Business VoIP Phone System

Benefits and Considerations for Implementing VoIP

Introduction

A Voice over Internet Protocol phone, or VoIP phone, is a special type of phone that transmits and receives calls over the internet instead of a landline network. The benefits of a VoIP phone system include lower costs, expandability, and mobility. For details about the benefits of VoIP, see below.

Benefits of VoIP

Lower Costs

One of the most well-known benefits of VoIP phones is the potential cost savings. A VoIP phone system relies on your computer network and does not require its own dedicated telephone infrastructure, so there are fewer hardware costs. In addition, subscription costs for a VoIP system are usually slightly lower than a traditional phone system.

Expandability

Another benefit of adopting a VoIP phone system is expandability. Meeting the demands of an expanding workforce with a traditional landline system can be challenging, as adding phone lines will typically require rewiring analog hardware. Expanding a VoIP phone system is simpler and mainly requires procuring additional VoIP phones and updating software settings.

Mobility

With a landline phone system, moving a phone number often requires rewiring an analog switchboard or contacting the phone company. With a VoIP system however, the phone number is associated with the VoIP phone itself and not the line that it is connected to. A phone number can be relocated by moving the VoIP phone itself and reconnecting it to the VoIP network. Another added benefit of VoIP phone systems is that they can support select mobile phones.

Implementing VoIP

Internet Connection Speed

Because a VoIP phone system will utilize your internet connection, the speed of that connection is an important consideration. When a VoIP phone is connected to a number outside of your VoIP network, a small amount of bandwidth is used. The exact amount can vary depending on call quality settings.
When multiple VoIP phones are used simultaneously, bandwidth requirements will increase. This can negatively impact other software and equipment if there is insufficient bandwidth.

Data Caps

A VoIP phone system can use a sizable amount of data over the course of time, and that can be a problem if your organization’s internet connection has a bandwidth cap. In such cases, you will want to keep track of data usage to avoid exceeding your cap.

Existing Analog Equipment

When migrating to a VoIP phone system, it is possible to retain use of older analog phones by pairing them with analog telephone adapters (ATA). Though it may not have all the functions of a fully-featured VoIP phone, it can be a more cost-effective alternative.

By NeweggBusiness Staff