If we take a look at the current business environment, we’ll see a very noticeable difference between how it was a few decades ago and how it is today. The birth and growth of the internet have led to many new advances in communications technology, aiming to transform what we know nowadays as telephone service.
The development of telecommunications has introduced many companies new ways to stay in touch with business partners and customers since traditional landlines have been losing qualities over the years.
What are Landlines?
Landline telephones are based on an analogue technology that sends signals through a series of physical switch boxes via copper wire from a local or national telecommunications company to the premises. Generally speaking, they have remained largely unchanged ever since they were invented in 1876. This analogue connection limits many new features service providers can introduce; most carriers can only offer basic options like call waiting, caller ID, voicemail and call blocking.
Google has revealed that about 70% of business clients and partners turn to landlines when trying to reach companies, but the same percentage of customers is lost due to extended or delayed response times, according to the global media company Forbes.
Based on these statistics, it is recommended to have a reliable business phone system that heads up to business requirements. But, which could actually be this trustworthy telephony?
Copper wires can become chaotic to manage and the maintenance of infrastructure of landline phone systems, incredibly expensive. Many phone companies are no longer committed to upgrading regular phone services, since digital communications through VoIP systems are becoming the new standard in both business and consumer technology.
What is VoIP?
Short for Voice over Internet Protocol, it is a type of communication technology that allows businesses and internet users to make and receive phone calls and text messages using internet connection, rather than a traditional analog phone line that uses wires or optical fibers.
There are two types of VoIP phones: Fixed and Non Fixed, better known as Non VoIP. The first one is attached to a physical location whilst the second, isn’t. These phones are connected by the same broadband internet connection that plugs into a computer or router and convert calls into digital signals within the phone itself.
VoIP systems are becoming more popular as the world continues to digitize. They offer significant benefits like lower costs, increased reliability and better sound quality. Having a great VoIP service depends on a fast and secure internet connection.
Which one is better?
Choosing which one is right for your business or personal purposes depends on your needs. First, it is important to know that they are two very different technologies and second, they both offer unique benefits that can be very helpful in your daily activities. Even though landlines are known for reliability and consistent quality, VoIP systems offer greater flexibility.
Deciding between a landline and a VoIP phone system is not as simple as it sounds. There are key factors to consider when making a choice. Let’s review some of them:
• Costs – you must check what features you pay for from your current telephony service and see if the features you would like to have with your chosen system are included in the package. VoIP services tend to be cheaper than landlines; recent studies have shown that they cut small business start-up costs by 90% and make them save over 30 minutes of daily call time.
• Internet reliability - landlines are known for their reliability in terms of call quality and resilience against outages. In the contrary, VoIP systems are known for depending on an internet connection. The good thing about this era is that as high-speed internet providers continue to improve their offerings, people from all over the world can have access to an enhanced telephony service that routes phone calls to VoIP-enabled devices.
• Scaling and maintenance - VoIP systems are easy to upgrade and maintain, since they do not require heavy software or hardware. In contrast, depending on how old your analog system is, it could be difficult to scale or upgrade it, which is the case of landline telephones. If what you have is a rapidly growing company or just want to verify some platform online, a VoIP system is more suitable for you.
• Features - as said before, landline phones are limited to the most basic features, while VoIP phones allow a wide range of functions from multiple office locations to mobile devices and so on.
Even though landlines have served consumers well for over a century, right now they don’t have the potential to perform consistently well to the point of meeting the needs of their consumers. The transition to broadband and VoIP services has already begun and is making everyone move to the internet to connect in ways that were never imagined before.
Businesses and internet users choose to take advantage of the many benefits VoIP offers over landline phone service, and will find themselves reducing costs and getting better communication options.
Where can you get VoIP phones?
There are many VoIP telephone providers to choose from, but before selecting the one you think is best, you must decide which type of VoIP phone suits your needs. If you have a business you want to expand overseas or just want to verify accounts from different online platforms, you just need U.S. Non-VoIP phones for text verification. These virtual numbers are not associated to any geographical location and, something that many people don’t know is that services like Skype and Google Voice actually use them!
Time is money, and using VoIP telephone systems is the right way to save it. In recent years, internet users of all kinds have learned how easy it is to use VoIP numbers for different purposes: making and receiving calls and messages, video conferences, call transferring and holding, and much more.
Since this cloud-based telephony only works with good and stable internet connection, users can make domestic and long-distance calls from everywhere to everywhere for a very inexpensive (or even free) price, since these calls are automatically routed via internet links. Another amazing thing about VoIP systems is that they do not physically limit their users since all kinds of connections between businesses and netizens remain fixed when moving from one place to another.
You may count on your landline to communicate today, but you may not count on it tomorrow. Start making changes in your life with VoIP telephones. Get one now!
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