Will VoIP Work for My Small Business?

Into today’s market, customers are not interested in the size of your business, nor are they willing to make compromises. Put simply, when it comes to customer service and communication, they don’t care how large your company is, they just expect the best regardless. That’s why it’s so important to make a professional impression the first time a customer contacts your organisation. 

One way to do that is by using a reliable business VoIP system to handle and manage calls simply and professionally, without the need for capital expenditure. This will also ensure that your business appears as large and professional as a company of any other size, even if you’re employees are based virtually or remotely. As well as providing companies of all sizes with advanced telephony features, VoIP solution can also be much more cost-effective than traditional landlines. What is VoIP? Read on to find out more. 

What is VoIP?  

VoIP stands for Voice-over-Internet Protocol – also known as ‘Internet Telephony’ or ‘IP Telephony’ and simply refers to any voice or data communication made over the Internet, usually using a broadband connection. Traditional telephony, on the other hand, uses a wire-based connection. One of the pioneers of VoIP technology was Skype, which allows users to make free voice and video calls over the Internet. Skype, however, is not a telephone service, as it cannot be used to make emergency calls. 

VoIP technology can be used in multiple ways, depending on where and how calls are being made, whether from home, at work, or a virtual office.  

The benefits of VoIP include lower cost of ownership and maintenance, simple monthly bills, and lower call costs, as well as an advanced feature set that can set small businesses apart from the competition.
 

How Does VoIP Work for Small Business? 

As well as offering all of the benefits of traditional telephony, VoIP offers advanced features for small businesses that would have been unaffordable in the traditional telephony world. It allows employees to be reachable from anywhere, as long as there is a broadband connection and allows them to remain productive wherever they are. 

Some VoIP features, as outlined below, also mean that your business will never miss a call again, with inbound calls routed quickly, efficiently and automatically to the right person the first time around. If that person is unavailable for any reason, VoIP systems can reroute calls to the first available employee. Importantly, calls made over the Internet – between VoIP-enabled devices – are free.
 

What is VoIP? Benefits for Small Business  

VoIP makes a bigger impact on the customer service and sales teams of a small company compared to big businesses. Virtual Number, for example, provides a single number for your company, regardless of where your employees are based, giving the impression of a larger, fixed-location organisation.  

IVR, meanwhile, allows you to manage all of your inbound calls, routing them efficiently, ensuring that customer calls are always dealt with by an appropriate member of the team. On top of that, customisable Ring Groups will hunt through a set group of employees should the first be unavailable for any reason, meaning that you will never miss a call.  

Voicemail, Call Recording, Queuing, Audio and Video Conferencing, Time-based routing, and Music on Hold are just some of the other benefits that VoIP offers. Taken together, they not only boost your own productivity, VoIP features also enhance customer service and give a professional impression of a much larger organisation… not to mention cutting costs!

Saving Money 

Because VoIP phones use software – which can be downloaded to a smartphone, computer or ‘softphone’, it means that calls can often be made from existing devices. Coupled to the fact that there is no hardware required and VoIP services are cloud-hosted, it also removes the need for costly upfront investment in equipment and its on-going maintenance.  

Another advantage of using a VoIP service is that there is only one, simple monthly bill to pay and calls to non-VoIP lines (such as UK and international calls) are a fraction of the cost of traditional telephony.

Portability 

Portability is a significant advantage of VoIP. As long as there is an Internet connection available, employees can make and receive calls wherever they are, on whatever device they are using at the time. It means that customers and colleagues are contactable at all times, ensuring that calls are never missed, and enquiries are answered quickly and efficiently. 

Calls can even be transferred to colleagues without requiring the customer to dial a different number. The use of Status ensures that calls are not erroneously transferred, further improving the efficiency and productivity of your business. 

Flexibility 

VoIP phone services also offer significant flexibility to a small business. It’s arguably even more important for a start-up or smaller business to be available to their customers and partners at all hours. So, it’s possible to set up rules-based routing for out-of-office hours or change the way calls are handled at peak times, ensuring that there is always someone available to take a call, regardless of their location. Because on-boarding is quick and simple, it’s also possible to instantly add capacity or more employees at times of peak demand or for seasonal purposes – compared to traditional telephony, which would require extra lines being installed at significant time and cost. 

Multi-Functional 

VoIP services offer multiple functionalities allowing employees, for example, to send instant messages, receive voicemails and faxes through email, or hold voice and video calls, or even conferences, irrespective of their location. It means that not only is your business more productive, it also gives the impression to the outside world of a much larger company, and importantly one with high standards of customer service and professionalism. Employees don’t even need to be in the office. 

Cloud-hosted VoIP services provide small businesses with access to impressive, up-to-the-minute technology and telephony features that in the traditional telephony world would have required large resources and expertise 

Get Started with VoIP Today  

Successful small businesses need to do the best that they can with as few resources as possible. VoIP services offer advanced technologies and capabilities that can boost productivity and efficiency, optimise customer service, and give the impression of a much bigger organisation with greater resources. In addition, no capital expenditure is required, maintenance is minimised, and calls are significantly cheaper and, in some cases, free.  

Now that we’ve answered the question, “What is VoIP?” learn more about the benefits and features of using a VoIP service and what it can do for your business.