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Is A VoIP Office Phone System Right For You?

Communication is key to doing good business. That’s why the office phone system you choose is so important. Should you go with a traditional landline. Should your employees just use their cell phones? What about VoIP? How do you make the right decision?
Traditional phone systems haven’t exactly been replaced, but these days many are singing the praises of VoIP above all else. So, is a VoIP based system right for your business? Let’s find out.

The Advantages Of A VoIP Office Phone System
VoIP phone systems offer many advantages. A few of these are:

  • Scalability – As businesses grow, so do their communication needs, whether they need brand new features or they simply need more call capacity. In both of these areas, VoIP has a distinct advantage over traditional phone systems. Since VoIP works exclusively over your internet, as long as you have the bandwidth you have the ability to scale up (or down) with a simple software update.
  • Ease of maintenance – There is less hardware associated with VoIP systems, so naturally it is less costly to maintain them.
  • Low installation cost – VoIP systems are significantly easier to install than traditional office phone systems. Since they work off of your internet, there’s no need to bother with traditional phone lines.
  • More standard features – Most VoIP systems come standard with features that you’d have to pay extra for with a traditional phone system. Productivity enhancing features like call forwarding, call waiting, video calling, and data exchange are all available with VoIP phone systems.
  • Call quality – In the past, VoIP phones left something to be desired when it came to call quality. Those days are long gone and now VoIP calls are just as clear — sometimes even clearer — than traditional phones.

The Disadvantages Of A VoIP Office Phone System
Although the technology has come a long way, VoIP systems are not without their disadvantages. Here are a few:

  • Internet requirements – VoIP systems by their very nature require a fast and stable internet connection. Assuming your business doesn’t already have one, this adds to the cost. There are many advantages to having high-speed internet besides VoIP though, so it’s something you should consider anyway.
  • Emergency communications – VoIP phone systems don’t allow you to make emergency phone calls — they don’t work at all if your internet is down. It’s also much more difficult for emergency services to trace a call coming from a VoIP phone should the need arise. For these reasons, it’s advised to keep a cell phone or a landline around in case the power is out and you need to make an emergency call.

Now you have a better idea of the advantages and disadvantages of VoIP office phone systems, but it’s ultimately up to you to decide whether or not VoIP is a good fit for you. That said, the truth is that for most businesses it’s a low-cost way to provide high-quality phone services to employees and clients and the advantages generally outweigh the disadvantages.

At Atlantic Communications our team has decades of experience as a full-service business phone provider. We’ll be there to offer you our expertise every step of the way, from choosing your new phone system to installing it. Please, contact us today to learn more or schedule an evaluation for your business.