While traditional phones are still used by many companies, cloud-based VoIP (Voice over Internet Protocol) systems are rising in popularity. Instead of a physical phone line, these services let phones communicate via the internet.
You might think that your business isn’t a candidate for VOIP phones, but there are many advantages of VoIP to consider. Let’s look at the perks of using a cloud-based phone system such as RingCentral.
No Need for Additional Hardware
Whether your new employees require a desk phone or a cell phone, there’s a lot of overhead in keeping track of them with traditional phone systems. You might run out of units when hiring several people at once, and once cell phones become outdated replacements are costly.
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Using VoIP phones avoids these problems. Most VoIP services provide softphones, which are computer programs used to make phone calls. Everything from placing a call to managing contacts happens via the computer and internet, and the software is easy to install. Mobile workers can install the VoIP app on their phone to make calls from their work number.
Additionally, with most VoIP telephone services, you don’t have to install and manage expensive PBX hardware on-site. Usually, you can perform all these functions via a cloud-based interface on the provider’s website. This means you can manage extensions and adjust any call-forwarding options without much hassle. And it saves you physical space, too.
Easy Scalability
With traditional phone systems, purchasing too many extensions could end up costing you if employees leave. But VoIP service makes it easy to manage what you’re using and remove extensions and users you don’t need. Adding a new extension for a new employee only takes a moment, and you can easily re-assign extensions when people change positions.
When someone leaves, you don’t have to call the phone company and go through a long process to disable their extensions. The VoIP management panel lets you make these changes easily, so you always have just what you need for your staff.
All The Features You Expect, Plus Extras
Going with a VoIP phone service doesn’t mean you have to miss out on features. Standards like call waiting, conference calls, and transfers all work great with VoIP services. But you’ll get even more features depending on which provider you choose.
These extra features might include sending voicemail messages to your email, transcribing voicemail to text, automatic attendants to help callers find the right person, and find me/follow me. You’ll end up having more phone features at a lower cost!
You Could Replace Faxing, Too
Many VoIP services include email-to-fax support. Whether you’d like to overhaul physical faxing at your company to email or only send faxes occasionally, faxing via email makes it easy. You just have to attach the document you’d like to fax to an email, and send it to the recipient’s number at your service provider’s address.
Adding faxing to your phone plan means you don’t have to pay a faxing bill every month, and you’ll save money on paper, too. To add even more features in, your VoIP provider might also allow sending and receiving text messages through the softphone.
It’s Cost-Effective
You might think that with all these benefits, VoIP service is too expensive. That’s far from the truth, however; it’s actually more affordable than traditional calling in many cases.
RingCentral’s most popular plan costs $34.99 per user per month when you pay annually for 2-19 users. If you have more employees, the price drops when you add more than 20 users and further when you have over 100 users. You don’t have worry about fees like with the phone company, have to pay more when you add more extensions, or have more telephone lines put into your building. VoIP calling just works, and it’s all centrally accessible for easy management.
Are the Advantages of VoIP Right For Your Company?
For many businesses, VoIP service is a more cost-effective and powerful alternative to traditional phones. If you’re not sure if it’s right for you, we’d be happy to evaluate where your company is at and if a VoIP plan is in your best interest. Contact us today and let’s talk about making your phone system better.
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