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Everything you need to know about managed VoIP services

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Cutting-edge communication technology is crucial to businesses in Texas and all over the world. Without it, employees can’t develop strong relationships with clients and they can’t coordinate on important projects.

Although traditional landlines are an option for many organizations, they won’t get you very far if you hope to gain an edge over the competition. According to recent studies, landline phone usage has been on the decline for several years due to growing costs and lack of advanced features.

To future-proof communications, businesses need Voice over Internet Protocol (VoIP) phone systems.

What is VoIP and how does it work?

VoIP is a telephony system that enables users to make and receive calls using internet-enabled devices such as computers, handsets, smartphones, and tablets.

To get a better grasp of how this works, it’s worth knowing how old-fashioned phone calls operate.

Traditional phone systems rely on something called circuit-switched technology, which sets up dedicated circuits or channels between two points when a call is placed. These dedicated circuits use copper wires to carry analog voice signals from point to point.

However, calls made over traditional phone systems can be expensive because analog signals need to travel along a telephone grid composed of multiple towers, cables, telephone lines, and switchboards. The longer the distance, the more towers, cables, and phone lines an analog signal needs to travel — and that costs a lot of money.

That’s why telecom providers charge exorbitant fees for long-distance and international calls.

In contrast, VoIP phone systems use packet-switched technology. This converts your voice into data packets that travel to their destination through your internet connection. Data packets take different routes to reach a call recipient, but once they do, they’re quickly assembled in the right order and converted into sound.

Due to the ubiquity of the internet, a VoIP phone system will essentially allow you to make a call to anywhere in the world as easily as if you were sending an instant message online.

Also, since VoIP calls are transmitted via the internet, you don’t have to worry about paying hefty telephone bills. VoIP calls simply become another part of your broadband plan, covered by your monthly subscription to a telecom provider.

Core VoIP features

While VoIP allows you to call people using the internet, this merely scratches the surface of what it’s capable of. Effective VoIP phone systems also come with powerful features like:
  • Voicemail – digitally records voice messages when the person called is away or in another conversation
  • Call recording – catalogs VoIP conversations, which can be useful for coaching and training customer-facing staff
  • Call forwarding – reroutes incoming phone calls to an alternate device or phone number depending on the time of day, specific area codes, who is calling, or if a particular device isn’t answered
  • Auto-attendant – fills in as a virtual receptionist that welcomes callers with an automated message and redirects them to the correct extension/department
  • Do not disturb – allows users to block all calls when activated and sends callers straight to voicemail
  • Conferencing – enables users to start group audio and video calls

The benefits of VoIP

Phone systems are usually not the first thing that comes to mind when improving your company’s efficiency, but switching to VoIP is one of the best ways to enable your company’s growth. Here are five distinct benefits you can expect from a VoIP phone system:

1. Massive cost savings

Since phone calls are transmitted via the internet, you won’t have to pay the hefty international and long-distance call rates associated with traditional phone calls. Calls from VoIP systems to landline phones have significantly reduced rates, while calls between VoIP systems are typically free.

What’s more, the initial setup and operating costs of VoIP phone systems are considerably lower compared to those of traditional phones. You don’t need to set up a dedicated telephone line and maintain costly landline equipment. You can simply install VoIP software on employee devices for a small monthly subscription fee.

In fact, studies found that on average, businesses can save between 30% and 50% by switching to a VoIP service.

2. Greater mobility

With VoIP, your business numbers are not tied to a single device or location. If you have a smartphone or laptop that can connect to the internet, you can make VoIP calls from anywhere. This is particularly useful for remote workers who may be situated in different parts of the world and are currently coping with COVID-19 lockdowns.

3. Efficient client interaction

VoIP makes it easy to communicate with clients across the country. It’s also loaded with features that help you improve the client experience like automated attendants and integration with your customer relationship management (CRM) software. The former streamlines client onboarding, especially when your business deals with a high volume of calls. Meanwhile, VoIP paired with CRM allows you to analyze previous client interactions, schedule follow-ups, and better understand customer preferences.

4. Worry-free maintenance

Hosted VoIP services mean professionals will manage your telephony system and guarantee certain call quality standards. Should technical emergencies arise, a team of expert engineers will be on hand to sort out the issue for you.

5. Better call handling

Enterprise-grade telecom functions that previously were reserved for large corporations, such as voicemail and call forwarding, are now available to and affordable for small- and medium-sized businesses.

