The differences between VoIP and the traditional method behind telephone services are pronounced enough that comparing them isn’t so much a consideration of one team versus the other—VoIP is in another league, practically an entirely different sport. Let’s go over what makes VoIP (Voice over Internet Protocol) so different, and how this offers greater benefits to businesses.
What is VoIP?
The concept behind VoIP is a very simple one. Instead of using a separate connection (and the associated service) to make phone calls, VoIP allows you to do so over your Internet connection (enabling you to eliminate one of your recurring monthly service costs).
If you’ve ever used an application like Skype or Facetime, or called someone using Facebook’s call functionality, you’ve used VoIP before. From the user’s perspective, there is little difference between the two. However, when looking to equip your business with a solution, the differences are substantial.
What Makes VoIP Different from a Plain Old Telephone System?
Really, the question should be: “What makes VoIP better?” After all, these differences are what deliver significant advantages to the organization that puts it to use instead of a Plain Old Telephone System, or POTS.
Overall Cost
Dollar for dollar, VoIP systems are just less expensive to deploy than a POTS would be. Again, by cutting the need for an additional monthly service and co-opting one that every business uses today, you are significantly reducing your recurring expenses. Apart from a few initial investments into the right hardware for your employees to use (if you decide to go that route), VoIP effectively eliminates the need to pay for an additional service and infrastructure.
Simplicity
On the topic of additional infrastructure, using a POTS will require a dedicated line to be run effectively everywhere you want an employee to have access to a telephone. Unfortunately, this may not be convenient to do, and could require you to rearrange your office to accommodate this or to add additional lines with some minor construction. VoIP, on the other hand, uses the Internet as its infrastructure. As a result, anywhere that you can access the Internet also allows you to use your VoIP solution.
Functionality
Finally, while traditional telephony offers many of the same functions that VoIP does, VoIP can support many more in addition to that. In fact, there are too many to fully address here. It is the use of the Internet that allows for these functions to come into play.
If you are interested in learning more about putting a VoIP solution into place, or what other benefits that it can offer to you, give Macatawa Technologies a call. Use your current telephony to dial 616-394-4940 today!
