Save money with internet based phone systems
Last updated on April 3rd, 2024 at 08:17 am
Over the years phone systems have evolved and new technology has made its way into our homes and businesses. Voice over Internet Protocol (VoIP) or internet-based phone systems allows phone calls to be made over an internet connection instead of a traditional landline.
This kind of system became popular due to its low price range in comparison to traditional lines allowing users to make unlimited calls at a set monthly price point instead of a per-minute plan used for traditional lines, this also made international calling more affordable. For a healthcare provider with 3 locations and a total of 10 lines, we saw savings of just over $800.00 per month switching them onto a hosted VoIP provider while a dental office with a single location and 3 lines only sees a savings of $60.00 a month, the savings from business to business will change depending on the total number of calls and price points available through traditional landline providers.
Is Internet based phone systems (VoIP) right for your business?
There are a few points to consider before making the switch, the first thing is figuring out if your network can support a VoIP system, while different providers might have different minimum requirements (one provider argues that you can handle multiple calls on a 3 Mbps DSL connection) you should keep in mind that you are likely running other equipment on the network and making a call will bring your internet connection to other devices to a crawl.
There are also regulations to keep in mind, depending on the service provider you may not have access to local 911 calls and this may be a problem for certain types of businesses such as medical facilities, and if your business is in an area where internet connections regularly drop then you will also be loosing your phone services costing you much more in lost customers and opportunities than the sum of your savings.
Do your homework on internet based phone systems.
There are more savings to be had on a VoIP system compared to traditional lines when you compare the features available, for example if you are in need of an auto attendant, call recording, call queuing, voicemail to email, or virtual faxing (fax to email) you will be paying extra for these services with traditional lines while many if not all are included with most VoIP providers at no additional cost.
Doing a feature comparison will give you a greater idea of which VoIP provider best fits your needs and to avoid biased opinions you can always check with a consultant or consult with a re-seller who offers services from more than one provider as they will pair you with the provider that is most suitable for your needs.
Entrepreneur.com offers a more in-depth article about the advantages of VoIP you can read here.
About the author
Josue Nolasco – VP of Green Shield Technology.
Graduated from ITT Technical Institute with a bachelors in network cyber security. I attended the Travel Channel Academy which was great fun and have been working with small businesses owners for years helping them implement new technologies for a better and more productive management of their business.
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