Should Your Business Switch to VoIP?

A question many companies are asking as technology advances is ‘should we?’. Should we change what we know already works, regardless of certain flaws that every system might have, and go for something new? Should we make the leap, should we take the chance? These questions are natural and with the number of failed technologies and problems that can be created for companies that can ill afford the setbacks, merit a close look at new and upcoming technology before adopting it into the fold.

Does It Have Staying Power?

The number one concern when it comes to new technology is going to be exactly how new is it. The reason that you should concern yourself with how new a technology is, is that it needs to have time to be vetted and prove that it has some level of staying power.

Thankfully, VoIP technology has been around since the 90s and shows no signs of going away any time in the future. Made popular by communication software over the internet for consumers, it has begun to see applications in taking the business market forward into the digital age because it offers a cost-effective, mobile solution to a lot of today’s demands. Costly hardware and being wired into place don’t work for companies that are gearing products and services to consumers that are constantly on the go and equally connected no matter where they are.

Is It Reliable?

Once you’ve determined that the technology won’t disappear as soon as you’ve invested in it, or maybe even before that, you have to determine if it is reliable as it is being offered. VoIP was historically plagued with a few issues that might make it seem particularly ill-suited to the business world. Bad connections meant call sound quality, connection and transmission could be unreliable, which is frustrating for clients and consumers alike. Relying on a technology that might regularly fail to deliver an important call to your offices, or might have bad quality when it did manage to do so doesn’t sound like a sound business decision.

Fortunately, business VoIP services have seen major advances in the last 20 years. Because it is a new service, working primarily off of broadband and high speed internet connections, VoIP in the many areas of the world it is offered can be more reliable, delivering more sound quality and dependability than phone lines that are older and often need repair or costly maintenance. As technology advances and high speed internet becomes readily accessible in more places and to more people, business VoIP services like those offered by Broadconnect will only continue to get stronger and more reliable.

Does It Cost More?

New technology often comes with a new, and higher, price tag. It’s a pleasant surprise, then, to find that the VoIP technology could almost be said to be designed around its cost effectiveness.  Because there is already a significant focus on companies getting connected to the world wide web today, most have already put a significant portion of their budget towards internet speeds and accessibility to workstations for their employees. VoIP was designed to take advantages of this infrastructure. Software packages installed on computers that are already connected to the internet put employees in touch with one another. The cost of this approach is much lower than the usual expenses to install a new service or even expand on a present pbx system, which requires technicians, new workstations or locations for phones to sit and can be difficult to integrate with the current setup, depending on the size.

What Other Benefits?

So it costs less, is more reliable, and won’t abandon your business soon after being implemented. But what other benefits can these services offer your company that would make it worthwhile to switch your entire communication system over?

• Integration of communication systems with information sharing, collaboration and multi-tasking. Employees and partners are able to pair their calls with services such as automatic transcription and recording. They can share files real-time over the network to keep everyone on the same page during a meeting or brainstorming sessions or even handle emails, calls and deskwork all at once without every losing their flow.
• Portability while traveling. The more simple technology often only requires a data connection to work, so softphones or computers with the appropriate software keep businesses connected during traveling or even during outages and other down-time that might affect revenue.
• Features, Features, Features! This cannot be said enough. VoIP, being primarily software based, is only limited by what paired technology can allow it to do. Designers, programmers and innovators are taking steps to broaden the applications and offer more features every day.

The Conclusion?

Should your business switch to a VoIP or hosted communications package in the future? This depends on your company’s bottom line, but for a feature-rich, portable package that keeps you connected with partners, consumers and product markets, it may be worth a look.