Every business should be looking for ways to cut costs, and VoIP – or Voice over Internet Protocol – can offer some tremendous savings. But what exactly is it, what are the core benefits, and which VoIP services should you be looking at? And, of course, are there any disadvantages?

Efficiency

Hosted VoIP services can really streamline your entire business operation. You don’t have to make a call and then send a document afterwards with an email. You can just do it then and there through its instant messaging function. Video conferencing makes it easier to hold meetings, regardless of where people are. And, you can integrate most of your business communication tools – such as email and fax – easily with VoIP.

Mobility

If you are on the move for your business, it’s reassuring that you can keep in touch, whenever you like. VoIP’s accessibility with smartphones means you can be available whenever you have an Internet signal. You can be there for a tricky customer call, important meetings, emergencies, and anything else you can think of. In short, it keeps you in touch with your business, employees and contacts wherever they are.

Marketing

VoIP can also make it easier for your customers to get in touch with you. Instead of taking your number down on your website, they can just click your VoIP service icon and be in contact within seconds. You can also link up live with people on Google Hangouts to give workshops, advice, or even sales pitches to your customers. You can reach people on their desktops, smartphones, or landline. There are so many possibilities, and the only limits are your imagination.

The Bad Side Of VoIP

It’s not all plain sailing, of course, and there are some issues with Voice over Internet Protocol that you need to be aware of. Firstly, you need a good Internet connection, or you won’t be able to use it. Weak signals can cause call quality to be poor. All those data packets flying around may not get through – and there can be problems with latency and distortion.

Going Offline

Should your Internet go down entirely, you are really at the mercy of your provider. In worst-case scenarios, your business could suffer for several days if you don’t have the backup of a traditional phone line. This applies to power-cuts, too, unless you have a secondary power supply.

Emergencies

Another major problem that VoIP services have been trying to solve for years is emergency calls. Because VoIP phones have no permanent ‘location’ other than online, it’s hard to connect to emergency services. Which, of course, were developed purely for use over traditional phone lines. ‘No 999’ is a grave concern for your business, although one that you can fix by using a regular phone line as back up. Ofcom has an excellent guide on the problems with VoIP and 999 on their website.

We hope this guide has opened up some of the reasons why VoIP can be an excellent choice for your business. And, of course, that it highlights some of the issues it can cause.