Debunking five common myths about VoIP.
With advances in internet reliability and download speeds, we’re seeing a larger number of businesses make the move to VoIP. However, as with many emerging technologies, there are a number of myths out there concerning VoIP that may put people off. In this blog post, we wanted to correct some of those myths.
As advocates of the technology, we thought best to shed some light on these myths as we want to illustrate why a move to VoIP is likely to be a good move for your business.
Please note that VoIP (Voice over Internet Protocol) is a telephone service that uses the internet as opposed to a traditional phone line. Therefore, you must have a reliable internet connection for it to work well. More on this in myth one, but in short, unreliable internet, with little chance of improvement, would mean VoIP may not be the best solution for you.
Five of the most common myths about VoIP.
It isn’t reliable.
Very few calls fail due to the improved reliability of current day internet connections. If your internet connection is reliable, your VoIP telephony system will be too. What’s more, with many businesses using business grade leased lines, reliability issues shouldn’t be a concern. On top of that, additional features like auto call forwarding and voicemail to email mean that in many instances VoIP is actually more reliable than a traditional landline, which can’t react if there is a problem with the line.
It’s software like Skype.
In short, this simply isn’t the case. Businesses that have moved to VoIP still use a traditional telephone handset, just without the need for a landline. You don’t have to log in to software or use a computer. VoIP handsets look like traditional telephones and use standard telephone numbers too. Another common misconception is that you can only call other VoIP systems. However, this is simply untrue.
The quality is poor.
As VoIP relies on the internet, some people believe that the quality is poor. In the early days of the internet, this was the case. However, with the development and improvement of broadband, superfast broadband, and leased lines, this is no longer the case. VoIP offers crisp, clear sound without any delay. Again, this is a lot like using a traditional phone. Many people wouldn’t be able to tell the difference in call quality.
VoIP isn’t very different.
By moving to VoIP you open your business up to a wide range of features not accessible on a traditional landline. By utilising the internet, you can integrate your phone system with other applications to improve the efficiency of your business. In addition to this, VoIP phones also have a number of additional features such as voicemail to email, call screening, hold music, conference calling and find me/follow me functionality that allows your mobile phone to start ringing, should your office phone ring a certain number of times.
VoIP is expensive.
People worry that because VoIP uses the internet that costs are high. In reality though, businesses that move to VoIP find that it is actually a lot cheaper than a traditional landline. With a landline you have to pay a line rental charge and then the additional cost of each call.
In contrast and to offer you some perspective, Acronyms provide businesses with VoIP at a price of £8.95 per line. For that price you get 5000 landline minutes and 2000 mobile minutes per month. It works a lot like your mobile phone contract!
