When you’re setting up a new office, one of the first pieces of technology installed is the phone system. Business owners will usually have a phone at each employees’ desk and a main incoming reception desk.
Traditional landline PBX systems can be expensive, and typically cost about $1,000 per employee for setup, not including the ongoing equipment maintenance costs. That’s a big upfront cost, but one many business owners resign themselves to because it’s something “you just have to have.”
Or is it?
Internet-based VoIP phone systems are now becoming the solution to problems like:
- Phone systems that are too expensive
- Inability to add newer features
- Old landline systems that cost too much to replace
- Inability to access phone lines easily offsite
While in the early days of the internet, VoIP may have issues with voice quality, those issues are long gone and for the last 15 years or so, internet-based phone systems have been displacing older landlines because of their flexibility, features, and incredible cost savings.
If you’ve ever thought: ”My system is old…I need newer features…I want to save money.”, then read on to see the type of savings and benefits VoIP can bring to your business.
Why Should You Consider Upgrading to VoIP Phones?
With the stampede to inexpensive, flexible, and collaborative cloud services that we’ve seen in the past decade, VoIP has also jumped to the top of the list of considerations for business phone systems.
By the end of 2021, it’s projected that 90% of IT leaders will stop purchasing on-premises communication tools.
When you’ve known nothing but landline phones at your office, the thought of switching to an internet-based phone system can leave you with certain questions:
- Will we have good voice quality?
- How will employees answer the phone?
- How much money can I save?
- Will I get the features I need?
Let’s address each of those.
Will We Have Good Voice Quality?
VoIP did get a bad reputation when it first came out due to poor voice quality. In the early 2000’s the internet connections just weren’t strong enough to support the type of quality needed to match landlines. This is the same reason you didn’t see video streaming take off until several years later.
But since that time, network carriers have updated their infrastructures and internet connections are much more dependable, enabling extremely reliable and clear voice quality from VoIP phone services.
You typically can’t tell the difference when on a call, whether the other person is on a landline or an internet-based line.
How reliable is the call quality? Well, large companies that pride themselves on customer service, like Apple and Best Western, employ remote workers using VoIP lines for customer support.
How Will Employees Answer the Phone?
One main question when it comes to upgrading to VoIP is whether or not employees can still use handsets on their desk. The answer is yes!
In fact, Two River Computer includes handsets for no additional charge with your service.
Beyond handsets, employees also have the flexibility of answering calls from their computer via a headset or on a mobile device that uses a VoIP app.
The ability to answer your phones from anywhere can be a business-saver when it comes to a natural disaster striking your office that would take out a traditional landline system. With VoIP, your phone lines are still operational and you can answer calls from any location, making it a perfect strategy for a business continuity plan.
How Much Money Can I Save?
The cost savings is the biggest reason that businesses in New Jersey and the rest of the country have been switching over from landlines to VoIP phones.
Savings are significant and come from a variety of areas, such as no taxes and fees that are added onto landline phone bills, no upfront hardware or installation costs, and lower costs on local and international calls.
According to FinancesOnline here are some of the average cost savings you can expect with VoIP phones:
- 75% savings on operational costs
- 40% savings on local calls
- 90% savings on international calls
- 30% savings on phone bills
Savings on installation alone can be roughly $15,000 for a 15-employee office, and you’re not locked into paying for a particular number of lines for a long contract period.
With VoIP, you can add or remove users/lines at any time, giving you scalability while only paying for what you need.
Will I Get the Features I Need?
When businesses upgrade to a VoIP system, they’re often surprised at just how many more features they have, and for no additional cost. Cloud-based phone systems also have advanced features like automatic call transcription and the ability to email or text you a readout of your voicemail.
The features you get with VoIP often can enhance productivity and improve caller experience. Here are just a few of the many features offered by Two River Computer’s VoIP solution:
- Auto-attendant
- Individual and group voicemail boxes
- Voicemail to email, including speech-to-text
- Inbound caller-ID
- Conference calling
- Smartphone app for “anywhere calling”
- Call recording
- Call blocking…and much more
Learn More About a VoIP Business Phone System Today!
If you’re tired of an expensive, older phone system that is holding you back, talk to us about business VoIP. We can give you a demonstration and tell you exactly how it can enhance your business.
Contact us today to schedule a free VoIP consultation. Call 732-747-0020 or reach us online.
