VoIP Facts and Common Myths Debunked
No matter what type of business you run, communication is critical to your success. In today’s fast-moving marketplace, your employees require the ability to collaborate effectively, in real time, with colleagues, clients and business partners around the world. Without the appropriate voice, video and text-based communication tools, your business can quickly lose ground to competitors. Voice over IP has proven to be one of the most powerful and flexible solutions for improving workplace communication and productivity, but many organizations remain reluctant to take the plunge. Why are so many businesses still cautious when it comes to VoIP? We believe there are a few misconceptions at play, so listen up, because in this article we deconstruct the top five VoIP common myths that might be holding your business back.
Top 5 VoIP Common Myths Busted
Myth #1. VoIP is a new technology and prone to failure
When new technologies first emerge, they’re often beset by bugs and other problems. But as technologies mature, these issues are resolved and the technology becomes more reliable. Some early VoIP systems suffered from poor audio quality or call dropouts, but VoIP is no longer a new technology. In fact, the first Internet phone systems were introduced in the 1990s, and the technology has come a long way since then. Business owners sometimes don’t realize that modern VoIP systems now deliver reliability and call quality equivalent or superior to that of traditional landline phones.
Myth #2. VoIP is too expensive
Many organizations mistakenly believe their budget cannot accommodate a new VoIP phone system, with all its associated hardware and call charges. In reality, hosted VoIP is usually much less expensive than a traditional office phone system. Service providers often offer a wide range of functions and unlimited calls for a low monthly fixed fee and zero upfront costs. And VoIP’s powerful productivity features enable employees to perform their roles more effectively, further boosting your bottom line.
Myth #3. VoIP systems are insecure
There’s a common belief that Voice over IP is insecure simply because it runs over the Internet, rather than through dedicated copper wires. But if that was really the case, then shouldn’t we also be concerned about sending our emails, banking and credit card details over the Internet? The truth is VoIP applications, like most Internet apps, use sophisticated technologies like authentication, encryption, firewalls and redundant infrastructure to ensure transmitted information is safe, secure and protected. In some ways, VoIP is actually more secure than traditional phone lines, since calls can’t be tapped using a lineman’s butt set.
Myth #4. VoIP won’t allow me to keep my existing numbers
Consistent phone numbers are important for your business. You don’t want to update your business cards, web pages, and marketing material each time you switch to a new phone provider. Changing to a VoIP service doesn’t mean you lose your existing numbers. Number portability is a feature that lets you port your numbers to your new VoIP service. Even mobile and toll-free numbers can be ported seamlessly to the new system.
Myth #5. VoIP doesn’t support fax
Fax is still a popular communications tool for many organizations, and traditional faxing is based on analog transfer. But that doesn’t mean you can’t send faxes using a VoIP system. Your existing fax machines can easily be integrated using a VoIP adapter, and virtual fax services let you send and receive fax messages directly from your computer or smartphone with just a few clicks. In fact, fax over VoIP is more reliable and convenient than traditional faxing, and your virtual fax line is never ‘busy’, so you can send and receive multiple faxes simultaneously.
The Power of a Myth
Now that you’ve discovered the truth behind these common myths, you’ll see that VoIP isn’t as complex or frightening as you may have first believed. A good VoIP platform delivers a host of powerful productivity-enhancing features, with robust security and lower costs than traditional phone systems.
Learn how your business can overcome these common myths with Business VoIP.