Alt-text: The office of a small business using a VoIP system
No matter the size of your business, a VoIP phone system can bring numerous benefits to you and your staff while helping you cut telecommunications costs.
Even for extremely small businesses, VoIP is the perfect, modern solution for all of your telecom needs.
You can easily integrate VoIP with your existing phone system or break free from the desk phone and adopt a cloud-based VoIP service to make business calls anytime and from anywhere. VoIP offers a high level of flexibility that small businesses need to succeed.
Related: VoIP Benefits for Small Businesses
9 Benefits of VoIP for Small Businesses: Take Advantage of These Features
Before you commit to switching to a new communication system, there's a lot to consider. Will the investment be worth it for your small business?
VoIP has many features and benefits, from functionality to accessibility, that make it one of the best options for small businesses.
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Lower Cost
There are various ways that VoIP services can lower operating costs for small businesses. Physical hardware is one of the most significant cost savers; installing traditional telecom phones can cost thousands per user.
Even a small business with only a handful of employees must invest significantly in the physical hardware needed to run an effective landline system. VoIP systems do away with this need because your internet connection powers its service.
In addition, you don't have to pay for the expensive wiring associated with landlines. Finally, businesses can save because VoIP calling expenses are cheaper than regular telephone phones, especially for long-distance and international calls.
Want to see how much VoIP can save your small business on its communication costs? Book your demo here.
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Higher Accessibility
Aside from cost efficiency, accessibility is a significant benefit of VoIP for small businesses. This distinct advantage offers employees the ability to make business calls from anywhere. If you have an internet connection, you can use VoIP to make and receive calls anytime, anywhere.
And with the workforce becoming increasingly mobile, employees can stay productive no matter where they are, thanks to remote accessibility. Another advantage is that if you cannot answer, you can use VoIP features to get the voicemail as an email or direct the call to another person.
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Enhanced Portability
Your VoIP number, or virtual phone number, is 100% portable, meaning that you can use the same number no matter where you go. There are two primary benefits of this:
- It makes things easier for employees who travel a lot.
- If your business ever changes its address, you can keep the same VoIP number.
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Better Scalability
Alt-text: A man on the phone talking about productivity
Every small business needs ways to scale up or down, depending on how busy they are. This is especially important for companies that have high-volume and low-volume seasons. VoIP is highly scalable.
No business owner would complain about a phone system that grows or backs off with their business. VoIP systems help with this because you never have to purchase expensive hardware or a new dedicated line to add more users.
On the other hand, if you know your business will be slow for a couple of months, you can cut back on your lines during that time.
Related: Understanding VoIP for Businesses
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Advanced Features
Whether you're a one-person operation or have a small team working for your business, there are VoIP features that can benefit your business.
For example, the auto attendant feature can help me make your business seem larger than it is, providing potential customers with positive feelings about your company. Say you're a lone founder and work out of your apartment. You could set up the auto attendant feature so that it sounds like you're a company with multiple departments.
VoIP features offer other advantages over landline systems, too. These features include auto-dialers, call forwarding, call analytics, conference calling, video calling, and more.
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Clearer Quality
When VoIP service was first rolled out, it had a massive disadvantage: weak call quality. The voice quality was poor, latency was typical, and calls would drop for no reason.
However, these days, VoIP systems come with exceptional call quality. As long as your internet connection is fast and stable, there's no longer a reason to deal with latency and lag.
Plus, accessories like noise-canceling microphones can end the interruptions you typically experience if other people or noises are in the background.
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Multi-Tasking Support
VoIP systems can do more than make phone calls. They allow you to send images, documents, and videos, all while having a conversation.
This feature makes holding integrated meetings with clients or employees simple and easy, even if none of them are in the same country.
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Extreme Flexibility
VoIP uses softphones, which are not hardware devices, despite their name. Installed on your computer, smartphone, etc. One example of this is Skype, although it's not designed for business use.
So, these softphones allow for portability and mobility, keeping everyone constantly connected without having to purchase pricey hardware. You can't beat the flexibility offered, especially if you have any remote workers.
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Increased Security
The security of your phone system is a huge deal. The demand for finding personally identifiable information is skyrocketing.
One easy point of entry is through your phone system; people will make fraudulent calls to trick your staff into releasing information.
VoIP systems can help mitigate these security threats because of the advancements in IP technology, like encryption and better identity management. VoIP providers work to protect their networks around the clock.
This means that working with a trustworthy provider is crucial to avoid security threats to your business and employees.
Related: How Cloud-Based VoIP Can Benefit Your Business
Does VoIP Have Any Downsides for Small Businesses?
Alt-text: A small business employee sitting at his desk
While VoIP offers many benefits for businesses of all sizes, there is one requirement that is not optional: a reliable internet connection. If you don't have much network bandwidth or a consistent connection, your calls will suffer.
However, modern VoIP systems don't use nearly as much bandwidth as you would think. As long as you have a connection that allows for each device to have 100 Kbps and a ping under 70, you should have no problem using VOIP.
With all of VoIP's benefits and features for small businesses, isn't it time to make the switch? Get started with SE Telecom.