A sharp uptake in digital communication tools has led to a surge in the number of calls people make over the internet through popular platforms such as Whatsapp, Skype and FaceTime. These applications have given us the ability to talk with people all over the world without racking up huge costs, resulting in a move away from reliance on copper landlines to mobile and internet enabled calling platforms.
So it’s no surprise to discover that a growing number of NZ businesses are also making the leap from traditional onsite PBX or simple single line services, and adopting business grade Voice over Internet Protocol (VoIP) or other IP Voice services in the office.
Historically, VoIP for businesses received a bit of a bad rap. It always has been a technology with great potential, but suffered in the early days from weak local infrastructure and poor internet speeds resulting in poor call quality – as do many promising new technologies when they first arrive on the market.
Happily, as the infrastructure has matured, those issues are now largely gone, which means most businesses are in a great position to take advantage of the cost saving and flexibility benefits that VoIP can bring.
So, what are the compelling reasons to explore VoIP as a viable tool for your organisation?
- Savings.
There are significant savings to be made from replacing traditional landline connections with internet-based telephony. 96% of organisations report a cost saving when compared to traditional telephony. This is driven by cheaper call rates, and no “call rounding” (you are billed to the second, not the nearest minute). Another major factor is the ability to reduce the number of permanent phone lines required, as most VoIP systems can take care of many of the roles that traditionally require extra lines. - Expansion and Location.
As our workforces become ever more mobile, and remote working becomes the norm, it is very hard with traditional telephony to quickly and cheaply reroute numbers so that they remain tied to individuals. VoIP numbers are not tied to any specific individual or location, which easily enables the ability to take your number with you wherever you are based.
Businesses that are looking for an international presence can also expand their reach internationally by easily deploying a local number in the country of their choice without having to set up a local office. - Enterprise-level call features.
The advanced features that previously only came with a big cost attached are now available to any size of business. This means you can easily set up productive tools such as call routing, ring groups, auto attendant, conferencing, call screening, call recording, and even fax-to-email! These can be set up on-the-fly in easy to navigate online portals and most do not attract any additional monthly cost to implement. - Integration.
The final reason to consider VoIP is to explore how it can interact with your other productivity tools, and unlock other neat features that you would not normally associate with telephony. For instance, the 3CX system integrates fully with your team’s digital calendars, and has an on-screen switchboard so you can see whether users are available before you transfer a call. The same interface allows you to see things like call history and access old voicemails. 3CX even allows for web conferencing, complete with video if you have an attached camera.
To maintain a competitive edge, we believe business decision makers need to consider moving to internet-based telephony now if they haven’t already.
The undeniable savings and features are available to literally any size organisation, offering fantastic flexibility, good cost savings and a future-proofed lightweight system that you don’t have to worry about – leaving you free to focus on the aspects of your business that really matter.
