To run a business in today’s world, you need to be in touch with people all over the globe. Whether it’s consumers you’re targeting with your latest marketing campaign, or other businesses to whom you’re reaching out to form new business partnerships, there are opportunities everywhere. One of the challenges, therefore, is keeping in touch with all the contacts that help your business thrive.
Ideally, you’d have a way of talking with everyone that’s reliable and affordable, no matter where in the world people are located. You never want to worry about a call being dropped because of an unstable call network, nor do you want to run up massive phone bills with expensive long-distance calls. The goal is to find a workaround for these problems.
There’s a good chance that voice over internet protocol (VoIP) is that workaround. Before your organization can make this work, however, you first have to do your homework and figure out precisely what kind of communication infrastructure your people need.
Different types of VoIP systems
VoIP is an innovative new technology that takes the previous office phone systems and elevates them to the next level. It gives your staff the ability to make calls not using a conventional phone line, but instead with a broadband internet connection.
According to the ACMA, there are a few different types of VoIP service your organization could consider. One is a peer-to-peer system, which enables co-workers to communicate internally but doesn’t connect to the public network. Alternatively, you could VoIP in or VoIP out calling, which allow outside calls only into and out of your VoIP network respectively, or you could go all the way and use a two-way service that allows all sorts of calls in both directions.
Your company’s specific needs will depend on the business applications you have in mind. Consider your employees and the work they do. For example, sales reps who place a lot of calls to potential customers will probably want the capability to dial outside their network, while customer service reps will care more about the capability to receive calls, not place them. It all depends on the workflows you’re managing.
Preparing your company for deployment
Once you’ve committed to implementing a VoIP phone system, you’ve got to think critically about not just the system itself, but how it will fit into your company’s overall technology portfolio. For example, do you have the right hardware to ensure smooth VoIP communication? Is your company’s internet connectivity reliable enough? These concerns are only heightened when you rely on your network for making calls.
If you have a good understanding of what you need in a VoIP system and how it will fit into your overall plans, you can begin to look for a provider. You want one that’s reliable, affordable and well-suited to your company and the industry you operate in.