VoIP phone systems are saving small businesses money

Outdated phone systems can really hold a business back. If you’ve known for a while that your phone systems aren’t doing the efficiency and productivity of the business justice – or just that they are a burdensome expense – then it might be time to consider a shift to something new. Voice over Internet Protocol (VoIP) systems allow your team to make and receive calls over the Internet, leaving behind inefficient and outdated infrastructure and helping to access a whole range of ways to save your small business money.

How can VoIP phone systems save your small business money?

• Reduce the size of long-distance bills instantly – One very quick saving that you’ll see from switching to VoIP phone systems is a reduction in what you’re paying for long-distance communication. VoIP calls are placed over the internet, which means that the cost for making them long distance is minimal – it costs about the same as calling someone in the next neighbourhood. So, you can instantly see savings on long-distance calls from this simple shift.
• Easier and cheaper videoconferencing – Most VoIP packages will give you access to teleconferencing, either at no extra charge or for a very small fee. This means that you’re not paying twice because teleconferencing is already included in the VoIP package. Streamlining your costs in this way can open up teleconferencing options, whether you’re using it for external meetings or internal calls.
• Lower upfront costs – Getting set up with VoIP generally has much lower associated costs than a traditional phone system. Whether you choose a VoIP hosted service or not the fees are going to be minimal and you may not even have to pay any at all. All you’ll need is an internet connection and the phone handsets or headsets.
• No loss of productivity – Getting a new phone system installed can cost the business in terms of downtime and sometimes this can be unpredictable. Some traditional networks can take days or weeks to set up and cost five figures. Because VoIP is such an easy option for installation you won’t need to factor any costly downtime into set up. You can be up and running quickly and simply with no loss of productivity.
• No need to pay for an answering service – It’s essential that your business doesn’t miss important messages but you might be paying through the nose for this. VoIP allows for calls to be forwarded to a mobile number so that you never have to worry about not being available when it’s critical that you are. You could also benefit from missed call texting so that you get an immediate message if a call has gone unanswered. Most of us assume that people will simply call back when it comes to the phone but actually that’s not the case. 85% of people who don’t get through the first time just won’t try again – that’s a lot of potential leads and relationships that could be lost or damaged if you don’t have the right technology in place to support you.
• A much more efficient way to work – Currently, employees lose around 30 minutes a day, every day, to inefficient phone practices – with all the cost consequences that entails. A VoIP system makes phone use more productive and efficient through tools like call distribution, email transcriptions and call forwarding so that your business isn’t wasting time (and money) like this. Plus, it’s only through VoIP that smartphones can be connected to the office – so employees can call out from their mobiles but with the office number, which is key for cost-effective hybrid working.
• Only pay for the lines that you really need – Every business faces the dilemma of how many lines to pay for in order to achieve the balance between efficient business services and streamlined costs. For many, this can end up being an equation that doesn’t really work. A small business could invest in just three phone lines, for example, and hope that not all are busy at the same time. But if that happens then anyone calling the company will get a busy signal – which may mean they simply hang up and then don’t call back. However, buy more lines than you’re likely to use and you’re committing more of a budget for a service that simply isn’t necessary. This is only a dilemma if you’re reliant on traditional phone lines as it’s not a problem when it comes to VoIP. With VoIP, one phone number can take multiple calls and the only limit on the number that can be received is the number of actual phones that you have.
• Easy to customise without extra cost – Most traditional phone systems will require you to pay more if you want to customise, whether that is adding users, features, phone lines or any other extras. With VoIP, you’ll have access to either a mobile app or an online interface which means you can customise your service at any time and make it exactly what you need it to be.
• Manageable scaling costs – The hope for every business is that it will grow but being responsible to market changes means that your enterprise must be able to adapt. Maybe you’re adding employees or reducing the size of the workforce – or perhaps expanding into another building. This can be a pretty overwhelming time and the costs of expansion can feel heavy, especially if you’re trying to work with a traditional phone system. If you have VoIP then that’s just not the case – these systems are not location dependent and you can add and remove users as and when necessary with minimal hassle and usually no additional cost.

Our VoIP Phone Systems for Businesses

From reducing set-up costs to minimising ongoing expenditure and the expense of expansion there are obvious savings for small businesses in opting for VoIP over traditional phone systems. It’s also worth bearing in mind that VoIP can deliver other, less obvious, savings to the business that are connected to productivity and reputation – which might be more difficult to measure but are going to be no less effective when it comes to saving your organisation vital cash.

Get in touch with us today to get your business set up with a cost-efficient and high-quality VoIP phone system.