As reported by Forbes, each year the VoIP industry generates more than $15 billion in revenues, and Juniper Research predicts that there will be one billion VoIP users by the end of 2017. While these numbers are impressive (actually, they’re astonishing), they’re not surprising to Votacall, an award-winning hosted VoIP phone system and hosted call center provider.
According to Votacall, the reasons that a growing number of businesses of all sizes —especially small and mid-sized firms — are switching from a conventional phone system to a hosted VoIP phone system include:
1. Low CapEX
With a hosted VoIP system, there is no hardware or software to purchase. The only up-front costs are (in some cases) server upgrades to increase broadband speed or capacity, managed routers, and IP phones.
2. Ongoing Cost Savings
There are no long distance or maintenance costs with a hosted VoIP phone system. And while the former may not represent a substantial cost savings for some businesses (i.e. those that serve a local area or have a good long distance plan from their phone carrier), the maintenance savings can be quite significant.
3. Fast Implementation
A hosted VoIP system implements quickly and with little or no disruption (i.e. if the implementation takes place on a weekend, holiday or after hours).
4. Mobility & Scalability
A hosted business VoIP phone system is fundamentally designed for mobility and scalability. End users can access the system from any internet-enabled compute or from a smartphone app, and calls can be routed to any phone (including a home office landline). Adding new numbers or extensions is also simple and cost-effective, and can be done in a matter of minutes through a web-based dashboard.
5. Disaster Recovery
During a power outage caused by anything from a natural disaster to a toppled pole, a hosted VoIP phone system stays online because it uses a geographically dispersed cloud infrastructure. Calls can also be temporarily routed to an unaffected area or call center.
6. Advanced Calling Features
A hosted VoIP phone system offers end users a range of advanced unified calling (UC) features, including voicemail to text, video conferencing, direct-in-dial, one-number service, desktop sharing, instant messaging, 3-way calling, calendaring, auto-attendant, music on hold, hunt groups, ring groups, and the list goes on. These are not add-ons, but are included in the system.
7. Expert Technical Support
Last but certainly not least: both end users and overworked IT staff appreciate that all technical support for a hosted VoIP phone system is handled by third party experts. This scope includes 24/7 security monitoring and all ongoing upgrades, patches and fixes.
The Bottom Line
On today’s hyper-competitive landscape, doing more with less is essential for short-term success and long-term growth. Given the benefits highlighted above, it’s easy to understand why a growing number of businesses aren’t asking “should we switch to a hosted VoIP phone system?” but rather: “how we can we stay competitive and profitable if we don’t switch sooner rather than later?”
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