When you own a small business, one thing you are constantly on the look out for are ways to save money. And the first thing that comes to mind, quite often, is that pesky phone bill that comes every month. “Why is it so high?” you might ask. And you might also wonder if there is another way.
Now, more than ever, companies are seeing the advantages of to switching to a VoIP hosted PBX system not only for the advanced features included but also to save money. Since VoIP is digital and runs over the Internet the options and features available are growing rapidly and the cost just keeps going down. And, companies who switch to a VoIP hosted PBX system typically see a savings of 40-60% on their monthly phone bill. But how is that even possible?
How Exactly Does VoIP Save You Money?
To begin with, VoIP in itself is the next evolutionary step when it comes to telecommunications. Gone are the days when we have to depend on often unreliable & vulnerable landlines thanks to the prevalence of a form of decentralized communication known as the Internet. VoIP takes advantage of your office Internet connection to transmit packets of encrypted voice data. With VoIP technology, you get crystal clear voice quality and the savings that routing your calls over the Internet affords you.
1. Save on Equipment & Software Costs
With hosted VoIP, there is no equipment or software to maintain. No more wire closets full of telephone equipment and wiring. With hosted VoIP, the only equipment you will need are your VoIP phones, computer based phone, or smartphone.
2. Save on Phone Numbers
With a traditional analog phone, whenever you add a new phone number, you pay for a costly line as well. So instead of just getting an additional phone number, you pay for a new line (typically around $50/mo), all the while feeling powerless about the whole situation.
With hosted VoIP, you are typically charged a low monthly fee (around $4.99/mo) for any additional phone numbers. No new line is necessary. And, because you are using VoIP, you can get phone numbers in area codes traditionally only given to companies with a physical presence.
3. Save on Maintenance
Maintenance is another area that you’ll save money on should you decide to go with hosted VoIP. Traditional phone lines are still run using archaic equipment and they are more susceptible to natural disasters than VoIP. Additionally, with an analog phone system, you usually need to pay for on site service when you need to upgrade your system’s hardware or software. With hosted VoIP, you can easily add a line or remove a line anytime. And typically, with hosted VoIP, it costs less per user as you grow.
4. Save on In-House IT Personnel
With no hardware or software to maintain, there is no need to hire an in house telecom expert. Since your phone system resides in the cloud, you can relax knowing that you don’t need to worry about paying for an employee to maintain that closet full of wires.
5. Save in the Long Run with No Long Term Contracts to Sign
American Astronaut Alan Shepard once said “It’s a very sobering feeling to be up in space and realize that one’s safety factor was determined by the lowest bidder on a government contract.” Contracts conjure up all sorts of worries for small business owners as well.
When you sign a long term contract for your company’s telecommunications you give up the chance to move on if you are not getting the quality and service that you expect. Traditionally analog phone system companies will insist that a business sign a 3 or 5 or even 7 year contract before they will install their system. With hosted VoIP, there are no long term contracts to sign, and you can cancel at anytime. Which means your VoIP provider has to keep you happy to keep earning your business.
In Conclusion:
With VoIP, your calls run over the Internet allowing for a more feature rich phone system experience. Calls can be routed anywhere in the world without the added cost of hardware & software. And because your are not having to maintain equipment or software, your savings go even higher. Finally, with the expanded capabilities that VoIP gives you like the ability to obtain phone numbers anywhere in the US (this is not allowed with analog phone systems) there are more reasons than not to join the trend of moving away from analog and switching to a VoIP hosted PBX system.
