For many small to medium sized businesses, having a reliable phone system is often a critical part of operations. Ensuring that your company can reach out to existing customers when needed and follow up leads on new ones is important to establishing key relationships and building a foundation of trust and reliable communication.
Because of that having phones you can rely on that suit and that meet your needs is going to be important to that process. Likewise, making sure that those phones are cost effective is another big factor that business owners must consider. As the company grows the need for more phone lines will as well and being able to expand without accruing unneeded financial strain.
This is where choices must be made. Though traditional landlines are still used by many businesses for their phone needs, the rise of VoIP has provided an alternative that a lot of people are starting to investigate.
Though there are many benefits of VoIP services, a lot of people may not know what it is that actually separates it from a traditional landline phone. In this article we’re going to take a look at both services, and break down what their strengths and weaknesses are, so that you can make an informed decision about which is best for your business.
What is VoIP?
VoIP is short for Voice Over Internet Protocol. In short it is a system of delivering phone services via the internet instead of a traditional landline. Though it is considered a relatively new way to use phones, it is a service that has been around for some time, and there have been great strides made in the technology that have made it a popular choice for many businesses.
How Does VoIP Compare to Traditional Landline Phones?
If you’re a business just starting out, or looking for alternatives to traditional phone lines, then seeing what VoIP does in in comparison is something that you are going to want to be informed on. That way you can make an informed decision on what best suits your needs as well as your costs.
VoIP offers many services, as well as a versatility that traditional landlines do not. If you are not aware of the benefits, then this list of comparisons between the two types of phone services should help you decide which is best for your needs.
Setup and Maintenance Costs of VoIP and Landline Phones
Probably one of the most important things to consider when deciding between the two phone services is how much is it going to cost to install, perform upkeep, and if needed, expand their use within your company.
As almost every business is looking for ways to save on expenditures where they can, having a cost-effective phone service provides an added benefit of allowing for flexible scaling without a massive price tag attached.
So, between the two, which is less expensive?
In almost every aspect, VoIP takes the cake here. A major factor of this is that installation costs can be kept down as the need for additional telephone wiring and hardware is completely removed. Since VoIP systems run entirely on internet connections and will oftentimes not need expensive and time-consuming installations for expansion that can interrupt work productivity, meaning that scaling is much easier to do.
The cost to maintain, and host VoIP services is also typically cheaper per user than on traditional landlines as well, as providers will often be able to handle those needs as part of their service package plans.
It is also important to consider costs of additional features such as headsets, support, and other additional features that you may need. Before making any kind of final decision, budget for your necessities, and try to get price comparisons and quotes from providers so that you can know precisely what either choice will cost your business, and how those costs are broken down. That way you can decide and spend with confidence.
Reliability
Having a phone is all good and well, but you also want to make sure that its something you can use and be sure that you can rely on that usage whenever you need it.
This has been a big point of contention for many that have stood steadfast on the use of landlines, as they are extremely dependable and can continue to operate in the case of certain emergencies. While this is absolutely the truth, it ignores the strides made in the advancements of VoIP phones.
This is directly tied to advancements in the internet, as high-speed connections become more and more available at competitive rates. VoIP has been able to benefit off of these advancements, while advancing their own technology to better utilize modern internet infrastructure.
Because of this, VoIP and companies that provide the service have been able to dramatically increase its reliability and stability over the years. Though it may not be quite equal with traditional landlines, there is no doubting that it is only a matter of time before VoIP is able to offer on par service.
Sound Quality
Perhaps above all other things, this is the one thing that landlines hold dramatically over VoIP. This is almost entirely due to the fact that landline phones are developed for and their advancements have been made with sound quality and consistency in mind, where the internet is a multimedia data carrier.
With that though, there have still been incredible advancements made in the world of internet audio quality. The goal has always been to get to such a level that people cannot even tell whether or not they are on a call with a person using VoIP.
In many cases the advancements have made it as such that as long as the internet connection is fast and stable, that the differences will unnoticeable. But that does require that your business take into consideration the quality of your internet provider as well.
So long as you are working with a reliable VoIP provider, you should be able to get excellent sound quality with stable phone connections.
Feature Suites
There is little to say here other than that VoIP’s feature offerings knock things out of the park, and dwarf those of traditional phone lines. As a 21st century solution to phone services, VoIP is more versatile and offers more features than a landline could hope to.
Things like:
- automatic redirection
- video calls
- accessibility from cell phones and computers
- and more
VoIP does a lot without the need of additional dedicated equipment. It also does all these things while cutting costs and being cheaper overall to maintain long term.
In Conclusion
Though there are some things that traditional landlines still offer, VoIP is fast becoming a dominant contender in the phone space. It is little wonder that more and more companies are starting to shift towards use of VoIP
Compare the benefits we’ve listed, and assess your phone needs before signing to any commitments. However if VoIP is right for your business, then give us a call and let us help you get the best quality phone service for your needs. In many ways, VoIP is the future of business telecommunications, make sure you’re getting the most out of your phone service.
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