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What’s the Big Deal About VoIP Solutions for Small Businesses?

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While large businesses and call centers often use VoIP as their phone system of choice, many small businesses are reaping its rewards as well. VoIP’s many advanced features and simple functionality make it an optimal choice for small businesses looking to capitalize on their phone services and grow their brand, all while saving money.

There’s Plenty of Room for Growth and Change

Small businesses change rapidly and often. Adding, moving or removing employees, changing or adding locations and working remotely are incredibly easy with VoIP. The only on-site equipment necessary when using a cloud-based VoIP service is an internet connection and the phones themselves – the provider handles the rest from their remote data centers. The result is a business freed from expensive wiring, installation fees and upkeep charges of landline service. Additionally, VoIP PBXs route calls with much more flexibility than traditional PBXs, allowing for nuanced call handling in situations where locations change or workers need to operate remotely.

 It Paints a Cohesive Picture

Many small businesses don’t have phone attendants or receptionists to manage calls. VoIP offers these functions through its automation capabilities, such as auto-attendants, call queuing, IVR menus and more. These functions, and the ability to seamlessly route calls to and from different locations, gives the impression of a cohesive, centrally-located and often, larger, business.

VoIP toll-free and vanity numbers can help small businesses build credibility as well. Vanity numbers are concise, memorable and help companies build their brand (consider the strength of 1-800-FLOWERS over 1-800-356-9377). Toll-free and vanity numbers also give the impression of a large, established business, while encouraging callers to make contact for free.

It’s Affordable

Cost is one of the key factors motivating small businesses to switch to VoIP phone solutions. Since SIP VoIP calls are initiated over an existing network, VoIP prices start at a much lower baseline than landlines. In addition, most advanced VoIP features are included in standard monthly packages. By contrast, landline solutions generally offer services à la carte, which can quickly blow up monthly phone bills.

Small businesses also save big on line management with VoIP. With landline services, a business with predictable spikes in call volume (consider lunchtime at a pizza delivery business) must purchase enough lines to service all calls during rush times or risk losing business when callers can’t get through. During the business’ slower periods, however, most of those lines will go unused. VoIP, by contrast, uses burstable technology that can transmit incoming calls even when they surpass the set maximum capacity, avoiding sending callers away with a busy tone.

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Tip: VoIP phones don’t need to be purchased in bundles, like landlines. Enjoy the no-brainer savings!

Easy Troubleshooting and Upkeep

In small businesses, employees are busy, IT departments are small or non-existent and every call is valuable. You have to keep things lean and mean. Small business owners can’t afford to let prospects and clients wait on hold for an available agent. The time it takes for many providers to diagnose and fix phone problems—hours or even days—is a breeding ground for disaster.

Since cloud-based VoIP equipment is supplied and managed by the provider, most equipment problems are their responsibility, relieving the business of troubleshooting responsibilities and time-consuming repairs.  Landline technology, on the other hand, requires increasing repairs as it ages, which can be costly and time-consuming when older parts are hard to find or unavailable. Investing in landlines is about as useful as dumping your budget into a ten-year-old truck for deliveries—you can almost hear the mechanic’s wallet fattening.

When considering VoIP providers, look for one that prioritizes customer support to ensure reliable quality service. The best providers will help businesses develop disaster recovery plans to reroute incoming calls during outages and set up internet fail-over for possible network outages.

Superior External Program Integrations

Since VoIP solutions are internet-based, they can integrate with CRMs and other external programs, while analog phones are not connected to the internet and therefore cannot integrate with anything online. VoIP integrations can help increase efficiency and improve customer data collection and storage, giving small businesses an edge against competition and delivering an elevated customer experience.

VoIP also offers detailed reporting and analytics, helping businesses to monitor volume and appropriately staff and manage employees. Combined with digitally accessible call recording and storage for quality assurance and customer disputes, these external integrations will spare you legal headaches, customer disputes and keep customers connected to your business at all times.

Grow Your Business with VoIP

VoIP provides small business owners with the flexibility, service quality and advanced capabilities necessary to expand their business and build their brand, all while saving money. Still not sure if VoIP is the right choice? Schedule a demo of 4Voice’s VoIP services today to see how they could benefit your business.

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Amruth Laxman
About the Author

Amruth Laxman

25+ years of telecom experience, specializing in high availability software and systems, I’ve seen the transformative impact they have on businesses. As the founding partner of 4Voice, I deliver customized, reliable phone solutions and can’t wait to share my insights with you in this blog.

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