As a small business, you are always looking for ways to streamline processes, save money, serve customers, and generate profit.
Often business owners think that they must do everything in-house in order to save money. However, that approach may harm your other objectives in regards to productivity and efficiency. In today’s world, technology capabilities are rapidly changing how we look at managing time and costs. In this blog, we are going to tackle one of those areas most people overlook – your phone system.
The Way it Was
The Public Switched Telephone Network (PSTN) has so dominated the way we communicate in business that most owners do not even think twice about installing a phone system at their location. Just look around your home or office – phone jacks exist in practically every room. In fact, this technology is so ingrained that we are willing to bet many of you didn’t even realize that there is another option.
Enter Web Hosted VoIP
VoIP is rapidly changing the way many people view communications. VoIP simply stands for Voice over Internet Protocol. Just as its name indicates, this system utilizes your internet connection to place and receive phone calls, negating the need for traditional phone lines and services. This technology has been developed for nearly 25 years, but it has only been with the proliferation of internet data services over the last decade that it truly became practical for virtually any business. VoIP has gone from being a curiosity for “tech nerds” to posing a significant threat to the market share of traditional PSTN service.
Why is Hosted VoIP Good for your Company?
* Because you are already paying for internet services, implementing VoIP for your phone calls will allow you to cancel your phone service and immediately begin saving. This is especially true if your company makes international calls, which can be much more expensive.
* You can easily add or delete phone lines to a VoIP account, rather than waiting for a technician to do so. Multiple locations no longer have to deal with multiple phone companies as all company communications can be managed from one server.
* Old phone line infrastructure is aging and often in need of an upgrade. VoIP technology is cutting edge and ever-evolving, making your experience better every day. Keep in mind, when an enhancement comes along, it will be the provider making the changes to the equipment- not you!
* As more employees work remotely from home, hosted VoIP services affords great flexibility. Employees can access your business’s VoIP service through their own device, keeping them in constant contact. In fact, hosted VoIP allows a desk phone, home phone, and cell phone to all ring simultaneously when a call comes in – meaning that no matter where your employee is, they will not miss an important call.
* VoIP services allow you, as a business owner, to keep track of call data more easily. You can keep records of call times, store phone numbers automatically, and call clients with the click of a mouse. You can then add notes from the call directly to that client’s online file. When searching for phone numbers or looking for scribbled notes on your desk become a thing of the past, management of leads and customers becomes much more robust. You can keep better track of leads, follow up more effectively, do more business, and hopefully make more money.
* When you choose hosted VoIP services over traditional phone lines, you will also enjoy other features such as automatic voicemail transcription. This service automatically sends a transcription of the voicemail via email or text, negating the need to call in for messages.
How Do You Start?
As with any new technology being implemented, adding hosted VoIP may seem overwhelming. This is why the professionals at Alliance IT have developed solutions that are easy to understand and come complete with all of our expertise and knowledge. If you are ready to cut the wires of your old phone service and check out this exciting way to upgrade your business capability and flexibility, give us a call today.
