A big beneficiary of cloud-based technologies over the last decade has been small businesses.
Cloud applications have enabled companies with fewer resources to do more and have more flexibility than traditional computer-based software offers. One powerful cloud technology that’s been transforming voice communications for businesses, large and small, is Voice over Internet Protocol (VoIP).
While VoIP was first introduced in the early days of the internet, those earlier iterations of it weren’t yet up to business quality, but in the past decade, all that has changed. Today, you can’t tell whether someone is on analog or VoIP from the other end of the phone line.
Cloud-based VoIP is now fast becoming a standard as businesses replace their outdated analog phone lines with mobility-friendly, cloud-based phone systems. The number of global VoIP business subscribers is expected to reach nearly 205 million by 2020. As part of our small business IT services in Singapore, we offer a variety of cloud-based support, including assistance with VoIP telephony. The scalability and flexibility make it perfect for growing companies, and the cost savings are hard to beat with any other system.
What are the Biggest Small Business Benefits of VoIP Telephony?
When you’re growing a small business, you want to reduce costs wherever you can, but you also want to stay competitive and be able to provide the same type of high-quality service to your clients as larger companies do. Here are the ways that switching to VoIP can reduce costs for small businesses while also increasing their capabilities.
Hardware Savings
There is a significant cost savings when you switch from a PBX landline-based system to a VoIP system. The analog phones, including hardware, can cost an average of $1,000 USD per user. Businesses switching to VoIP report experiencing savings in the 50 to 75% range, which is significant to their bottom line. With VoIP there is no expensive hardware to purchase since the system runs in the cloud, and users can choose to use low priced handsets, computer headsets, or their mobile devices to access their VoIP phone line.
Managing Messages
No more do you need to have someone write down phone messages. VoIP includes advanced message features that allow call routing to a department-based or personal voicemailbox. Features also include automatically emailing a voicemail message, including the sound file and automated voice-to-text transcription. This streamlines the message taking process, making it both more accurate and less time-consuming.
Call Attendant and Transferring
One of the VoIP features that allow small businesses to sound like they’re a large business when a customer calls is the call attendant and call transferring. This is typically expensive to set up on an analog phone system but is generally an included feature with VoIP. This allows you to provide better customer service without needing to add more staff. You can set up a general message that routes the caller to the appropriate department or person, and easily route them back to a staff member if the line they’re ringing isn’t answered.
Scalability to Add or Remove Lines Easily
When you invest in hardware for a land-line based phone system, you’ve purchased that equipment and can’t easily get your money back from it if you have an employee leave. Alternately, with VoIP you can add or remove users with a few keystrokes. The scalability of VoIP allows you to pay just for what you’re using at any given time and easily scale up or down in the number of phone lines you have whenever you need to.
Remote Working Flexibility
One of the most beneficial features of VoIP telephony, especially for smaller businesses looking to be nimble and save costs, is that it allows your office phones to function from anywhere. They can be accessed from any internet connected device, including computers, tablets, and mobile phones. VoIP flexibility allows companies to:
- Hire remote workers, saving money on office space
- Keep their business going in the event of an outage or disaster at their physical office
- Make it easy to get calls while traveling
- Allows for more mobile security by using VoIP with mobile devices
Lower Maintenance & IT Costs
Troubleshooting a problem with an analog phone system that’s housed at your office can be costly and time-consuming. VoIP is a “plug and play” technology, making it much easier to use and less expensive to maintain. Employees also tend to learn its features faster, requiring less training time.
Customer Service Features
VoIP telephony is designed to help you provide a better experience for your customers when they call your company. For example, with a virtual receptionist, a caller will never get a busy signal. Other customer-centric features that can help small businesses enhance their customer experience include:
- Hold music
- Directory assistance
- Ring groups (so a call can ring for everyone in a department)
- Extension dialing
- Call routing (can find a user on their mobile if they’re not at their desk)
Contact Us with Your VoIP Questions!
Have you been thinking about switching your business to VoIP, but aren’t sure what it entails?
Are you currently using VoIP, but would like some help setting up some of the more advanced features?
Managed IT Asia can help with any and all VoIP telephony needs. Contact us with questions and to learn more about cloud-based phone systems. Call +65 6748 8776 or reach out online.
MANAGED IT ASIA, we are an IT Support, IT Solutioning and Managed IT Service Provider specializing in serving Small Businesses across Asia. Call us at +65 6748 8776 and let us manage your Small Business IT today!