How VoIP Can Save Small Businesses Money
September 24th, 2015 by admin
There’s no shame necessary for small businesses looking to save money. It’s a necessity for survival, and it’s just plain smart business. With technology continuously advancing, businesses of all sizes are finding new ways to increase efficiency all the time -- and many of these involve saving money, too. One such technology that can benefit small businesses is VoIP, or Voiceover Internet Protocol. The use of VoIP allows a business to get rid of their landlines and phone service providers in favor making calls via Wi-Fi. This creates an inexpensive alternative to paying for a second phone line. What’s best is that phones are not even needed to make calls with VoIP; various devices can be used, which can also be a money-saving source for small business. Here are some further details on the benefits of VoIP. What Does a Business Need to Start Using VoIP? Good news -- it’s likely that your business is already equipped to start using VoIP! The first thing a business must have in order to get started with VoIP is a broadband connection. Bandwidth size will have to depend on the number of employees simultaneously using the system. This generally isn’t a major concern for most small businesses as a smaller bandwidth can still handle quite a bit. For example, a 15 mbps system can handle up to 11 simultaneous calls, even with several online programs running at once. Bandwidth caps can occasionally arise and be an issue when utilizing VoIP. A G.711 codec is most commonly used by VoIP service providers, which uses 64kb of data per second of use during calls. Generally, most businesses will have plenty of bandwidth and not need to worry about caps, even with multiple users on the system. It of course doesn’t hurt to double-check with your bandwidth provider about a cap, still. Components such as routers need to be able to handle the capacity of VoIP as well. To ensure high quality when making calls with the VoIP, adjust the Quality of Service settings on your company’s router and adjust the traffic of the VoIP to maximum priority. This will prevent calls from being interrupted by poor connections and lagging. What Devices Other Than Cell Phones Can Be Used to Make Calls with VoIP? Using VoIP can also save your small business money by avoiding costs of phones for employees. Many companies purchase either desk phones or cell phones for their employees, but this is not necessary with VoIP. Instead, employees can use Wi-Fi compatible devices to make calls. The likes of MP3 players and computers can be used as phones because the only requirement for VoIP devices is that they have Wi-Fi capabilities. Not only will you save money, you’ll also save space in the office.Posted in: Blog, Solutions, Unified Communications