Now more than ever, growing businesses need access to the best possible communication tools to ensure they are delivering value to their customers.
If your business is already looking to update its communication systems and equipment, you’ve likely found some information regarding switching to a VoIP-based system.
But what is VoIP? And what are the pros and cons that come with such a switch? The trusted industry professionals here at Momentum are here to explain, so you can make the best choice for your expanding business and its communications.
What Is Voice Over Internet Protocol?
The Federal Communications Commission (FCC) describes Voice over Internet Protocol (VoIP) as a specialized technology meant to replace the need for traditional (analog) phone lines by allowing people to make calls via a broadband internet connection.
While some VoIP services only enable users to make calls to others using the same service, many of them allow users to call anyone with a telephone number, including local, mobile, long-distance, and international numbers.
What Are the Pros of Switching to a VoIP System?
When it comes to switching to a VoIP system, the change offers businesses far more advantages than disadvantages. Let’s explore some of the most significant pros in the list below:
Lower Costs
The primary benefit that businesses should remember when considering the switch to a VoIP system is that it can provide significant cost savings. VoIP plans can lower the amount you pay for your phone bill by more than half of what you’re currently paying through both direct and indirect cost savings.
For example, VoIP calls are made through broadband connections, doing away with the need for extra wiring and allowing employees to connect to business phone systems for remote working seamlessly.
Additionally, add-on features for VoIP services typically come at no additional cost while allowing businesses to cut other ongoing expenses, such as phone repair and maintenance fees.
Better Scalability
Another significant advantage to VoIP systems is that they can seamlessly scale to meet the needs of rapidly growing businesses, while also removing the need to purchase expensive hardware or additional lines.
Performance can be toggled instantly to account for the needs of call spike demands during the holidays or when businesses open new branch offices, providing businesses with more control.
Increased Accessibility, Portability, and Flexibility
One of the other primary benefits of VoIP systems is their ability to provide increased accessibility through cloud-based services, which allows users to make calls from anywhere as long as they have access to a suitable data connection.
Since VoIP phone numbers are also known as virtual phone numbers, people can send and receive business calls anywhere. This benefit feature provides immense flexibility while enhancing the capabilities of remote workers who aren’t present in a specific business office.
Clearer Voice Quality
Voice quality used to be one of the most significant drawbacks of VoIP systems when they first came onto the market, but this has changed significantly with the advancement of technology and broadband internet quality.
Today, fast and stable internet connections provide VoIP users with crisp, clear calls that don’t suffer from lag, jitter, latency issues, or dropped calls. The additional benefit of noise-canceling headphones and advanced audio compression devices is also available to ensure that VoIP systems and phones provide a superior sound quality that can beat all competing communication services.
Increased Security
Phone security isn’t something many people consider when selecting their ideal phone system. Still, it’s an increasingly important concern for many businesses, especially those who regularly deal with highly sensitive and confidential information.
VoIP can mitigate potential security threats by leveraging the vast array of security advancements in IP technology, including identity management and encryption. VoIP providers also work around the clock to protect the networks of their clients.
Supports Multitasking
Alongside making phone calls, VoIP systems allow users to do a wide range of other simultaneous tasks, including sending images, documents, and videos. These features enable users to hold more integrated conversations and meetings with clients or staff, even if all call participants are located at different places around the globe.
Does your business need an easy way to effectively modernize or upgrade its legacy phone system and unite its telecom infrastructure? Reach out to the industry professionals at Momentum today to learn how their services can help you cut costs, enhance communications, and improve workplace collaboration.
What Are the Cons of Switching to a VoIP System?
When it comes to the cons of VoIP systems, there are only two primary ones that businesses will want to understand before choosing to make the switch:
A Stable and Reliable Internet Connection Is Required
A VoIP service is considered only as good as a business’s internet connection. So if a company has low network bandwidth, they’ll need to upgrade their system before making the switch. Otherwise, their VoIP call quality is destined to suffer the consequences.
That said, VoIP doesn’t require as much bandwidth as someone may expect. Generally, each VoIP device should have at least 100 kbps worth of upload speed available, though the strength of your broadband will largely depend on the number of simultaneous calls a business needs to make.
Jitter and Latency
While we noted the voice quality of VoIP systems above in the pros section, it’s important to note that latency and jitter are still issues for anyone using internet-based technology. This fact is particularly true if the business has a poor internet connection, insufficient cables, or inadequate or defective routers.
However, these issues are easily fixed by making ethernet cable updates, opting for high-speed internet services, and enabling jitter buffering.
The Bottom Line: Should You Switch to a VoIP System?
When it comes to switching from traditional analog phones to a VoIP system, the pros significantly outweigh the cons, especially for growing businesses needing the capability to make many calls at once.
Reach out to a qualified VoIP service provider to learn how you can start the transition today. And for more information on what Momentum can do to benefit your business through the switch, please consider contacting them, looking through their range of cost-effective hardware, and reading some of their top-quality education articles.
Are you looking for a quality provider of multi-level communication solutions that can help you cut costs while creating a remote-ready workforce? Contact the trusted industry experts at Momentum to learn about everything they can do for your business through a simple, seamless transition
