VoIP benefits To Businesses
VoIP benefits To Businesses,The type of technology used in a small business is the biggest determinant of its success. This is true as concerns the type of phone system adopted by a business.
One of the most beneficial phone systems is the Voice over Internet Protocol (VoIP). It was first introduced in Kenya in 1995 as an improvement from the traditional landline. Characteristically, VoIP is an internet-based phone system. It is preferred by companies for various reasons, which may also help you seriously think of adopting it.
In this write-up, we delve into what VoIP benefits To Businesses entails and how small business owners can benefit from it.
Advantages of VoIP against the Landline?
To understand VoIP, we need to dig deep into how landline phones work. By and large, traditional voice calls are transmitted in the form of radio waves over copper wires linking two phone lines. With VoIP, the need for connectivity over copper wires is completely removed. Instead of wires, phone signals are transmitted over the internet. Thus, with a stable internet connection, you can make a phone call from anywhere.
The following are some of the advantages of VoIP compared to the Landline:
- Easy Access. Some of the limitations of the landline such as operating from a fixed location or device are totally removed with the adoption of VoIP. Thus, people can still talk while on the move, as long as there is an internet connection. It is good for small businesses that make use of remote workers. Such businesses can have people working for them from virtually anywhere around the globe.
- Minimal Cost. The cost of installing, setting up, and maintaining VoIP is minimal. Since one of the major concerns for small businesses is cost, this is certainly something to consider. When installed for the first time, VoIP can reduce the phone costs by between 40 and 80 percent. The money saved can go towards expanding the business. How about that?
- Easily Scalable. Even small businesses have growth as one of their main objectives. As the businesses grows, it is easier to expand communication networks with VoIP. You don’t have to worry about purchasing new phones or making landline installations. All you need is to add a new number to the VoIP phone system, an easy and simple process. Thus, dealing with seasonal contraction and expansion is easy to handle. It is easy to scale up or down depending on your current business performance.
- Easy To Use. Most VoIP phone systems rely on state-of-the art software designed to provide a user-friendly interface. They aren’t any different from the web-based, digital products that define how work is done. Compared to manual systems, the software is easy to learn both for the workers and managers. They make it easier for managers to focus on growing the business.
Technological Setup and Internet Connection Requirements for VoIP
Clearly, VoIP is easy to use. Because of that, it is important to know the setup requirements for this phone system. At the very basic, you need an internet connection capable of supporting web-based calls. As a first step, the technician will configure the network to provide for enough bandwidth to support phone calls over the internet. With that, you can be sure of zero lag time and dropped calls.
VoIP Features for Small Businesses
Before you decide on the features of VoIP that best suits your business, you need to bear in mind your industry and business strategy. In most businesses, two of the departments with the highest call volumes are Support and Sales.
How Can VoIP Aid Workflow Integrations In Support?
One thing about VoIP is that it enables support agents to have a single view of all their tools. Thus, they are able to work smarter, faster, and with greater efficiency. Apart from phone calls, support staff has to keep track of chats, emails, product docs, and CRM software. With a software-based phone system, it is easy to integrate all of these so that the agents can focus more on the conversation.
For instance, a VoIP phone system can be designed to show the name of a customer, notes from other team members, and the most recent transactions. In essence, it gives you a full picture of the customer long before you even have the conversation. It is easier for customer support staff to provide individualized or tailored experience. With that, you will have satisfied customers.
How Can VoIP’s Faster Features Improve Sales?
Even though there are many ways to reach your leads, calling them is one of the most efficient. Importantly, you should call your leads within the shortest time possible. In a recent study, you increase the chances of qualifying a lead if you call him or her within five minutes. If you wait for more than 30 minutes, you may lose the potential client to your competitors.
Through VoIP, you can easily reach your customers. However, it is the ease with which they can reach you that really matters. With the use of call cascading, your team can decide on the distribution of call to ensure none is missed. You can also take advantage of the click-to-dial feature which makes it possible for your calls to get connected immediately. With the PowerDial, the sales team can make outbound calls without wasting a lot of time.
How to prepare internal employees for the switch to VoIP
Part of the infrastructure required for VoIP connectivity is headsets. But VoIP is not all about hardware. Train the employees to know how to dial and receive a call via VoIP. When the software gets updated, go through the new features with your team to ensure you are reading from the same page. Importantly, equip the managers with enough knowledge to be able to address any issues from the staff.
As part of the training, employees should be shown how to set up secure passwords. Don’t forget to enforce safety standards, the most common being two-factor authentication. Since managers are the overseers, they need to know how to use the management features. They should know how to interpret data, use voice mail, and interactive voice response (IVR).
What’s The Effect of VoIP on the Bottom Line of a Small Business?
Clearly, VoIP affords a lot of benefits to small businesses. It is cost-effective, easy-to-use, and faster. With this innovative technology, there’s no need for wire connectivity. It is smarter and more intuitive. In the end, it will reduce the cost of doing business and attract an increased number of customers. Which small business doesn’t want that?