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What is VoIP, and what are the pros and cons?

Home >> Articles >> What is VoIP, and what are the pros and cons?
  • June 11, 2021
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If there is one thing we need to go right as business owners, it’s our phones. This is for many the primary way that they communicate with customers and make new sales. So when phones go wrong it makes it even more frustrating.

More and more businesses are now choosing to switch over to VoIP phones, and they can present some challenges. However, in our view, these can be easily troubleshot – and ultimately the pros can seriously outweigh the cons.

First though – let’s clarify what we mean by VoIP.

What is VoIP and how does it work?

VoIP is an acronym for Voice over Internet Protocol. The voice part we’ll presume is relatively self-explanatory, as we’re talking about telephones. The Internet Protocol part is exactly the same as your IP address. An IP address is how computers and devices communicate with each other on the internet.

Interestingly, VoIP is not that new of a technology, with digital lines being used to carry phone calls since the late 90s.

In a nutshell, VoIP allows you to place a phone call over an internet connection. With more and more businesses and consumers being connected to broadband (and really by now it seems that pretty much everyone is as standard), VoIP is for many a much more attractive option compared with traditional phone services.

What makes it so attractive?

Flexibility. Many business owners would like a phone system that can grow with their growing business, and a VoIP system will do just that. Because phones are internet-based, it does away with the need to set up dedicated lines which can be time-consuming and costly.

Additional features can be readily available for your VoIP system. This can include call queues, call recording and in some instances automated answering – when a phone call in is the lifeblood of your business you can be safe in the knowledge that you could never miss another call.

Far and away one of the most attractive things about a VoIP system is the cost. Comparative to a standard phone setup, and especially when taking into account your needs if you’re growing, a VoIP system will be much cheaper.

What problems can you run into?

With all that being said, VoIP isn’t without its challenges.

For a start, you will absolutely need to have a high-speed internet connection to ensure your system can work efficiently.

It will also make your old analog phones obsolete. So if you’re changing from an old system to a new VoIP system, this is another cost that you would want to factor into your decision and planning.

So now you have a decent overview of VoIP, hopefully, you can see the benefits that it can bring to you and your business as you grow.

Ready to learn more about how WebbyTech can help? Just click over to our Network Infrastructure page to understand how we can help you get set up in the best way possible to get growing.