Is a VoIP System a Good Investment for Small Businesses?

VoIP, or Voice over Internet Protocol, is a process by which audio travels through the Internet. When you speak on a device, it is compressed into data packets, which are transferred via signals to its destination, where it is then decompressed, and the person on the other side hears you.

A virtual phone number is necessary to benefit from VoIP services. While some telecommunication providers only let you contact the person who is also using the same service, others allow you to reach out to anyone with a phone number.
 

Yes, VoIP is worth it for small businesses. It has many advantages, such as being affordable, flexible, scalable, portable, and with advanced features.

One of the significant benefits of VoIP is that it is affordable. Some providers even let users use their services without spending a penny on them, which can be useful for small firms with low budgets. You also save money because you do not have to buy additional devices while implementing a cloud-based VoIP phone system. Plus, since there is no use of traditional phone lines or copper wires, fees on connection and maintenance are also saved.

Let’s say you are an up-and-coming businessperson who has to travel a lot for sales pitches. Carrying your whole phone system may sound like a hassle. Not to worry, as you can take your business communication system anywhere you go on your mobile, tablet, or laptop.

Not just that, you can even hire employees regardless of their location and closely track their work. Significantly, you can add and remove phone lines without much technical knowledge and assistance, depending on the level of your business.

VoIPs have evolved greatly, and people can no longer differentiate between them and a traditional phone line. Thanks to VoIP, employees can make international calls with ease and are not restricted by borders. Furthermore, they can even set up and have video conferences online and rarely experience dropped, lagging, or distorted calls.

Moreover, as mentioned earlier, VoIP offers flexibility, so your staff can carry on their tasks even from the comfort of their homes. According to a US workers survey conducted in February 2023, almost 71% stated that working from home helped maintain their personal and work-life balance.

It is common knowledge that more market reach means more business. However, it is difficult for small enterprises to do so, considering their limited budget. Thankfully, it can be avoided with the help of VoIP phone systems. You can create a presence for your small-scale industry anywhere by just buying a virtual phone number with the respective area code of that region and the project that your organization is operating there. This helps to attract more customers in the region and tap into more unexplored markets.

You never know what kind of services may come in handy during a business. Plus, a phone call just doesn’t mean talking these days and carries many features with it. Formerly, only large companies could afford privileges such as call transcript, sentiment analysis, automatic call distribution, and more. But now, even small firms can benefit from it just by paying a small amount of fee and access many more features like call recording, masking, blocking, interactive voice response (IVR) and others.

In the past, people needed different applications to perform different tasks. For example, they required separate apps to call, text, and send voice/video messages, making managing it hectic. But with VoIP, you can do it without a sweat and minimal manpower. Many VoIP providers have a unified callbox, meaning, you can easily complete the previously mentioned activities from a single platform. This saves time, which can be put into another work.

Businesses of all sizes are always prone to data leaks and hacks. While huge enterprises can afford the best security system they can lay their hands on, the same is not the case with micro organizations. Nonetheless, there is always a way, and in this case, it is VoIP. With its security features including end-to-end data encryption, multi-factor authentication, voice security and others, all conversations and sensitive messages are safeguarded in the system.

As the above stated advantages of VoIP show how beneficial it is for small businesses, let’s look at some of the best providers which fit to their budget perfectly.

Google Voice’s starting plan costs $10 per user/month and is suitable for firms with less than 10 users. They must upgrade to Standard or Premier plan, which charges $20 and $30, respectively, if the users' number exceeds the predefined limit.

Some of the top features that come along with Google Voice are unlimited text messaging in the US, voicemail transcription, and, more importantly, easy integration with other Google products, like Calendar and Meet.

With Calilio’s Basic plan costing just $12 per user/month, it is a passage to an affordable and standard-driven communication solution for micro-businesses. Additionally, it has a business plan costing $28 per user/month and a customizable enterprise plan.

You can get a free US or Canadian local number, and take advantage of multiple features, like tags/notes in a dialer/callbox, greeting voice messages, AI-powered call summary, and 24/7 chat support.

Digital is Nextiva’s cheapest plan, which costs $20 per user/month if bills are paid annually beforehand. It also offers three more packages suitable for small businesses: Core ($30), Engage ($40), and Power Suite ($60).

Competitive and advanced monitoring, an AI-powered contact center, secure payment assistance, list and campaign management, and intelligent and skills-based routing are some of Nexxtiva’s top services.

Zoom offers three plans for a business phone system, and all have to be paid a year in advance. US & Canada Metered, US & Canada Unlimited, and Global Select are its phone packages and are priced at $120, $180, and $240 per year per user, respectively.

Automatic call distribution with call queuing, unlimited auto attendants/IVR, voicemail with transcription, and phone extension numbers are some of Zoom’s major features.

Similar to the above-stated VoIP providers, OpenPhone also offers three subscription plans. Its Starter plan is the most fit for a small business considering it only costs $15 per user/month. While its Business plan costs $23, its Enterprise plan is customizable.

You get unlimited calling and messaging to the US and Canada, port your numbers, have automatic/manual call recordings, set auto- replies, and more.

A business phone system is a luxury, something all industries can afford nowadays. Among its types, VoIP stands on the top and is the most suitable one for small businesses. If you are still wondering if it is worth it, then its advantages like modern features, affordability, and robust security, answer the question.

While there are more than many VoIP providers, consider factors like pricing, services, and reliability before selecting one. Well, Calilio is low-cost compared to others, has great uptime, and offers 24/7 customer service. So, sign up today and take the next step to take your small business toward success.

Almost all businesses need VoIP because it is affordable, reliable and comes with advanced features, such as call recording, analysis, transcript, summary, and more.

VoIP costs depend on the providers and may range from $10 to $75 per user per month.

Yes, it is worth switching to VoIP as it is more affordable than other telecommunication providers and also offers many advanced features.

Yes, VoIP does have a future and is rapidly increasing. It is expected to reach a global value of $236.25 billion in 2028.