxing by using the email address associated with your VoIP system.
Consider an Upgrade
Although you can continue using your standard phone system, consider VoIP as a significant upgrade from your current system. It doesn’t just cut costs, but it also helps with smoother coordination among your organization and provides easier access to software associated with your company. Should another wave of COIVD-19 occur, you’ll want to have VoIP technology already in place to keep business flowing while employees return to remote work.
