Communication is the fuel that helps a business to accelerate its growth. Over the years, businesses have changed how they communicate because of the evolving and ever-changing technology, and one such creation is VoIP. Voice Over Internet Protocol (VoIP) is a technology that enables communication and data transfer over the cloud via the Internet and transmits voice data, video data, file transfer, etc. across people on different platforms in packets using Internet Protocol while eliminating the traditional circuit transmission, called the Public Switched Telephone Network (PSTN).
VoIP has done wonders for businesses, especially for small ones. It is remarkably efficient and secure. Earlier, businesses have relied on telephones for order placement, client grievances, urgent meetings, etc. which increased the hardware and the cost of production of a company making the invested money very hard to recover. VoIP has eliminated such problems and has increased the purchasing power of the companies. Since it is a part of Cloud Communication, a business doesn’t have to worry about losing the data as it is already secure in the cloud. Say goodbye to data theft and breach of privacy, and let the tech do its job. These are not the only benefits of VoIP; the list has just begun-
- Economical-Any business, while being set up, possesses a budget because the money to run that entity belongs to the investors that indicates that it should be used judiciously. Traditional Public Switched Telephone Network (PSTN) requires heavy hardware like telephones, cables, computers, headsets, handsets, etc. which in turn increases the cost. But for VoIP, you require limited hardware like computers, a headset, and a stable wifi connection, and you are all set. The charges of traditional PSTN systems are also high, which leads to a bigger bill to pay off. On the contrary, charges of VoIP are not that high because all the systems use the same Internet. Also, it offers flexible pricing plans like pay as you go plans in which you have to pay only for your usage.
- Efficiency-Imagine how much time is wasted while transferring calls from one department to another or arranging meetings because it is hard to inform all the employees at once. Even the clients/customers have to wait for hours to get connected to the service representatives, which is frustrating. VoIP has excluded the middlemen and transfers the call to the concerned department without any hassle, meetings can be arranged in no time, and customers can record their grievances if the service agents are busy. This reduces the wastage of effort and increases the efficiency of the customer service representatives. Here, IVR comes into the picture, which allows the tech to handle and communicate with the customers with the help of voice and DTMF tones.
- Mobility– Employees have to stick to their desks because of the telephones, and if you leave your desk even for a minute, they might lose a customer. This makes their job monotonous, lonely, and boring, and nobody wants uninterested employees working for them. If an employee takes work from home, it becomes a task to transfer the calls. With technology like VoIP, employees can start working on their way to the office, working from home becomes easier and transferring the calls becomes easier because all you need is a steady internet connection to be in touch with your customers.
- Security-The traditional PSTN system makes it difficult to store the transactions and data, which could lead to identity theft, hence endangering the privacy and security of the data. The VoIP system gives us the facility of cloud, which backs up all the data that is there in the system, ranging from passwords to account numbers. This reduces the risk of losing valuable information. It makes all the transactions secure since they are digitally carried out, thus eliminating threats like identity theft, fraud, etc.
- Reliability-This system has various features that help the service agents to deliver their best to the customers. Modes like DND (Do Not Disturb) make sure that the agents are not disturbed during their jobs. Call forwarding makes sure that the customers and not left unattended, and their calls are transferred to someone with the same knowledge. Several times music tones are set so that the customers do not get bored or are kept engaged while waiting for the service agent to answer their calls, and they don’t have to worry about getting skipped because call queue places the calls in line to be answered by the service agent.
- Wider Scope– PSTN’s geographical reach is either limited or expensive, which is problematic and slow. This limits an organization to go global, hence, stopping their growth, future survival, and limiting the profits. The VoIP rules out these barriers and takes the company global without making them pay the international charges. It increases the scope, and they can target the global audience. Not just they can reach global customers but can also employ talented personnel from all around the world. There is not only voice call but features like video calls, emails, sorting customer grievances, etc. still left to explore.
Increasing ROI through VoIP
All the features of VoIP mentioned above have made the business more flexible and accessible. The money that they are saving could be put into other important departmental operations like production, sales, distribution, etc. This is helping employees to get rid of their extra burden, and now, they can focus on their respective jobs, thus, increasing their efficiency. This technology lets the employees access their work remotely with the same performance and ease. Adding upgrades to a telephone can be expensive, but VoIP is the actual upgrade because it has features like voicemail, emails, video calls, texting, and the list goes on.
VoIP has a trump card that can ace all arguments against it- it keeps upgrading with the technology which our traditional telephones could not do and thus moved out of the picture entirely. Some organizations still believe that the PSTN systems are much more efficient than VoIP, but the fact cannot be denied that soon telephones will be history. This has led to personal savings as well, where the businesses don’t have to employ too many personnel for various positions like there is no need to hire more number of IT staff.
Still, baffling with the thoughts of giving it a try? We recommend pursuing this technology because it has more virtues than vices.
Guest article written by: Naina Rajput. I am a technical content writer at The Real PBX. I love to explore the tech world; dancing and travelling have always captivated me.