Voice over Internet Protocol (VoIP) phone systems are the modern evolution of traditional Private Branch Exchange (PBX) systems, are software-based, and utilize broadband internet instead of copper wire landlines to send digitally compressed data. With Plain Old Telephone Service (POTS) sunsetting and soon set to become a technology of the past, VoIP phone systems for business offer SMBs the capabilities and flexibility once only feasible for large organizations. After the rapid rise of remote and hybrid work during the pandemic, VoIP is now a vital business tool for companies of all sizes to streamline their communications, help them stay competitive, meet their customers’ high service expectations, and grow.
A recent report from USA Today found that 41 percent of U.S. workers in the with the option work from home on a hybrid schedule, and 33 percent opt to work from home full-time.
North America accounts for 40 percent of the global VoIP market, valued at over $158 billion, and is expected to grow to over $361 billion by 2031, a compound annual growth rate (CAGR) of 12.5 percent.
And it’s not just about new hardware and delivery. Next-generation technologies like 5G, AI, and ML give VoIP capabilities beyond the call to enable enhanced, personalized customer service, optimize infrastructures, integrate video capabilities, and provide deeper insight into customer behavior. When leveraged, the intuitive features powered by these technologies can reveal customer and employee trends, areas of waste, potential, and more, allowing for more informed, data-driven business decisions.
VoIP’s Advanced Features Benefit Users on Both Sides of the Call
For Businesses:
- VoIP systems transmit data over the internet, eliminating the need for expensive, complicated wiring and hard-wired network configurations.
- High-definition data compression and decompression processes result in calls that have better sound quality than landline phones.
- Configurations and users are easily changed and scaled up or down as needed.
- Employees can make or receive calls from anywhere, including mobile phones, using one phone number.
- Advanced call features and routing decrease hold times, improve customer satisfaction, increase productivity, and improve brand perception.
- Integrates with UCaaS solutions like webchat, email, SMS, conference bridge, video conferencing, call recording, voicemail to email, and more for unified team connectivity, superior CX, and improved employee satisfaction.
- Communications are secure, encrypted, and compliant with regulations.
- Integrates with Microsoft Teams and CRMs.
For Customers:
- Easy to use with intuitive features.
- Reduces or eliminates wait times.
- Advanced Interactive Voice Response (IVR) capabilities can quickly handle simple requests.
- Callers reach the right agent/department to address their issue the first time.
- Increases one-call issue resolutions.
- Convenient call-back features allow callers to skip waiting in queue.
- More proactive and personalized customer service experiences.
How VoIP Phone Systems For Business Save Time and Money:
Inefficient communication is not just inconvenient; it’s expensive. It’s been found that poor internal communications can cost a company over seven hours per week per person, adding up to over $12,000 in lost time each year, according to a Grammarly/Harris Poll. In addition to improved communications, VoIP phone systems help your bottom line with:
- Significantly reduced capital and IT investments to implement and maintain.
- Easy integration with existing PBX equipment via Session Initiation Protocol (SIP) trunking.
- Lower equipment investment and monthly billing – VoIP phone systems can save a business as much as 45 percent on hardware, and 50 percent or more on phone bills vs traditional phone services.
- Set monthly fees allow for more accurate budgeting and forecasting.
- Startups can save as much as 90 percent over installing a traditional PBX system.
- Solutions can be customized, eliminating paying too much for a package with features you don’t need in order to get the ones you want.
- Seasonal businesses can save money by scaling down during their off-season.
- Higher employee retention rates – as much as four times higher– than companies with poor internal communications.
- Enables business continuity in the event of a power outage, emergency, or weather event.
Sadly, Hurricanes Helene and Milton are harsh reminders of the importance of VoIP and cloud-based systems and partnering with a reputable and experienced service provider. The already active 2024 hurricane season saw Francine impact Louisiana, Mississippi, and Alabama in September, and less than a month later, these two record-breaking storms have left millions of people in the Carolinas and Florida without power for days and weeks in some areas, costing businesses thousands to millions of dollars in downtime. And unfortunately, these types of severe, long-lasting storms are predicted to become more common, with research from organizations such as NASA, the U.S. Department of Energy, and the journal Nature finding that multiple factors, including high ocean temperatures, coastal changes, and sea level rise are contributing to the increasing intensity and duration of recent tropical storms.
An experienced Cloud VoIP provider with a strong track record of reliability, robust backup power and network redundancies will partner with you to create a Business Continuity Plan (BCP) to forward calls to a mobile or other phone, divert calls to another location outside the affected area, secure a backup power supply, and Internet Service Provider (ISP), and other preemptive measures to keep your essential business functions secured and running during an outage and restored quickly afterward.
Centra IP Networks is a veteran-owned, managed service and cloud VoIP provider for Unified Communications and Managed IT solutions based in Tampa, Florida, with offices in Orlando, FL, Myrtle Beach, SC, and Dallas, Texas. We have over 18 years of experience and focus on providing SMBs with a full suite of top-of-the-line equipment and services delivered nationwide, including:
Business Phone Systems – Both cloud and premise-based phone options with unlimited nationwide calling.
Secure Fax and eFax – Fax over IP (FoIP), HTTPS Secured Fax, eFax, and desktop faxing to suit your volume and security needs.
Video Security – Multiple device choices, cloud-based storage, app controls, and Security as a Service (SaaS) features to fit locations of all sizes.
Business Text Messaging – Feature-packed and secure messaging using your business number, with automatable campaign registrations.
Contact Center Solutions – Our cloud contact center provides the enterprise-level functionality, management, and reporting tools needed to deliver stellar customer service experiences.
High-Speed Internet – We’ve partnered with over 35 Internet Service Providers (ISPs) to ensure we have the perfect provider to fit your exact needs.
Cloud Storage and Solutions – Flexible, reliable, and secure, our cloud offerings give you peace of mind knowing that your data is protected, recoverable, and compliant with all regulations.
Managed IT – No tiers or packages, just all-inclusive IT management and support – how you need it, when you need it.
And it doesn’t stop there. Our goal is to make technology work for you so that you can leverage the latest cutting-edge, cost-effective solutions that will grow with your business. Our VoIP solutions for small businesses help startups, home-based businesses, and small organizations stay competitive and get the tools they need to get started or scale easily without breaking the bank.
Selecting Centra IP as your partner means choosing robust, reliable, cost-effective, and future-proof cloud-based solutions. We offer all the managed services you need in one place and excel at meeting budgets and deadlines. We allow you to focus on what matters most – growing your business.
Our clients love us for our solutions, attention to detail, and professionalism, and we look forward to helping your business grow!
Talk to one of our experts today at 844-418-VOIP (8647) or click HERE to send us a message.
