Is Hosted VoIP Worth It?

If your business is still on traditional phone lines, you’re wasting money. That shouldn’t be news; the exodus of companies large and small has been fueled by the greater efficiency and cost effectiveness of VOIP, or Voice Over Internet Protocol (plain English: your phone connects to the internet instead of a phone line). The advantages of VOIP are pretty well understood, but with services like Skype offering limited VOIP for free, business owners still debate whether hosted VOIP is worth it.

Hosted VOIP offer a dedicated, across-the-board VOIP service to replace your conventional phone system. Is it worth it? We think it is. Here are five reasons why:

Cost savings. You can keep your old phone system and just use Skype for free long distance, but that still means you’re throwing away a huge amount of money for the privilege of using an outdated technology. Conventional phones require more infrastructure and cost your business more. VOIP comes at a fraction of the cost.

PBX. What do you call a digital version of your multi-line, multi-extension business phone system? PBX. PBX service is basic with most hosted internet phone plans, and it’s more reliable, less costly to maintain, and easier to reconfigure if your business grows or moves.

Reliability. VOIP is a highly reliable way of communicating. Using less analog parts and more modern technology, it suffers few service failures. When a failure does occur, it’s usually localized and easy to diagnose and fixed rapidly.

Built-in business features. VOIP is one of the most flexible communication platforms because it offers the best of both the internet and traditional phone system, and features can be coded in easily without any infrastructure change. Video calls, three-way and conference calling, large voicemail systems, and other crucial business features are not only available; they’re far easier with VOIP than with a phone.

Dedicated support. When you use a traditional phone system, any loss of service leaves you on hold with a giant communication company that has thousands of miles of wires to check. VOIP hosted plans are dedicated business products and typically offer prompt, reliable support and service.

Businesses of any size can see substantial services by switching to a hosted VOIP plan to handle their telephone needs. Since it’s scalable, the savings can be just as significant for an office of five people as they are for a Fortune 500 company. Does your business use VOIP?