The traditional phone line is such a staple for communication in most businesses that it likely wouldn’t cross your mind to seek out an alternative – but with hosted telephony options becoming more and more prevalent, it’s becoming clear that you could save yourself a lot of money and hassle by switching. Is this a totally new concept to you? Then take a quick look at our guide to learn more.
What is Voice Over IP (VOIP)?
VOIP stands for Voice Over Internet Protocol, and is essentially a means of voice communication transmitted online rather than over a standard telephone connection. The most well-known example of a VOIP provider is Skype, which allows you to make telephone calls and video calls over the internet. Essentially, you’re using the internet as your telephone, rather than a traditional landline!
How is it good for business?
There are a number of benefits to using VOIP communication internally, whether you’re a small team or a large company with several offices to connect.
Less hardware, less management
An in-house telephone system usually requires a lot of initial outlay – you need to set up a private branch exchange to connect your internal systems, as well as installing and maintaining your own hardware to keep the connection up and running. Hosted telephony systems deal with this for you – meaning you don’t need to find space for the equipment, or hire anybody to install and upgrade it for you. It’ll all be set up for you at the point of sale.
Flexible
If your business has people in different places – perhaps in different offices, or even working from home or on the road – a cloud-based telephony system like the one offered by InTechnology is a great alternative to company phones or a complicated connection system. Connection via a shared online space means that all your colleagues receive the same level of service and reliability, whether they’re in the office or travelling to meet a client.
Easy to manage
Just as you don’t need to hire anyone to maintain your equipment, you also won’t need specialists on hand when you want to make changes to the system. Your VOIP provider will handle it all for you, as well as making the appropriate security and hardware upgrades when necessary – so you can just log on and be ready to connect with your business in no time!