Will more businesses convert to using VoIP?

Many businesses still use old-fashioned telephone systems in their offices, and it’s not unusual to see a traditional PBX in use at established companies. For some businesses, their ageing telephone system represented a huge investment of time and money. Understandably, they’re quite reluctant to update it.

With all technology, times change, and solutions become more sophisticated. A huge number of businesses are already using VoIP, have we reached saturation?

Benefits of VoIP

Many VoIP users are small businesses and entrepreneurs. They’re initially drawn to using Voice over IP because of the low cost compared to traditional PBX systems, but they soon realise that VoIP lets them run their business more effectively, particularly in the early days when there are lots of plates to spin.

Most small business owners say that they love taking one number with them wherever they go. They enjoy being able to divert geographical numbers to their mobile number, or answer calls on their laptop or tablet PC. And it’s important for small businesses to be able to set up virtual exchanges, complete with menus and voicemail, so that they give the impression of being as professional as their peers.

Growth in the future

For larger businesses, many workers are still based at one desk. They may not yet have explored the opportunities that flexible working, or remote working, could offer. However, as we all become more connected, businesses are going to have to modernise and let their employees work from more diverse locations, and that’s when VoIP will become more established.

Before that can happen, businesses need to look at the way their telephony is provided. Increasingly, it makes sense to outsource telephone provision to a third party provider, rather than trying to run everything in house. Hosted VoIP lets businesses place uptime, system patches, security and infrastructure in the hands of an external organisation, cutting down on engineer’s visits, hardware costs and support teams.

New horizons

Not all large businesses have been left behind their smaller competitors, and some are already enjoying the many benefits of VoIP.

Many call centres are already using VoIP technology. Operators are able to control their own line, and calls can be automatically digitally archived for future reference. We’re likely to see these kinds of systems take root in other businesses as companies upgrade and improve their infrastructure.

In some companies where staff travel frequently, VoIP is already in use. Salespeople can make and receive calls on one number wherever they are in the world, and engineers and consultants can remain in touch with the office by dialling colleagues’ extensions (and incurring no call charges in the process).

By using apps and WiFi connectivity, businesses can also make and receive vital calls when there is no mobile network to connect to.

Find out more

If your business is still using a fixed line phone, or an ageing PBX, it might be time to find out what VoIP could do for you. Get in touch with Nimvelo to learn how Voice over IP could make your business more efficient, more mobile and more future-proof than ever.