The End of an Era: Traditional Phone Lines Are Giving Way to VoIP

Traditional business phone lines, also known as Plain Old Telephone Service (POTS) or copper lines, are being phased out by telephone companies in favor of newer technologies such as Voice over Internet Protocol (VoIP). This is due to several factors, including the high cost of maintaining copper infrastructure and the increasing popularity of VoIP.

What Are the Options to Replace Business POTS?

There are several options available to businesses that are looking to replace their traditional phone lines. Here are a few of the most popular options:

Voice over Internet Protocol (VoIP):

VoIP is a technology that allows you to make and receive phone calls over the Internet. This can save you money on your phone bill, as you will not be charged for long-distance calls. VoIP also offers many other features, such as call forwarding, call recording, and video conferencing.

Cloud-based phone systems:

Cloud-based phone systems are hosted by a third-party provider, so you do not need to install or maintain any hardware. This can save you money and time, as you will not have to worry about purchasing, installing, or configuring equipment. Cloud-based phone systems also offer several features, such as call forwarding, call recording, and video conferencing.

Mobile phone apps:

Mobile phone apps can be used to make and receive business calls using your smartphone. This can be a convenient option for businesses that have employees who work remotely or who are frequently on the go.

Here are some of the benefits of replacing traditional phone lines with VoIP or other newer technologies:

Cost savings:

VoIP can save you money on your phone bill, as you will not be charged for long-distance calls. You may also be able to save money on maintenance costs, as you will not have to worry about maintaining copper infrastructure.
Increased flexibility: VoIP and other newer technologies offer many features that can make your business more flexible. For example, you can easily add or remove users, and you can forward calls to any device.

Improved productivity:

VoIP and other newer technologies can help to improve productivity by making it easier to communicate with customers and employees. For example, you can use video conferencing to hold meetings with employees who are located in different parts of the world.
How to Choose the Right Option for Your Business

The best option for your business will depend on your specific needs and budget. Here are a few factors to consider when making your decision:

Number of employees: If you have a small number of employees, you may be able to get by with a simple VoIP solution. However, if you have a large number of employees, you may need a more robust solution that can handle multiple calls simultaneously.

Features:

Consider the features that are important to your business. For example, if you need to be able to forward calls or record calls, you will need to make sure that the solution you choose supports these features.

Budget:

Consider how much you are willing to spend on a new phone system. VoIP solutions can be very cost-effective, but cloud-based solutions and mobile phone apps can be more expensive.
If you are not sure which option is right for your business, you can contact a telecommunications consultant for help. They can assess your needs and recommend a solution that is right for you.

Here are some additional resources that you may find helpful:

Federal Communications Commission (FCC): https://www.fcc.gov/
Consumer Reports: https://www.consumerreports.org/electronics-computers/telecom-services/buying-guide/

Request Quote To Replace Your Business Phone Lines Today!

Hosted Voice for Businesses

Five Reasons to Upgrade to a Hosted Voice Plan for Businesses

As a business owner, you must’ve heard of a hosted Voice or VoIP phone system; Voice over Internet Protocol uses a broadband internet connection for receiving and making calls. Many small to medium-sized businesses have already made the switch to hosted voice, and they recognize hosted voice as an internet-based and cloud-based voice solution. It not only cuts costs but is more reliable and productive when compared to traditional landline phones or analog phones.

What is Hosted VoIP for businesses?

As the name indicates, hosted voice is transmitting voice calls over the network, by converting phone calls into data packets that transmit over the internet. PBX and traditional landlines use on-premise hardware that is maintained by an IT team. PBX or private branch exchange connects all phones within a business location. This dedicated business line has essential call features such as call transfer, call conferencing, etc. So many phones can be connected to a single line. PBX phone systems can be updated to hosted VoIP.

What are the benefits of using Hosted Voice?

Hosted Voice plan comes with many benefits; hosted voice is hosted or owned by an off-site VoIP provider, and different providers offer different features and services – it also varies with location. A hosted phone plan is a paid service and is also known as a hosted PBX solution. Here are the top five benefits of having Hosted Voice for businesses:

As the calls are being made over an internet connection, hosted voice is considered cheap, and overall costs come down to the provider and the features they offer. It makes sense that your business phone should make you money not cost you money, therefore, having no upfront costs and a pay-as-you-go system benefits many businesses in the long run. Your business can also make money with added features such as advertising on hold, and call recording.
No need for hardware maintenance with a hosted VoIP phone; all the maintenance and upgrades are handled off-site by a trusted VoIP provider. Thus your internal IT resources can focus on business projects and other IT-related high-value jobs. Phone line downtime can also be handled by the VoIP provider, and fix times are drastically decreased. Any downtime means losing potential customers and revenues.
The most important factor for businesses today is having offshore contractors; for any business that has a team consisting of off-site workers, and offshore contractors, mobility of the phone system comes in handy. Remote workers can easily connect with a cloud-based VoIP phone system. By connecting your mobile with the hosted VoIP you can take meetings and conferences on the go, and keep connected with your employees with instant messaging.
Hosted VoIP can be scaled at will; as your business grows you can add more communication features. Hosted VoIP providers do this job very well, they scale up your plan according to your business needs. You can customize your phone system to add the features you and your team need. Features can be tailored to an individual or a department, you will have to keep track of all the latest features and updates offered in your plan.
Your hosted VoIP plan will always stay up-to-date; you will always be updated on all the latest features and plans. With a hosted VoIP there is more consistency, and it doesn’t matter if you have moved to a newer office location, your phone system based in the cloud will remain the same. Adding more employees to your team or having more business sites become easier. More consistency means better and smoother business operations and customer interactions.

Is switching to Hosted Voice right for my business?

We have discussed why businesses may benefit from Hosted Voice; there are many good reasons to do so. We know there are many reasons for switching to hosted VoIP. We have mentioned the top benefits above, and many small businesses are benefiting from them. As it is managed by a third party such as Nextiva or RingCentral, it comes with minimal hassle and no maintenance. It is the right choice for your business if you’re looking for an inexpensive, yet secure, and unified communication platform for your business.

Hosted VoIP is secure and straightforward; it offers advanced encryption for all your communication. Long-distance and international calls have also become significantly cheaper on VoIP. There are many VoIP providers out there; you should choose a company that has a fixed monthly rate, no hidden charges, and offers the features you and your team are looking for. For example, if you use a lot of Google products, and are dependent on Google Suite, then Google Voice should work best for you.

VoIP providers also come with free trials, so if you’re unsure, you can sign up for a free trial – whatever plan you choose should mesh well with your business needs. Another feature to look for is customer service; do they offer 24/7 support if something goes wrong? VoIP doesn’t work well with slow internet speeds, so make sure the internet has enough speed for seamless voice communication. Outages and dropped calls are usually not common with hosted VoIP.

Nextiva is one of the best-rated companies for hosted VoIP; they offer essential as well as enterprise-level programs with many features. If you’re a freelancer or a small company the essential program will work best for you. It gives you unlimited voice calling, toll-free numbers, customer support, and more for an affordable monthly fee per user. Other plans include team collaboration tools and important software integrations. The smartphone APP lets you take business calls on the go.

Therefore, make sure to sign up for a plan that works for your business needs, and lies within your budget, also look for other tools and scalability that can be added later on. Want to lease VoIP phones? Not a problem, Nextiva, and many other providers have devices on rent, such as VoIP phones, conference phones, headsets, and more. You can choose a month-to-month payment plan with no contracts.

Voip Phone