Your office communication is the lifeblood of your company. That is why your phone system is an important decision. Gaining serious momentum, VoIP Buying Guide – VoIP (Voice over Internet Protocol) offers more features, lower costs, and better quality over conventional landlines.
Is VoIP a good fit for your business? Can making the switch from traditional phone lines to VoIP save you time and money? We’re going to cover VoIP essentials, features, and advantages to help you make the best decision.
VoIP Advantages for SMB
VoIP’s advantages over landlines revolve around three words – flexibility, affordability, and simplicity:
Flexibility
VoIP phone systems can grow along with your business needs. Are you hiring more employees? Simply add their phone number from your online dashboard. There’s no wires or cables necessary. VoIP’s flexibility also means you can easily open a new office in another city or state without going through the hassle of working with a different phone provider. VoIP service connects multiple locations and employees under one system.
Affordability
VoIP systems are an affordable option for SMB and saves money, according to PCWorld. Since VoIP uses your current broadband connection to make calls, you don’t need to invest in forklift updates and major equipment purchases. NUSO VoIP also saves money by including free, unlimited U.S and Canada calling. Lastly – features like voicemail and conferencing come standard with our VoIP services.
Simplicity
Business VoIP is easy to use and maintain. VoIP phones plug directly into your internet connection. You can add new phone lines or make other changes through your online portal.
How VoIP Works
Voice over Internet Protocol transmits your voice as data over the internet instead of the traditional copper wires used by landlines. VoIP tech automatically converts your voice data when calling a traditional regular phone.
There are two types of VoIP: on-premise and cloud based. Both provide affordable communication with a wide variety of features like virtual receptionist, conferencing, call queues, and more.
On-premise, or on-site, VoIP systems require in-house equipment including a PBX (Private Branch Exchange) to route the right calls to the right phone as well as a PSTN (Public Switched Telephone Network) gateway to convert digital VoIP data to analog and vice versa. On-premise requires more resources dedicated to maintenance and upgrades, but the advantage is you have complete control over your hardware.
VoIP Features
NUSO VoIP provides a variety of useful features to help your office communicate better including unlimited U.S/Canada calling, desktop/mobile apps, voicemail to email transcription, auto attendant, interactive voice response, and call recording to name a few. There’s over 200 VoIP features available for your business. We covered the most popular features in our “11 Extraordinary VoIP Features That Will Transform Your Business – Part 1 & Part 2.”
In short, VoIP efficiently manages call flow. Features like call forwarding, transfer, and queues are designed to reduce wait times and get callers to the right number. Many of the features function like those on traditional phones but with more flexibility and efficiency. However, the difference is these features don’t cost any extra with VoIP because they’re included with NUSO service. One vital feature is Call Queuing. Call Queuing places callers in a line while your employees are busy with other customers. Queued calls are then assigned to the next available agent.
VoIP also automates tasks. Features like Auto-Attendant (also known as auto-receptionist, virtual receptionist) greets incoming callers and routes them to the right extension. Dial-by-Name directories are an example of auto-attendant. If a caller doesn’t know your extension, he/she can find it by using first or last name. This is a powerful tool for growing businesses who receive a high call volume and need help managing callers.
IVR (Interactive Voice Response) works the same as virtual receptionist, but handles more complicated tasks involving yes/no responses or numbers. An example of IVR is calling your credit card company to make a payment by saying or typing your checking account numbers into the dial pad. This great feature efficiently manages calls without the need for human intervention.
Other VoIP features like Conferencing and Voicemail to Email Transcription make staying connected to customers and coworkers easier. Voicemail to Email automatically transcribes incoming voicemails and sends them to your inbox so you can easily scan messages on-the-go.
VoIP Conferencing delivers high quality audio using your VoIP desk phone, cell phone, or computer. With a solid internet connection, you can join or create a conference call.
While on that conference call, you may have another customer calling your direct line. Voicemail to Email Transcription allows you to see your incoming voicemail as an email sent directly to your inbox. If it’s an urgent call, you can excuse yourself from your current conference call to address your customer’s concerns before they become a larger crisis.
Why Your Business Should Consider VoIP
SMB are making the switch to VoIP phone systems. More than one-third of small businesses already use internet phone. Hosted VoIP solutions are especially useful for businesses who need to stay agile in today’s dynamic marketplace. Want more information about buying a VoIP system for your SMB? Finding the right VoIP provider can set your company up for greater growth and profitability so contact us to learn more.
