Thanks to the progress of technology, Voice over Internet Protocol phone systems (VoIP) have improved hugely since their appearance over 20 years ago. Nowadays, with the use of the cloud to host VoIP systems, they are becoming a serious choice for many businesses. Inevitably however, there is quite a lot to consider before taking the plunge.

A VoIP system converts a voice into a digital signal which is then transmitted over the internet. To make sure that there is no loss of quality if you are calling a traditional phone, the signal is converted to normal telephone wavelengths.

However, one of the things that can put a business off having VoIP is the speed of their internet connection as it has to be fast enough to handle the quantity of calls expected. If you don’t have the speed of connection required, then the advantages of VoIP diminish as you may well be trying to do business on an unclear line. This is crucial to know because some regions, both rural and perhaps more surprisingly urban, can have very poor, slow, maximum broadband speeds.

But if you do have a fast-enough connection, then perhaps a VoIP phone system is worth considering. Depending on the size of the company there is great potential for cost saving due to economies of scale: the more users you have, the greater your saving. This is because once you have a VoIP number your bill can can reduce by up to 90% as calls become part of your internet spend. Obviously, the bigger the company, the greater the saving. Whilst currently only about 20% of small companies use VoIP, it’s a straightforward changeover with no necessary specialist equipment, plus cost savings, plus often improved sound quality compared with a landline.

Another benefit of VoIP is the potential saving on maintenance. As they are free from the technical issues which may affect your landline, not to mention the time taken to get them sorted out, you are free to continue with your business without any telephone hold-ups which cost you money but are beyond your control. In addition, with the advantage of connecting to free Wi-Fi worldwide, VoIP, gives you the option of free international calls.

So, perhaps now is the time to ask yourself, is it time for VoIP in your business?