VOIP Transformations: For ages, businesses have put their communication requirements and trust on a single strand of copper wire. This trend saw businesses invest their money in traditional phone systems connected to the local telecom representative and are operated through a physical phone management system.
Telecommunication engineers and personnel from the in-house team would routinely oversee the physical phone management system and reroute calls using a manual process. Wires from one board were taken out and punched into another for re-routes and adequate call response.
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While this solution was once heralded as a step towards efficient communication, it has now become obsolete and a burden for growing businesses to manage. Scalability is a major issue as organizations face difficulties in growing their communication strategy and hardware with their growth plans.
VoIP or voice over internet protocol provides a completely automated solution to phone service and hardware management. As is the case with most smartphones in use today, updates are easier to run in VoIP based systems and do not require extensive efforts and strategies. The simplicity of the VoIP system allows businesses to reap the rewards of innovation faster than they would have otherwise expected to. As soon as the system is implemented, it helps break barriers and makes room for cost savings and other benefits.
Small and medium enterprises wonder just how a VoIP transformation can add value to their operations. This article mentions exactly this.
VoIP Transformation and Present Challenges Faced by Medium-sized Enterprises
Although we live in the digital age today, there are still a major chunk of companies, including medium-sized enterprises, that still rely on traditional phone systems to run their operations and perform the bulk of all operations.
These phone systems aren’t efficient in nature and can lead to a number of irregularities. Some of the drawbacks and challenges faced as a result of these systems include:
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Costly Maintenance
Maintaining an outdated phone system is no mean feat. As these systems become old and obsolete, the maintenance costs can surge up and get difficult to manage for most organizations. Old parts are always short from the market, and if you are able to find them, they can cost a lot.
Risk of Alienation
You can drive away younger audiences and target markets if you still have outdated phone systems within your organization. While technology was something associated with Millennials and Generation Z, it has now trespassed all boundaries and is common across all generations. Baby boomers, Gen X, millennials and Generation Z have all embraced modern communication tools like WhatsApp, Facetime and Zoom.
Landlines are now a thing of the past and are being overtaken by other more convenient forms of technology. A report found that over 90 percent of all residents in the United States had a phone in their homes during 2004.
This figure has now shot down to less than 40 percent. It is high time now that business owners and medium-sized organizations realize that their target markets are abandoning landline phones. It is about time they reacted to this change as well and dropped the usage of landline networks.
Expensive Internal Calls
Based on the solutions you follow within your organization; you and your team will be making a number of internal calls during the day. The costs for these internal calls can go over the roof and may soon drain your resources.
Interruptions in Remote Communication
Remote employment is becoming increasingly popular today, as more and more organizations move towards it. The dispersal of staff members and offices during the current COVID-19 pandemic saw many organizations move towards remote networks, without actually wanting to. What this means is that there are now a number of organizations that have adopted the new normal and accepted the remote model. In line with this, an organization by the name of Lightspeed has combined two popular products in the form of Connect and Automate into third software known as Quantum.
Quantum offers instant messaging. You can either send a direct message to any user or create a group chat for discussion. Additionally, organizations can use the software to create plans that allow agents to close their sales efficiently.
Benefits of a VoIP Transformation
Having studied the challenges currently facing organizations, we shed some light on how a VoIP system can benefit organizations. These systems are here to stay and can signal a world of good in operations for the future. The end result improves communication and leads to better synergy across the board between employees.
Attractive Pricing Rates
A Voice over Internet Protocol system enhances communication within the organization and takes it away from the traditional mechanism of physical lines and connectivity issues. This new technology makes use of Internet Protocol or your IP address to both send and receive calls over the internet.
Essentially speaking, your voice data is changed into network packets, which are then transmitted to the receiver, all in real-time. The network you choose could either be a dedicated IP connection on the phone or your internet connection. Some organizations often go for both concurrently as well to maximize their efficiency.
Compare the solution of VoIP systems to that of a landline system. Landline systems required each call to be transmitted through a dedicated line. Organizations could only install a finite number of lines, as more lines result in more maintenance and installation costs. VoIP systems come without the extra costs and physical limitations of landline systems. They are more convenient and come with an attractive per-call pricing model.
Many businesses even choose VoIP transformations because these systems allow them to make and receive both local and long-distance calls for free within their country code. A business with a country code from the United States will be able to make calls for free within the entire country.
Beneficial for Businesses Operating Remotely
VoIP solutions can bring a world of good and value for businesses that work on the go and are required to be mobile. VoIP is portable in nature and can be operated remotely by your sales and support personnel, without the need for them to be present on-premise.
Compare this to the limitations of a traditional phone connection with a line running directly to provide signals. As much as you would want to take business calls on the go or while working remotely, you wouldn’t be able to because of the limitations in the scope of landline systems.
Thanks to VoIP, you can remove all of these complexities. Mobility is a major part of the system, and you can move around and even work remotely using it. The recent COVID-19 pandemic has seen many organizations opt for remote working protocols. Medium-sized enterprises with VoIP solutions were able to benefit the most as they saw continuity in operations, despite the apparent lack of communication.
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Exciting Features on Offer
It won’t take long for you to note just how effective and productive your VoIP system is. The system will allow you to increase your interactions with customers and leads while allowing you to also benefit from several new features.
For instance, you could use the system to engage with important clients and, at the same time, pick up calls routed to your email. You can make a few clicks to send voicemails to your team and flawlessly connect with internal stakeholders.
User-Friendly Conference Calls
All businesses that have been hit by the recent pandemic would know the importance of conference calls, across remote endpoints. Conference calling becomes a lot easier and more fluid after you install a dedicated VoIP solution. Conference calls can be maintained over a reliable data network, and you don’t have to worry about the space available for each member to participate.
Improved Customer Interaction
The business world around us has grown smaller with time. While the physical distance remains the same, it is easier for organizations headquartered in Asia to communicate with customers sitting somewhere in South America. The internet has facilitated this progression of change, and VoIP takes it to the next stage with improved customer interaction. Businesses can now easily interact with customers and understand their preferences.
Conclusion to VoIP Transformation
A majority of all SMEs today agree that the advantages of using a Voice over Internet Protocol far outweigh the disadvantages. With the competitive business environment today, medium enterprises are up against giant sharks meandering different industries. A VoIP solution puts you among the A-listers and also allows you to keep your own, even when faced with challenges from them. A mention of all these challenges and benefits will help your IT department move towards the VoIP solution. The solution can be integrated with your cloud services that CCT San Diego, California will help you cover. Trust us to deliver.
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