Most CEOs are focused on increasing revenue and reducing costs to maximize profitability. Technology can be a means to that end if a company invests in the right tools. VoIP phone systems can provide a boost in productivity and improve business efficiency throughout the organization.
VoIP solutions that include Mobility generate more productivity
Whether you’re in customer service, sales or management being stuck in an office all day can be a drain on production. Too many hours are spend on minute tasks that have to be handled behind a desk. Mobility changes that by allowing many tasks and calls made on the fly between customer visits and commuting time. Studies have shown that telecommuters work up to 7 more hours per week than their in-office counter parts. With Mobility employees can use their smart phones to make business calls and connect to the corporate network while waiting for that their train or when they are running late. Mobility is the trend that continues to grow and CEOs and business leaders would be wise to invest in the technology.
Reduced Costs provided by VoIP
Many organizations still pay for telephone dial tone service such as PRI T1s, analog lines, SIP trunks etc. Businesses also carry monthly costs for Long Distance service, Internet and network connectivity. Additionally they pay capital costs for a phone system (a depreciating asset like a car) that has to be continually upgraded and maintained and over time replaced which carries a lot of hidden cost. Some large organization still have a separate telecom manager to manage the phones system and a data networking IT manager for data network. With a Hosted VoIP solution there are many efficiencies gained by combining technologies to make voice just another application on the data network. The cost of dial tone, long distance and phone system costs are eliminated and replaced by a monthly recurring cost that can be written off on a yearly basis. As voice is just an application on the data network you no longer need to employ a phone expert. The phone system is owned and managed by the provider so it is always up to date on the latest software, feature rich and professionally managed without any additional cost to your business.
Additionally Hosted VoIP phone systems are easily scalable either up or down, phones arrive pre-configured ready to plug in and go to work. If the need to reduce phones is necessary they are simply shipped back to the provider and the billing is adjusted on the next invoice. The reduced cost of VoIP compared to traditional phone system will save enough capital to re-allocate to other productivity solutions such as video and web conferencing, network back-up solutions and business continuity.
VoIP Improves Collaboration
While VoIP certainly allows employees to call clients and vendors, it also can improve communication and collaboration inside the office. Instead of requiring employees to dial into separate audio conferencing solutions VoIP allows employees from all over the country to connect right over the same network. 3 digit dialing and even paging between branch offices saves time, video conferencing from the desk can easily be deployed with VoIP improving collaboration and allowing screen sharing. Employee Presence service eliminates poorly timed calls and cuts down on un-necessary voicemails. VoIP also eliminates the need to keep up with multiple voicemail accounts as they can consolidated into one mailbox. Visual voicemail and voicemail to email improves the efficiency in which employees reply to voicemail. There are many, many productivity and collaboration tools with VoIP that will benefit any business and improve efficiency.
As a CEO or business owners you might not have investing in a VoIP phone solution high on your priority list to increase revenue, reduce cost and improve business efficiency but you should. Technology is increasingly becoming the differentiator, that engine that can drive your business to the next level. Without these tools organizations are at a great disadvantage and the millennial generation who you will soon be hiring are used to using technology every day and expect to have the tools they need to be successful. Invest in the right technologies and improve your business efficiency to grow your business.
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