The 6 best VoIP features for growing SMBs

VoIP services are revolutionizing the way SMBs use the telephone. There’s no doubt that effective communication is key to business success. Just look at businesses like Uber, who are using the efficiency of VoIP features to offer new and improved ways for customers to connect to drivers.

VoIP stands for Voice over Internet Protocol and refers to a phone service provided over the Internet, instead of a traditional landline phone. While this does mean a good Internet connection is required, that’s something any competitive, modern business should already have.

SMBs looking for an enhanced telecommunications system will want to consider the many features of VoIP, such as improved call analytics, better redundancy, cheaper prices and easier call routing. If you’re looking for ways to grow your business, VoIP may be the answer you’ve been looking for.

VoIP features for growing businesses

1. Analytics

VoIP analytics take call reporting to a new level. Whether you run a small business or a large call center, gaining insight into how many calls you receive at a given time, how long each customer spends on hold and how long each call lasts, can provide valuable information to help streamline your business and boost productivity.

2. Redundancy

Because VoIP service is provided over the Internet, if for any reason the service goes down at a physical office location, your calls will still be received in the cloud. It is easy to set protocols that make sure customers are able to leave a message if no one is able to answer the phone. And if you have more than one office location, calls can be set to automatically roll over to different locations, or even to a mobile phone. Your business will never miss a call and your customers will never know there was a problem.

3. Cost

Sending voice data over the Internet is cheaper than making a call with a landline. Businesses can save as much as 75% by switching to VoIP. And savings don’t just come from cheaper services. VoIP makes it easier to allow employees to work from home. Telecommuting employees save money for an organization because the business will spend less on physical office space, supplies and utilities.

4. Collaboration

While communication with your customers is important, so is communication within the workplace. VoIP can give your business a unified communications system, which will boost employee collaboration through services such as video conferencing and instant messaging. Video and teleconferencing are especially important to support all those employees working from home, saving your business money.

5. Easier Management

When your business is growing, you need to be able to quickly and easily add phone lines and change settings. VoIP offers user-friendly management systems that give your business the flexibility to add users, change business hours and handle phone routing issues immediately and in-house.

6. Call routing

Complex call routing is made simple with the VoIP “follow me” feature, which allows multiple phones to ring for the same call. This means calls to a certain number could be programmed to ring on both an office line and a mobile phone, allowing an on-the-go employee to answer whichever line is nearest at the time. This VoIP feature is a game changer for busy executives who never want to miss a call.