If you run a business, it’s nearly impossible that you haven’t heard of voice over internet protocol (VoIP) phone systems. You may have heard excellent reviews about it from other business owners, and then the next day, you hear the exact opposite from someone else. Why such a disparity in opinions and experience?
Today we will analyze the pros and cons of VoIP and help you determine if you should switch from your traditional landline system to a new, technologically advanced system.
Let’s get started!
What Is VoIP?
Voice over Internet Protocol (VoIP) allows you to place telephone calls using a broadband internet connection instead of a traditional copper wire analog telephone system.
As the internet has changed the world forever and allowed communication to accelerate rapidly, VoIP has become a popular choice for businesses looking to increase their telephone and communication capabilities and grow their business.
Requirements for VoIP
You must have specific requirements for VoIP to work correctly in a business setting, but the most important factor is whether or not you have a good internet connection. On top of this, you need to make sure that you have enough bandwidth to support your VoIP phone system, or else it won’t work correctly, and you will have issues with call quality.
If you have a good internet connection, you must have the basic bandwidth to support the VoIP phone system. A common VoIP call protocol requires approximately 64kbps. Using the G711 voice codec, you can have about 12 calls for every 1 Mbps bandwidth.
That means that if your company has about 120 calls happening simultaneously, you’ll need 10Mbp of service.
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There are many advantages of upgrading your existing analog telephone system to VoIP. Below is a list of the main benefits of using VoIP.
- Lower Cost- Many businesses who have responsibilities overseas use VoIP simply because international calling rates are much cheaper. On top of that, the cost to set up a VoIP phone system and all of the features it comes with is minimal compared to the equipment that might be needed for a traditional analog system.
- Multitasking – One of the greatest things about VoIP is the ability of the system to do several tasks at once. For example, you can send photos, documents, and videos all while talking on the phone.
- Adaptability and Scalability – You can use VoIP to scale up or down your business
- Call Masking – you have the ability to choose whatever phone number you would like to appear on caller ID.
- Video and conference calling – VoIP phone systems give you the ability to do conference and video conferences, which brings a remote team closer together.
- All around better feature options for your communication needs.
- Connecting remote employees while saving money – If you switch to VoIP, it will allow your employees to tap into the business phone system even though they work remotely using call waiting, auto-attendant, video conferencing, and conference calling.
- Add-on features at no extra cost – One of the best things about VoIP is the tremendous amount of add-on features that come with it. Yet even better than that, you don’t have to pay any additional fees to have them!
There are many other pros to upgrading to VoIP. You will be the one who determines which ones are most important to you and your business. Choosing to go with a VoIP phone system can only help your business in the long run.
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Cons of VoIP
Even with the advances in telecommunications, VoIP has its disadvantages, and you should be aware of these before you rush out to set up a new system. Below are some cons of using VoIP for your business phone system.
Internet Connection must be Strong and Reliable
First of all, if you don’t have an internet connection, you can’t have a fancy VoIP system. But let’s assume you operate in today’s modern society and you indeed have an internet connection. The question now becomes- how reliable is that internet connection?
The reason you need to understand the speed and reliability of your connection is that without it, you could be experiencing a lot of issues with quality and dropped calls.
Lag Times on Occasion
Because the internet can’t be perfect 100% of the time, you can experience lag times in the phone system and while you are talking with customers. Phone calls can get garbled, and hard to understand if the bandwidth can handle the number of phone lines being used.
Installation Can Be More Complex
Installing a new VoIP phone system can get slightly complicated if you’re moving from an analog phone system. You will need to have a trained technician do the installation for you because specifically structured cabling needs to be set up correctly to make sure you get reliable communication for both in-office and remote use.
Should You Switch to VoIP?
If you look at the pros and cons above, you can clearly see that VoIP is a fantastic way to increase productivity and up your game regarding customer service satisfaction and call center activity.
Only you will be able to ultimately decide if a VoIP phone system will work for your business. If you know you have the proper requirements and bandwidth to manage the upgrade and still get the high-quality that VoIP phone systems provide, then make sure to request a demo with a reliable VoIP provider so they can walk you through the features that are provided.
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Conclusion
Hopefully, this post has helped you in learning some of the advantages and disadvantages of using VoIP versus a traditional landline. Only you can make the right decision for your business, so make sure to do your research ahead of time.
For more information and help determine the right system for you, visit SE Telecom and request a demo today.