What Are the Advantages of VoIP?
Increased accessibility, portability, and scalability — these are only a handful of the advantages of VoIP technology. Generally, the incredible flexibility of VoIP is what makes it the true star of modern unified communications.
VoIP: Definition and Example
VoIP stands for Voice over Internet Protocol. As its name implies, VoIP business phone technology allows folks to make calls using the internet instead of analog phones. If you’re comparing VoIP vs. landline for business purposes, VoIP usually comes out on top as the clear winner.
To understand why, you first need to understand how VoIP works. Here is a general overview:
You speak into a VoIP phone, and your voice is converted into digital data.
This data is sent in packets over the internet to the recipient’s destination.
Once at the recipient’s end, the digital data is reassembled into the sound of your voice, and the recipient hears your original voice played back through their speaker.
The VoIP system sends these little data packets back and forth, allowing you and the recipient to converse like you would over a standard telephone.
When the COVID-19 pandemic started, VoIP allowed folks to easily maintain remote communications for work, school, and play through various mediums and devices. For example, many people used (and still use) VoIP while gaming online to maintain a sense of connection. What is VoIP in games? It’s the same kind of technology — digital data packets of players’ voices passed back and forth over the internet to communicate and strategize gameplay in real time.
What Is the Main Benefit of VoIP?
The main benefit of VoIP is the freedom and flexibility it provides to your business communications. The application of VoIP allows you to make and receive calls from anywhere with a stable internet connection and from any device that connects to the internet. This makes it easy to work from home or other remote locations without sacrificing availability or call quality.
What Is the Advantage of VoIP Over Traditional Telephone Lines?
The main advantage of VoIP over traditional telephone lines is convenience. This takes many different forms, such as:
More money in your pocket — Using VoIP for business communications can save money compared to installing and maintaining traditional telephone lines. These savings result from VoIP using existing internet infrastructure rather than requiring a separate set of telephone lines. If employees already have internet-connected devices, they can simply download an app and use their device to make phone calls.
Simplified scalability — VoIP is highly scalable, making it easy to add or remove lines as needed. This makes it ideal for growing businesses or those experiencing fluctuations in call volume.
Perks beyond calls — A high-quality VoIP provider will offer additional features with their basic calling services. Some of these features include voicemail to email, call forwarding and blocking, and so much more.
Broader global reach — You can reduce the cost of making international calls using VoIP instead of the regular Public Switched Telephone Network (PSTN). The PSTN is the traditional circuit-switched telephone network that uses analog signals to transmit voice calls over copper or fiber-optic lines.
Workflow integration — One of the big advantages of VoIP is its part in the larger picture of United Communications as a Service (UCaas). UCaaS is a cloud-based solution that integrates various communication and collaboration tools into a single platform. Businesses use so many apps these days — 110 apps on average as of 2021 — so anything that can unify multiple responsibilities and functionalities is a welcome relief. With VoIP and UCaaS, you can effortlessly position communications into your productivity puzzle, giving your business the versatility needed to thrive in today’s tech-oriented society.
- True accessibility — VoIP and UCaaS together make it possible for people with speech or hearing disabilities to communicate more effectively, thanks to features like text-to-speech, video conferencing, and closed captioning.
What Is an Example of a VoIP Provider?
Vonage is a leading VoIP and UCaaS services provider, offering a reliable, all-in-one solution for businesses of any size. With Vonage, you can enjoy crystal-clear voice and video calls, instant messaging, and a host of advanced features, all integrated into one easy-to-use platform.
Whether you're looking for a flexible and scalable solution for your remote team or an efficient way to manage your business communications, Vonage has you covered. Our robust network and 24/7 support will ensure that you stay connected with your customers, employees, and partners — no matter where you are or what time it is.
