VoIP Office Telephone Systems for your Business

The use of VoIP phone systems is on the rise, recent statistic revealed that in the next three years the industry is expected to grow to a whopping $35 billion worldwide making it one of the fastest growing communication solutions in the world. So what’s so great about VoIP phones? The answer is simple tons of savings and tons features! Truly an ideal communication system in today’s fast paced business sector and continuously changing market.

Cost savings – Probably one of the top reasons why VoIP office telephone systems became such a hit is the potential savings it can bring. Cheaper line rentals, cheaper line dial and minimal to no maintenance at all. These are the avenues you can expect to save on. When compared with traditional telephone systems, a VoIP office telephone system can save you by as much as 70% per month with an average return on investment of just 3 to 6 months.

Easy deployment – Since a VoIP office telephone system uses the “cloud” instead of a series of wires and hardware set up is a breeze. Regardless of whether you will be using a soft phone or an IP phone all you need to do is open a web portal that will be provided by your service provider, log in using your credentials and you are good to go. No need for a technician to come site.

Flexible provisioning – Since the system uses cloud technology it offers a level of flexibility that no other business communication can. This means you can start as small as you want and just scale up your capacity as your business grows. The same way features can all be customized to fit in to your requirements. From the way the phones behave down to your ring pattern everything can be programmed according to your specifications.

Remote working opportunities – Want to work at home for a couple of weeks? Or perhaps looking to hire an overseas staff? All of that is possible with VoIP phones. The fact that the system is situated in the cloud all extensions can be located practically anywhere around the world as long as there is an Internet connection and it will work like if it is in on office space.

Rigged with features – Want to sound and appear like the biggest company in your industry? With VoIP you can have easily have a professional greeting message, a well structured menu system, queuing system, on hold messages, out of hours mode, website click to call back, virtual conference room and may more!

Business Phone Plans – Key Points to Consider

Choosing the best possible business phone plan is often a business owner’s nightmare not only because of the impact that it will on the business but also because of the countless options in the market today. With today’s communication industry boom many providers here and there are sprouting almost from nothing. It is beneficial in the sense that the competition will improve prices however the sheer number options to choose from will also increase the risk factor and mistake.

To avoid such mistakes and confusion here four general guidelines that will assist you in choosing the best business phone plans:

Value for money and price – More often than not people think that expensive spells quality. However, that is not entirely true all the time. The most expensive routes and the most expensive business phone plans do not guarantee quality the same way the cheapest does not mean the best either. Remember what’s important is the value that you’ll be getting. Weigh all the aspects with regards to price including the line rentals, dial rates and flag falls and see where you will be really saving and where you will get more for your money.

Contract – If possible it is best to steer away from service providers that will oblige you into a lock in contract. This will prevent you to move out if in case you are not happy with their services. Additionally if they are offering a good business phone plans like what they are advertising a lock in contract is not necessary to keep the customers.

Customer service – getting an outstanding support mechanism is important in telecommunications, businesses are practically run by phones and you cannot afford to have an outage for an extended period. It is necessary for businesses to be able to pick up the phone and ask for help with their telecommunications provider.

Expectations – probably one of the most important aspects of any provider across industries is meeting the customers’ expectations. There are many providers in the market today that just couldn’t deliver. Before making any purchase it pays if you will conduct some sort background research and seeking for feedback from real life users. Utilize the internet and you will see tons of reviews and forums about the industry.

Office Telephone System – VoIP Solutions

The time of analog phone lines and hardware are now over with the continuous development of the Internet. Today most phone lines are run through the Internet through a solution called VoIP. With the many benefits of the technology it’s no wonder why businesses are worldwide are now turning to it to improve their communication system whilst reducing overhead cost.

The big question on everybody is what is VoIP? It stands for Voice over Internet Protocol that uses a network such the internet to transmit or deliver data. In a traditional office telephone system data are transmitted using copper wires to the PSTN network or the service provider’s main frame. In VoIP office telephone systems data and voice are transmitted over the Internet then through the provider’s network before dislodging to the number prefix you wish to call.

Simply by changing the manner how the call is delivered benefits are pushed off the scale and one common thing associated with VoIP is savings. True indeed, if used correctly businesses can see a savings no less than 50% compared to traditional telephony means. The savings is generally generated by avoiding the use of traditional telephony protocol called PRI, which is expensive and hard maintain leading to high calling charges. The technology uses Voice over Internet protocol, SIP, or asterisk server to deliver the calls. Geeky stuff yet effective in reducing cost.

Furthermore to savings, office phone equipments are often hard to maintain and poses serious downtime problems. VoIP doesn’t need any hardware reducing your maintenance cost and the need for an in house telephone engineer to maintain your phones. Everything is situated in the cloud and everything is maintained by the service provider themselves.

