In a recent report, global demand for VoIP is expected to reach above $140 billion by 2021. Increase in connectivity speeds and improved technology allows Voice over Internet Protocol (VoIP) to enable businesses to use the Internet for voice calls, removing the need for old analog telephone lines.
VoIP can bring tremendous cost efficiencies, while increasing flexibility and unifying the communications experience for business. Small businesses that switch to VoIP reduce the cost of their local calls by 40 percent and save up to 90 percent on international calls.
However, despite the many benefits, VoIP is still new and often daunting to many growing businesses. General unfamiliarity about the technology and confusion in the marketplace has caused reluctance among businesses to adopt this advantageous solution.
So, let us help dispel the myths by addressing the common misconceptions about VoIP –
Misconception No. 1 – Hosted PBX is expensive
Businesses, especially small businesses, are reluctant to move to a new technology under the assumption that a hosted PBX system would be more expensive to set-up and operate. VoIP bucks this trend as a hosted PBX system is more affordable than a comparable on-premises system. There are no capital expenditures involved nor is there any need for IT support costs. A hosted PBX system also frees you from the effort and expense of maintaining depreciating hardware.
A VoIP account with M247 starts from just £13 / month. Multi-user businesses can choose the package of service and features that suits their business needs.
Misconception No. 2 – Long lead times for VoIP deployment
With a desk phone and a good Internet infrastructure, you can plug-and-play a hosted PBX system in no time. Features such as call routing, conferencing and call barring are also very easy to manage. A good service provider would aim to provide 99.995 percent uptime, making hosted PBX systems exceptionally reliable.
While on-premise systems can offer local redundancy to cover server failures, a hosted PBX system enables your business to continue operations during any infrastructure failure, by transferring your calls to a different location or to mobile phones.
Many businesses perceive that installing VoIP phone systems is a labour-intensive process, envisioning bundles of wires, connection issues and intricate operations. However, VoIP requires only a reliable internet connection and power supply.
Misconception No. 3 – Poor Reliability
It’s true that VoIP systems require a good amount of bandwidth, as slow Internet connectivity leads to bad voice quality and dropped calls. To get the most out of your hosted PBX system, a comprehensive network test should always be conducted prior to the system rollout. This will help detect packet loss, jitter and latency.
M247 is the UK’s fastest growing connectivity and infrastructure provider that provides robust connectivity for your business growth. Great connectivity provides a great VoIP experience. Our connectivity and voice solutions ensure that business calls are not hindered by poor connectivity as we can apply quality of service free of charge.
Misconception No. 4 – Need for IT personnel
Businesses can easily manage their systems through a web interface. An online portal provides all the information from features, usage statistics to account information and online bill payments. This eliminates the need of any IT personnel thus, improving business efficiency.
Hosted VoIP is a great solution for small businesses, especially those with smaller budgets and less IT resources. Since services are managed by a third-party vendor, small business owners don’t have to worry about maintenance or hiring dedicated IT staff to maintain the system.
Misconception No. 5 – VoIP is Less Secure than traditional PBX solutions
Businesses can take advantage of the features on the VoIP system to enable excellent security. Features such as controlling voice access by username and password, restricting the types of calls allowed on the network and centralizing administration can act as first measures for security. By setting up a firewall to monitor and filter VoIP traffic, you can track any unusual voice activities. Also, encrypting sensitive voice traffic can protect your data during transmission. These security measures along with a proactive security monitoring and intrusion-detection and prevention plan, not only improve VoIP security, but can greatly reduce the risks to data networks as organisations introduce VoIP.
The level of security is also determined by a vendor’s internal network. Organisations that regularly upgrade their system and make use of encryption capabilities can ensure a secure network.
Businesses today are continually looking for ways to increase their competitive advantage. M247’s World Class VoIP solution can empower them through increased flexibility, scalability and efficiency, with excellent pricing and service as a standard.
Find out more about our VoIP solution, please contact us today
