Overcome Common Business Telecommunication Problems by Switching to VoIP

Even with the advent of email and instant messaging, phone systems continue to play a major role in business communications. Telephone communication is personal and immediate, and not as prone to misinterpretation when compared to text-based communication methods. This is why it’s important to get the right phone system for your business that allows you to effectively communicate with your customers.
In this article, we’ll share three common telecommunication problems faced by many businesses, and offer solutions as to how they can be solved by switching to a better, more advanced phone system: namely, Voice over Internet Protocol (VoIP).
Problem 1: You find it difficult to manage calls, but you don’t have the budget to hire a receptionist either.
This is a common problem for startups. Within the first few months, business owners often need to handle a steady barrage of incoming calls from potential clients, colleagues, and vendors. While a busy phone is usually a sign that your business is getting noticed, not all calls warrant your attention. Instead of handling the calls yourself, it would be more convenient if someone can manage the calls for you. But on a startup budget, hiring a receptionist is likely out of the question.
Fortunately, a VoIP service includes a virtual receptionist feature, letting organizations on a shoestring budget easily manage and route calls without having to hire more personnel. A virtual receptionist, also referenced as an auto attendant, assists in transferring inbound callers to the appropriate extensions or groups without the help of a physical operator. This helps cut down on call clutter by sending callers to the right place the first time.
But beyond simply transferring customer call, virtual receptionists can also be fully customized to deliver announcements, office hours, directions, or personalized greetings that can vary depending on the time of day.
Problem 2: You need to communicate with employees overseas, but international call charges are already breaking your bank.
These days, it’s rare to find companies that employ workers from only one location. Most organizations are now composed of workers based in different parts of the globe, and so international calls are often the norm. But overseas calls aren’t exactly cheap, especially if you’re still stuck with your traditional landline service. But by using a VoIP system, businesses can virtually lighten their phone bills due to the free on-network calls and low-rate international calling rates.
With a VoIP service plan, local and long distance calls within the United States and Canada are usually unlimited and free (depending on the service plan you choose), while international calls are usually charged at lower per-minute rates than traditional service providers. On a VoIP plan, you can place international calls for as low as $0.10/minute. This brings significant cost savings to businesses, especially those with overseas clients.
Problem 3: You need to go on a business trip, but your travel budget is limited.
While nothing beats a good face-to-face conversation, sometimes it’s not just feasible to drop everything and book a flight to meet in person. Business trips can be prohibitively expensive, not to mention inconvenient. Thankfully, with today’s advanced video conferencing and conference bridge technology offered by many VoIP services, such problems (and the costs associated with them) can be eliminated.
Video conferencing makes face-to-face communications between people in distant locations possible, without all the unnecessary hassle and expenses. In fact, using video conferencing can help lower travel expenses by 30 percent. And when you’re a small business, cutting travel costs by 30 percent already gives you plenty of room to reinvest in your business.
Aside from cost-savings, video conferencing also gives employees more flexibility. They don’t have to travel between job sites just to stay updated with the rest of the team. Features such as screen sharing and contacts integration make collaboration possible, which improves meeting efficiency and enables businesses to pool their best resources together at a minimal cost.
Final Thoughts
VoIP is changing the way businesses communicate. By switching to VoIP, organizations can say goodbye to various telecommunication issues (along with associated costs) and take a step forward towards success.