Choosing a VoIP provider

If your organization is considering implementing VoIP phone systems, it’s vital to thoroughly vet prospective providers. This doesn’t just involve looking at setup costs and subscription fees; you need to evaluate the provider’s service offerings, too.

Most providers offer similar solutions, but there can be differences in features such as call forwarding, recording, and video conferencing. Others may even provide VoIP-specific equipment like headsets, optimized routers, and IP phones. Compare each provider’s offerings and pick the provider that suits your needs.

You’ll also want to check the provider’s service level agreements (SLAs). These are contracts that specify the provider’s availability, response times, bandwidth and quality of service guarantees, and VoIP security.

For instance, a first-rate provider’s SLA typically promises 24/7 support, same-day problem resolutions, and proactive network maintenance to ensure crystal-clear calls.

Finally, verify customer reviews and testimonials. If a prospective provider has a track record of success in serving similar companies in your industry, they likely have the experience and expertise to replicate the same results for your company.

Partnering with a VoIP provider is a big decision that can have long-lasting repercussions. But if your Texas-based business wants to achieve the benefits VoIP has to offer, Lighthouse IT is the go-to provider. We offer top-notch SLAs and optimize your phone system so you can deliver quality service to your clients and stay connected with your workers. Get in touch with us today to implement your very own VoIP phone system.

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Adam

Help Desk

Adam was in the Navy before he joined our team in 2015. He is cool under pressure and a calming influence on the help desk. Perhaps this is because, after staring down Somali pirates off the coast of Africa, printer and email problems don’t seem so intimidating! Adam likes to shoot things (not people – thought we should make that clear), play Xbox, and of course, shoot things on Xbox! A husband of fourteen years with two children, he has been all over the world and still calls Central Texas his home. His teammates say, “Adam has an incredible memory when it comes to our clients. He remembers names, Internet settings, applications and printers!”
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Tyler

Projects Team Lead
Tyler cut his technological teeth through four years both in part-time work and in working with one of our telephony partners. Tyler loves working and learning, and has built a larger network at his home than 90% of our clients have in their businesses! He is thoughtful with his own money, preferring to buy a home and drive an old truck rather than pay rent and car payments. His hobbies of woodworking and gardening dovetail nicely with home ownership! He’s been known to play a bit of electric guitar, he enjoys 3D modeling and printing, and drives a gray Mustang GT that he’s modded as completely as his computers! Several of our team were in the wedding party when he got married!
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Aaron Johnstone

Help Desk Manager
With more patience than Job and more experience than most people in IT today, Aaron is the go-to guy for challenging problems. He directs our team both in the maintenance and help-desk functions. Aaron has been in IT for over twenty years and has played nearly every role possible EXCEPT, he reminds us, Sales. We can test almost every system in our client base on Aaron’s home network because it’s extensive and complex. When he isn’t tinkering with computers, he loves to read, play video games with his kids, and run. Aaron’s been married to his wife for twenty-one years and they have two daughters and a son. His teammates say, “I can always count on him to have my back. If I can’t find the answer, Aaron knows where to look!”
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Eli Meier

COO | CTO
Eli is our jack-of-all-trades. His degree is in English, and he intended to teach before he discovered a natural aptitude for computers. He combines the two in his role at Lighthouse, as he has a unique ability to explain complex technology in relatable, understandable conversation. Over more than twenty years working in IT, he’s written e-commerce programs for a university, set up an email cluster for a major league baseball team, and managed/executed hundreds of IT projects. He enjoys classic Volkswagens, cooking and barbeque, and hiking and camping. He and his wife have been married twenty-one years and have nine kids. Though he is 6’1”, he is the SHORTEST male in his entire extended family. We all feel badly for him.
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Ray Wilson

Chief Executive Officer
Ray is our CEO and he is passionate about helping businesses – both ours and our clients’ – succeed. Except for Skip, he’s probably been involved with IT longer than anyone – he was troubleshooting computers and repairing them at his school when he was seven! As an intern while attending UMHB, he was involved with IT, but really started growing when he joined our team in 2005. When he transitioned most of our clients to managed services, our MSP business was truly born, and we then grew it from five to forty people between 2006 and 2016. In that time, he was a help desk tech, business processes consultant, account manager, salesperson, sales engineer, client services manager, sales manager, and COO. If you want to get his juices flowing, challenge him to any team sport or ask him to go snow skiing. He’s been married to his high school sweetheart fourteen years and they have three high-energy boys. Oh… and both of his parents are also small business entrepreneurs.

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