Is VoIP The Right Choice For Your Office Phone System?

Voice over Internet Protocol, or VoIP as its commonly known, is most certainly the popular choice for many office phone systems across the country. However, popularity does not always mean it is perfect for every business. Reviewing the needs of your office can help you decide whether or not to make the switch.

There is no need to be fearful that landline service will steadily decline in usefulness if you don’t make the change, far too much is invested in landline infrastructure. There are still many businesses, both large and small, that prefer and thrive with landline office phone systems, and it is not due to laziness or the cost of switching. Here are 3 things to consider when deciding if VoIP is the right choice for your office or business.

Form Of Reliability
I’m sure you’ve heard the usual statement of landlines are flat out the most reliable in any situation when compared with VoIP, due to infrastructure that doesn’t depend on the power grid thus keeping it functioning even during disasters. In truth, both modern VoIP systems and traditional landline systems are reliable, simply in a different form. If you are worried about your business being unreachable and suffering massive downtime whenever your internet so much as flickers, this really is no longer the case with up-to-date VoIP systems. Cloud-based technology means your customers will never receive a busy or disconnected signal when attempting to contact you, and can leave messages as normal. Even better is the fact that since VoIP is internet-based, mobile phones and other devices can utilize your office phone system on the go, so internet downtime doesn’t have to mean business interruption. In short, both landlines and VoIP system have fantastic reliability, VoIP reliability just requires a bit more preparation and use of the advanced features.

Mobility
Here is a true case where there is only one winner, and that is Voice over IP. Simply put, landlines do not have the capability or ease of mobility like VoIP does, for obvious reasons. VoIP isn’t tied to a line or location which means accessing and taking calls for your system can be done nearly anywhere from a wide variety of devices. Nearly any mobile or non-mobile device that has internet, a microphone, and speakers for communication can usually be used to make and receive VoIP calls. If your office phone system would truly benefit from being mobile, then Voice over IP is hands down the superior choice.

Quality And Security
Call quality and security are two places where VoIP systems can suffer, especially if you go with the bare minimum from either your internet provider or VoIP provider. VoIP call quality is dependent on the status and strength of your internet connection, regardless of the device you are using. This means bandwidth that is lower than your business needs, or unreliable mobile device networks can significantly impact the quality of your calls. Security can be another issue with any internet-based communication system. With landlines there is nothing available to hack, so short of a government phone tap, the security worry is nonexistent. VoIP unfortunately is susceptible to hacking. Hacks can result in charges for premium calls made on your service, an overload of your office phone system with thousands of fake calls, violating privacy by listening in to calls or simply preventing you from using your service entirely. Now most reputable companies have protections in place to reduce the likelihood of success for these attacks, but there is no such thing as infallible protection when the internet is involved.

Both VoIP and landline office phone systems have advantages and disadvantages in certain areas, so it is not always simply a choice of the cheaper service to use. Consider every aspect of a potential service before making the final decision to avoid unexpected surprises. For more information or help deciding if VoIP is right for your business, contact the Atlantic Communications Team today.