Is VoIP Reliable for Business: Answer to This Question in 2023
In the digital age, businesses need to stay connected 24/7. Traditional phone systems may have served their purpose in the past, but with the rise of remote work, global teams, and the need for instant communication, they can no longer keep up. This is why businesses are adopting a VoIP phone system– a revolutionary communication tool that has transformed the way they connect with customers and team members. In this article, we’ll tackle the question: Is VoIP reliable for business? But first, let’s go over what it is and how it gives businesses an edge against their competitors who’re still depending on a traditional landline.
What’s VoIP?
VoIP stands for Voice Over Internet Protocol and it’s a phone system that connects calls over the internet rather than copper phone lines. So, VoIP SMB (small business) services enable workforces to use their internet connection to communicate with others via voice or video calls– just like they would on a regular phone or video conferencing system. This makes a business VoIP phone service the modern alternative to traditional landline phones.
To assess whether VoIP is reliable for business, we need to understand how it works.
How it works
Business VoIP takes your phone number and converts it to an internet connection. How does it do this? Well, it digitizes voice signals, compresses them into data packets, and then sends them over the internet to their intended recipient. Once the data packets reach their destination– i.e., the person you wish to communicate with– the digital signal gets decoded back into a voice signal. As a result, the recipient can hear you speak.
So, we know how business VoIP phone service works– but is VoIP reliable for business? Before we address this, let’s explore the advantages of VoIP.
Benefits of VoIP for businesses
VoIP offers a range of benefits for businesses, from cost savings and improved call quality to increased flexibility and scalability. Thus, it’s no surprise that an increasing number of businesses are switching to VoIP as their primary communication solution.
Let’s go over some of the key benefits of VoIP to help you understand why this technology is such a compelling choice for businesses of all sizes and industries.
Communication control
One of the biggest benefits of VoIP for small businesses is the freedom it provides when it comes to routing calls. With traditional business phone systems, incoming calls are typically limited to one line per desk phone. This can lead to missed calls and frustrated customers or clients. But, with VoIP, incoming calls can be routed to any device with an internet connection. This means that you can take calls on your computer, tablet, or your smartphone.
The added flexibility that VoIP provides means that you can work from anywhere– whether you’re in the office, at home, or somewhere on a beach. Plus, VoIP systems often include advanced call routing features that can be customized to meet your specific needs. For example, you can set up call forwarding to automatically redirect calls to a different device or number. This is helpful for when you’re out sick, on vacation, or just can’t take a work call.
Versatile functions
Because VoIP uses an internet-based connection, it can offer several advanced features, unlike its copper-wired landline counterpart. Thus, there are many uses of VoIP for businesses to leverage. Some include call recording, conference calls, video conferencing, and even voicemail transcription.
Global calls
When asking, “is VoIP reliable for business,” most businesses want to know how it handles international communications. VoIP lets you make international calls for free or at a fraction of the cost compared to traditional landline phone systems.
When making international calls with a landline, users often face expensive per-minute rates that can quickly add up. This can limit a business’s geographical range and customer growth potential. But, since VoIP global calls are typically free or only a penny per minute, businesses can leverage it to expand their reach.
Low-cost
Every evolving business is constantly searching for solutions to lower overhead costs while boosting profits. This said, many businesses have turned to VoIP technology since it’s typically much cheaper than traditional landlines.
But what makes VoIP more cost-effective than old-school landlines?
Well, the VoIP process eliminates the need for expensive hardware, infrastructure, and maintenance required by traditional phone systems. Also, VoIP is an integrated service. This means that businesses won’t have to scrounge for dollars to invest in new equipment or buy a new phone line when they need to scale their operations. Thus, VoIP solutions for small businesses are very cost-effective in the long run.
Call quality
One of the best VoIP benefits for small businesses is the enhanced call quality it offers compared to traditional phone lines. This is because it uses digital signals that are transmitted over the internet, which can be optimized for high-quality audio and video.
Unlike traditional phone lines, which may suffer from distortion or interference, VoIP calls are less likely to experience these issues. Likewise, the classic landline transmits everything– including silence. But, since VoIP only transmits the parts where a person is speaking, it eliminates white noise.
What’s even more is that VoIP systems automatically adjust for varying internet speeds. This ensures that the call quality remains consistent even when there may be fluctuations in the network.
While the benefits of VoIP are certainly enticing, they don’t mean much unless VoIP is reliable. After all, you could hire the best plumber in the world to fix your sink, but his talents won’t matter if he doesn’t show up. So, let’s answer the question you’ve been waiting for: Is VoIP reliable for business?
Is VoIP reliable for business?
The answer is a resounding YES. Not only is VoIP reliable for business, but it’s arguably more reliable than traditional landlines.
Here’s why:
Why is VoIP reliable for business?
The reliable benefit of VoIP for small businesses comes from the fact that it offers a range of features and capabilities that ensure consistent and uninterrupted communication. When businesses depend on traditional phone systems, they put themselves at risk of outages or disruptions, which can take hours or even days to fix. But, VoIP technology is designed to be highly resilient. For example, many VoIP systems include automatic failover capabilities that ensure calls are rerouted in the event of an internet outage or other disruption.
Do you need crazy-fast internet to ensure VoIP reliability?
A typical small business could implement a reliable VoIP system with high quality over only a 20Mbps download speed. But, the faster the internet speed, the more reliable VoIP services for businesses will be. Most businesses today already have a robust, stable internet connection though, as they depend on one to operate in the digital age.
So, let’s go over two main reasons that make VoIP so reliable.
1. Broadband prioritization
The implementation of broadband prioritization in modern telephone systems is a big part of why voice-over IP for businesses is so reliable. Broadband prioritization gives VoIP calls priority over regular internet traffic, ensuring that your business’s broadband connection is optimized for clear and uninterrupted communication. With VoIP prioritization, sudden spikes in broadband traffic won’t disrupt your voice calls. As a result, you’ll have a stable and reliable communication solution for your business.
2. The modern internet
Another reason why VoIP is reliable for business can be attributed to modern internet speeds, which have significantly improved over the years.
The belief that internet-connected calls are unreliable can be traced back to the early days of the internet. This was a time when the pace of technological innovation was too fast for the infrastructure available to keep up. As a result, early versions of internet-based calling solutions were often plagued by problems like dropped calls and poor call quality.
But, thanks to advancements in internet technology and the development of VoIP infrastructure, these issues have largely been overcome. With modern fiber broadband connections delivering download speeds of 70+ Mbps, businesses can enjoy faster and more efficient communication than ever before.
Is VoIP reliable for business? A final word
In a world where staying connected is crucial for business success, Voice over Internet Protocol (VoIP) has emerged as an innovative solution. As a supercharged communication tool, it lets businesses break free from the constraints of traditional phone systems and enjoy seamless, cost-effective communication. If you’re ready to enhance your business communication, you can easily make the switch to VoIP with 24-7 & West Wisconsin Telcom’s hosted VoIP solution.