Perhaps you've heard the term "VoIP" (pronounced, "voip") being bounced around by those in your IT department, or maybe by your technology services provider.
Voiceover Internet Protocol is a technology which converts your analog voice into digital packets, which are then sent across a network using the Internet (or "Internet Protocol" - the IP in VoIP) to their end destination.
Oftentimes, VoIP is synonymous with the term "Unified Communications," as VoIP technology, correctly implemented, helps "unify" your "communications technology." Why would a business want to incorporate VoIP into its technology resources? For several reasons, one or all which may "speak" to you:
- VoIP can lower an organization's communications costs. Specifically:
- Putting all of your remote users and locations on a single VOIP system can significantly reduce long distance costs.
- Consolidating communications and carriers can result in lower costs.
- Properly configured VOIP systems can help reduce costs through improved workflows.
- Utilizing VOIP phone lines can reduce costs.
- VoIP can allow you to merge your voice & data traffic and this benefits you in the following ways:
- Consolidating voice and data networks simplifies your communications systems.
- Consolidating voice and data networks makes it easier to support remote users.
- VoIP can help unify multiple office locations. How so...? Is this easy...?
- Compared to traditional telecom phone systems, unifying multiple locations and remote users under a single VOIP system can be done easily and with significantly lower costs.
- VoIP is a great tool to encourage collaboration among locations and individuals. Here's a few reasons why:
- Call Center – improve customer service by measuring and monitoring response to customer service requests that come in over the phone.
- Instant Messaging – chat with your internal team.
- Call Recording – improve accuracy on orders, monitor customer service, and assist in training new staff with examples of great customer service through recorded calls.
- Mobility – get your phone calls no matter where you are.
- VoIP can simplify management of your communications systems.
- VoIP is customizable and scalable to your specific needs.
The VoIP product we recommend to our clients - and use with much success here, in-house at The Fulcrum Group - is Digium's Switchvox. In our own office environment, we place serious priority on incoming calls to our help desk getting where they need to, when they need to.
Explore our infographic (click on pic to the left) for more details.
At The Fulcrum Group, we know Switchvox personally, from design stage to implementation and through the ins and outs of day-to-day use, so our experts are well-equipped to consult with you on which features of VoIP technology and Unified Communications might make the most sense for your business.
Let us hear from you if you have any questions!