VoIP is also known for the features and flexible provisioning next to savings. Literally everything an on premise PBX can do is achievable with the system if not better plus a set of features that is only possible with VoIP like multiple locations, multiple businesses, mobile phone integration, website integration and CRM integration. If that is not enough all features can be custom programmed to suit your requirements and preferences giving you enough flexibility to grow your business without having to undergo any upgrade.

However, the system is not all sugar coated. There are also some misconceptions about it because it is a fairly new technology. Some think that it unreliable and unsecure because of the fact that it is on the cloud. For starters, internet connection these days are no longer dial up connections and a mile from what we have 10 years ago. These days we enjoy high speed broadband and fiber connection plus the bonus of wireless solutions. Securing a good connection is easily accessible in any country and region so quality and reliability will never be an issue.

As for security, the system uses a mechanism called encryption. It is somewhat compared to the security imposed by banks in online transactions. It is actually easier to hack into an analog phone than to eavesdrop on an internet call because of this security measure.

VoIP Office Phone System – Buying Tips

Already decided to move to VoIP office phone systems? Don’t go heading out to make purchases yet. Remember communication is very important to any business and you should be very careful in making decisions concerning it. Generally VoIP is a remarkable communication solution however, as sad as it seems not all providers in the market today are able to deliver and meet your expectations.

Before buying any VoIP office phone system make sure that you take into consideration these simple yet important points to avoid costly mistakes.

Know what you’re buying – Before signing up with any VoIP office phone system provider make sure that you know what you are getting into. Read about VoIP, the pros and cons of the technology, how it can help your business and what the considerations you need to take into account. Never decide based on a sales person recommendations and promises as a business owner only you can tell what’s best for your business and it is your call to decide.

Know all the cost involved – At times there are service provider that will tell about the costing whilst deciding but will not let you in on all the cost involved like tax, equipment rentals, line rentals, support service charges and so on. Make sure that you detailed copy of all the cost involved with their services and nothing extra should appear on the bill.

Gather all your options – VoIP office phone system is a very flexible communication platform your service provider should lay down all card to you and let you decide which one is the best for you. Also since the system is very flexible you should also be able to customize various aspect of it. It plain terms never settle for a one size fits all system because it was never really designed to facilitate growth.

Fulfill all the requirements of the technology – the solution is only as good as your internet network, if you are running on low bandwidth and unstable connection then it is inevitable that you will encounter problems with regards to call quality. Make sure that you are able secure a decent internet connection, modem and or router before deploying VoIP.

Gauge your provider’s support services – In any products or services that you purchase you need to gauge the level of customer support the provider is offering and VoIP is no exemption. Make sure you grasp the turnaround time for service requests, upgrades and problem resolution.

Why Consider Switching to VoIP Office Telephone System

If there is one universal guideline across all business niche that would have to be a reliable communication system should be in place. True enough because businesses need to communicate with customers to follow up on possible sales, remind of appointments and offer new products and services. Internally to monitor staffs, to conduct business meetings and so much more. However, traditional phone system sometimes just couldn’t deliver the demand of today’s ever changing market and a phone system overhaul is just inevitable.

 

Why Consider Switching to VoIP Office Telephone System

 

Fed up of paying a mind boggling bill every end of the month to your traditional telecommunications provider? Then a VoIP office telephone system is for you. The system can effectively cut down your bills into half at times even more depending on the provider. The savings is achieved through lower calling charges, better line rental fees and minimal maintenance.

Not happy with your current phone system features? VoIP office telephone systems offer tons of exciting features that will only improve how you handle a phone call but also help make calls convenient for you and for your staff. Additionally, almost all the features of a VoIP office telephone system can be custom programmed according to your requirements, so you tell your provider what you want and how you want it and your phones will do it for you.

Need a room to grow? – VoIP solutions are very flexible in terms of features and deployment. This means you can start as small as you want and just increase your capacity as your business grows. The same way if you wish to start big, maybe because of a new promotion or the season, you can and just scale down your phone capacity during lean seasons. By starting with your current needs only you are effectively managing your business funds better and allotting enough funds on other aspects the business may need.

Multiple integration capabilities – Since the system is in the cloud it is compatible to be integrated with similar services like a website and a CRM. You have a call me form on your website, a click to call capability and so on. CRMs on the other hand can also work side by side with the system. You can have your phones dial in a number through your CRM’s interface. If you are running a hotel you can bill the calls directly to your customer’s tab and so on. You can even integrate your smart phones to work as another extension, the possibilities are just endless.