VoIP for Business: Benefits for Remote Offices

One of the most fascinating things to come out of COVID-19 is the way the business world has splintered into mini pockets of productivity. C-suite and admin staff alike find themselves having to adapt to working from home, with all the benefits and challenges that comes with it.

One of the reasons that we’re talking about VoIP for business is because that critical gap between customer and business can prove problematic when there’s nobody to answer the reception phone. Missed calls, dropped calls, and incorrectly routed calls can cost businesses dearly at a time when they can least afford it.

Are you using VoIP for your business? Are you thinking about it?

How does VoIP work?

As with all things technical, it’s only once we understand the ‘how’ that we can fully grasp the ‘why.’ 

Voice over Internet Protocol (VoIP) refers to making calls over the internet as opposed to using a standard handset and copper line or using a mobile network.

The system is gloriously simple, taking analogue voice signals and turning them into digital packets to be sent over your internet line. On arrival, these packets are – well – unpacked, and returned to an analogue format which we hear as a voice.

The system requires extraordinarily little setup, is scalable, easily relocated, and comes with a host of features that you would ordinarily only expect to find on a high-end PBX system. A virtual multi-line phone system is a cinch to set up and costs significantly less than what businesses are used to paying for the equivalent PBX. 

An article from Atlantic makes the point, “With a VoIP phone system, you can choose where your calls ring and how. For instance, you might select the first few rings to be forwarded to your office. If you don’t answer the call, it will then be transmitted to a second or third device, say, a mobile phone or laptop. Quite simply, calls don’t need to be missed anymore if they are urgent.”

So, why aren’t we all using VoIP for business and personal calls?

What are the pros and cons of VoIP for business?

It may well be that you’re already using VoIP if you’ve made use of WhatsApp calls, FaceTime or Messenger. If so, you’ll likely be aware of some of the pitfalls as well as the exciting opportunities which VoIP offers. 

Pros of VoIP

• Cost – Cutting out landlines, handsets, PBX systems, maintenance, and the actual cost of calls through the telecom provider, VoIP wins the price war hands-down.

Chances are, you’ve already got an internet connection, and adding the few bits of hardware and software needed costs very little indeed. International calls were prohibitively expensive before VoIP.

• Scalable – Once your system is set up, you need only add handsets (if needed) or upgrade software when you need to increase your headcount. 
• Movable – With large chunks of the workforce now working from home, it really doesn’t matter where they live. As long as they have a good internet connection, they are part of the team. Moving your office to another province? That’s fine too.
• Keep your number – Some systems allow you to make use of your old number so that there is no disruption to your customers when you move over to VoIP.
• Sound quality – If your internet is good, then your voice connection will be too. Fibre lines are brilliant for VoIP and allow for calls and video conferences with excellent clarity.
• Seamless connections – VoIP can be accessed on smartphones, through a laptop with a headset, or via a handset connected to the internet line. This means that no matter where you are, you are reachable by your customers. 

The article mentioned above further adds, “Using VoIP phone systems allows you to multi-task with the most tech-savvy devices, allowing you to be the most productive you can be.

“Suppose you are on a call within a queue. While you are waiting, you can strategise your approach to client calls you have missed as you read voicemail-to-text transcriptions that are sent directly to your email inbox.

“In another case, you can forward messages and voicemail easily. If you receive an important message in a voicemail, you can forward that voicemail to three other people at the click of a mouse.”

With the ever-evolving tech driving VoIP systems, it’s easy to see how smart businesses can link up remote workers and continue to offer world-class service to their customers. 

Cons of VoIP

While the South African connectivity issues persist on ageing copper lines and failing infrastructure, a stable internet connection can be hard to find. This means that a VoIP connection will be trying to operate on an overworked and underpaid line, resulting in poor signal quality.

Some calls can’t be made over a VoIP connection, such as directory enquiries, and many telecom providers bundle together your landline and your internet connection, so you have a landline anyway. 

What should I do now?

An interesting article from Business Insider was published recently highlighting the creation of 3000 remote jobs by Amazon in South Africa. The essentials include a matric and a good internet line, with jobs ranging from customer service to technical support. How exciting is it to have this retail giant making use of our wonderful pool of candidates in this way?

As a business looking for stability and growth, do you feel that a VoIP system would benefit you? 

We’d like to encourage you to call the Huge team and allow us to detail the incredible benefits of VoIP for business, and what options are available to you.