This is a trick question, right? For a while now, companies have been capitalizing on the advantages of a phone system that operates in the cloud. This is because there is a lower risk of becoming outdated when businesses only invest in VoIP phones instead of an in-house phone system. But businesses can still take actions to keep their VoIP phone systems up to date and get long-term benefits.
Tags: voip service provider selection, Technology in Business, Cloud Telephony
You invested in a new business phone system. You’ve trained your team on how to use the office phones and robust features. Yet, your primary source of business communication is email. Now is the time to push back from the keyboard and pick up the phone and talk to your customers and clients.
Now that we have a little longevity to the VoIP for business Marketplace, we can see that the market has evolved quickly with traditional market maturation undertones. What may have been a surprise to us all is how quickly businesses moved to the new technology, as voice over IP installations are the preferred solution when compared to the old analog phone technology. Even more surprising was how slow to respond were the traditional large telecommunication companies. They have effectively ceded the business phone service market to VoIP providers, relegating themselves to wholesale roles. Let's take a view of how this market has evolved.
Finally! The last of the businesses remaining on their antiquated analog phone systems are making the move to Hosted VoIP. This communication model has proven itself over the past decade and is now the platform of choice for businesses.
These are exciting times for businesses across the country, as the infrastructure supporting technological advancement has expanded dramatically. With the introduction of superfast internet speeds available to businesses by Google Fiber, and followed by competitive responses from other providers, the backbone of this infrastructure now allows businesses to make technology choices they were not able to in recent years. Businesses are taking advantage of this opportunity to invest in cloud applications and technology to improve their processes as well as margins. This includes investments in voice over internet (VoIP) systems and service.
As Google Fiber continues with its construction of a fiber network and expands its business internet service to additional cities across the country, businesses of all sizes are preparing to reap the benefits of superfast internet speeds and expanded capacity. Normally, these superfast speeds will approach 1000mb/s. Traditional bandwidth providers are responding to Google Fiber with speed expansion and lower prices of their own. Competition in this area is benefitting businesses and they need to be ready to take advantage of it.
From independent insurance brokers to multi-location agencies, the insurance industry has harnessed the power of hosted VoIP services to enhance their customer service experience. Additional benefits are found in the economics, as these organizations do not have to purchase an expensive in-house system to achieve the benefits derived from a hosted VoIP platform. Listed below are several examples of how insurance companies have utilized VoIP to improve their customer service:
Tags: Phone Service for Insurance Agents, Technology in Business
It was just a few short years ago when businesses needed to be educated on the merits of hosted VoIP. At sipVine, we receive calls every day from businesses who have already decided upon going with a hosted service for their voice telephony. This is a drastic change from years past, as callers were inquiring about a phone system or service, and had to overcome fears of running their service over the internet to an off-premise system.
In particular, small to mid-sized businesses are investing less and less in on-site systems and moving to the cloud for their telephony and other applications. There are several driving factors in this change:
Has your business hopped on the wave? It is worth an exploration. Give us a call and we’ll help you it!
About the author: Mark Greim is the Vice President of Sales and Marketing at sipVine, a provider of a variety of digital phone solutions and services. Mark has extensive experience working for start-up or entrepreneurial organizations and has a passion for affordable, reliable, and purposeful technology solutions in those environments.
Tags: Technology in Business, Phone System Replacement, Cloud Telephony
Deciding upon the best phone service provider can be challenging for any business. Given new technology, there are a host of new options available to you in the marketplace and you are no longer bound to your traditional telephone provider. You should start by determining your organization’s ability/desire to utilize new technology in your communication practices and identifying the characteristics of a phone service provider that will meet your expectations.
If your company desires to utilize new technology in your communication practices and you want to keep the capital expenses low for such an endeavor, you can consider a hosted phone service provider. This literally opens up the competition to a number of great providers. These providers provide both the phone service and phone system, as the phone system is provided in a cloud environment and the service is delivered over the internet. Additionally, if your company has points of presence in multiple cities or has virtual employees, they all can be on a common phone system and you can consolidate service providers!
The process of narrowing down your potential list of hosted phone service providers can be
quite daunting. Set your expectations high, as new entrants in this marketplace have helped push customer service to new heights. Here is a list of questions for potential service providers that can help you narrow the list:
These questions will help qualify candidates and you can narrow down competitiveness of bids from the providers who answer the above qualifications to your satisfaction. First and foremost, judging the potential provider on their willingness and ability to get to know you and your needs through the qualification stage is a great indicator of the type of service they will provide. Those providers who are experienced in working in multiple industries and can provide the consultation necessary to appropriately customize the solution to meet your expectations will clearly rise to the top.
Many focus on the features, coolness factor, and price, but fail to be able to truly understand your business and what is important to you. Your business deserves to be supported by a provider who can be seen as your phone department rather than a vendor.
About the author: Mark Greim is the Vice President of Sales and Marketing at sipVine, a provider of a variety of digital phone solutions and services. Mark has extensive experience working for start-up or entrepreneurial organizations and a passion for affordable, reliable, and purposeful technology solutions in those environments.
Tags: voip service provider selection, Technology in Business, Changing Phone Service Providers
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