There are so many reasons for a business to switch to a VoIP business phone system. In fact, many carriers have already announced plans to shut down their support for the PSTN in the near future. That alone is incentive enough for organizations to consider switching away from obsolete technology.
But if the thought of replacing your entire communication system seems too daunting, consider this: you can save quite a lot of money by upgrading. That’s right, upgrading to VoIP can actually save you money. From upfront costs to more long term savings, there is a myriad of financial reasons to move over to VoIP.
Cloud VoIP business phone system
The earliest VoIP business phone systems looked very similar to landlines. Most of today’s systems, however, are cloud-based. It means you don’t need much equipment to get started. As long as you have a microphone and an internet connection, you can make calls. That’s nifty but how can it help your business cut overheads? Here are 8 ways a VoIP business phone system can help any company:
1. Free internal calls
The biggest difference between a traditional phone system and a VoIP-based one is the technology. VoIP routes voice calls over the internet, instead of relying on physical wires. It basically means businesses do not have to maintain two different infrastructures for communication. Everything from voice to video and email uses the same data connection.
When you make a phone call from a traditional landline, you are paying to keep the physical connection open between all callers. Since a VoIP call doesn’t need wires, you don’t have to pay. As long as your calls use your own data connection, there is no need to pay the carrier for anything.
In effect, all internal calls between your employees are free no matter where they are. Your project teams may be scattered all over the world or simply working from home due to a pandemic. In both situations, all your internal calls are free. This fact alone can save hundreds of dollars on your monthly bills.
2. Cheap international calls
With global markets and supply chains, it’s rare for a business not to make long-distance calls. These calls are usually expensive since they travel vast distances over copper wires. In the case of VoIP, however, those distances do not matter anymore. A typical international VoIP call travels over data networks for the most part. It may use the PSTN to cover the last mile, so to speak. So you only have to pay for that specific portion of the call.
It’s the reason why VoIP vendors are able to offer such inexpensive internal calling plans or even unlimited international calling bundles. They are not paying anything for the bulk of the call and they pass on the savings to customers like you.
Inexpensive long-distance calls are another big factor contributing to a smaller monthly bill. It’s especially true if you make a lot of international calls, even if it’s to only one country. For larger companies that have a large volume of international calls, the monetary benefit of switching to VoIP cannot be overstated.
3. No maintenance
Here’s one word most people are familiar with when it comes to buying new technology – maintenance. Quite often, an inexpensive item turns out to be less so when you add in the cost of monthly or annual maintenance. Maintenance of communication systems can be expensive and time-consuming.
Fortunately, VoIP business phone systems are the exception to the general rule of thumb. Most customers get their VoIP phone services delivered through the cloud. There is not much work you have to do when there’s no equipment to maintain!
Business users of traditional phone systems would be familiar with annual or multi-year maintenance contracts. VoIP systems do away with maintenance altogether. A business might upgrade their phones for better audio hardware or add camera-enabled phones for video calls. But apart from such occasional expenses, you don’t have to worry about monthly or annual maintenance.
4. No upgrade fees
Very few modern enterprise systems come without any accompanying software or application. It necessitates paying for software licenses as well as annual or periodic version upgrades. The same is true for business phone systems. Every time your vendor releases a new software version, you would have to pay to get the latest features.
The business model for VoIP phone systems is completely different. As a business, you’re paying for the latest version of the system. It doesn’t matter if your vendor releases two new versions during the year or a dozen. You will always have access to the latest software update, including security upgrades.
Another benefit of this type of payment model is that new features don’t have to wait for the next release date either, vendors can add them as soon as they’re ready for launch.
5. No contracts
Generally speaking, VoIP providers don’t use contracts. There are no maintenance contracts as you’ve seen above. You are not locked into any other kind of contract for features either. Customers can leave at any time and move to another vendor. Since almost every provider uses the same industry standards (SIP, TCP/IP protocols), you don’t have to buy new hardware or software. All your phones and other equipment will work just as well with any cloud VoIP service.
This is a good thing for businesses on multiple fronts. One benefit is that you’re not stuck with a provider who no longer serves your business requirements. Another is that you don’t have to wait until your current contract ends to add new features, switch to a new plan, or purchase new phone numbers. You only pay for the resources you use and you can add or remove them when you don’t need them anymore.
6. No expensive hardware
Modern business phone systems – for all that they use the latest technology – don’t need top of the line equipment to work well. In fact, you can start using a VoIP phone system with just a laptop or mobile phone. Most companies will want to invest in good phones, headsets, and computers for quality purposes. But it’s certainly not a requirement to use VoIP.
As VoIP doesn’t need expensive equipment, you’re free to invest in phones or speakers when it’s convenient for your business. You don’t have to replace or upgrade older hardware at once. Such a simple thing can easily save a lot of money for most businesses.
For example, you could buy a new desk phone for key personnel only. Other employees such as sales agents may prefer using a softphone app on their mobile phones. Similarly, a small business doesn’t have to buy expensive conference speaker models if they don’t need them. You can always buy and use the hardware when you need it.
7. Easy configuration and management
VoIP phone systems are incredibly easy to set up, use, and manage on a daily basis. How does this translate to saving your business money? For one thing, consider all the time you – or your employees – waste in setting up the phones. From wiring to buying equipment and configuring the system to work as you need it to, that’s a lot of wasted time right at the start.
And the work of managing the system doesn’t end there. Every time you need to change something, someone needs to spend some time understanding the current system and making the changes. Most small or medium businesses cannot afford a dedicated IT department. It usually means that one or two employees take on the task of managing the phones, apart from their regular tasks. VoIP business phone systems are simple enough that you don’t need experts at all. Your vendor takes care of regular maintenance, feature upgrades, and security patches. Your employees can focus on their jobs instead of having to maintain the phones.
8. Replace multiple systems with VoIP
Another way VoIP can help you save money is by combining and replacing several systems into a single, cohesive whole. A VoIP business phone system carries voice calls and can do so much more than that. It can replace your conference calling service, provide video group calls, and help you plan online training or virtual meetings. If you have a messaging system for your employees, VoIP can handle that as well.
All this offers several advantages. For instance, you don’t have to pay for all those other services. You don’t need to maintain different networks that do essentially the same work. Combining disparate systems also saves your employees time as they don’t have to juggle several apps at once. They will look and feel similar so that users can work quickly and effectively.
So there you have it. All the different ways the right business phone system can help you save money. So choose VoIPstudio as your phone service provider and start saving right away!
