Is VoIP Reliable for Business?

Are you looking at your company’s phone system, wondering if it’s time to move to a business VoIP solution (i.e. “Hosted VoIP”)?

But is business VoIP reliable?

As a business telecommunications broker (since 2003), our company has sold both traditional phone systems and VoIP for many years. I can tell you with certainty you have nothing to fear, with VoIP. Thousands of organizations, both small and large, are moving to business VoIP phone systems in droves.

A report from Future Market Insights (FMI), reveals by 2020, the global corporate VoIP market is projected to reach a subscriber base of approx. 204.8 billion.

If your company doesn’t VoIP yet, it’s time.

There used to be a time VoIP was far from trustworthy… but the technology has improved dramatically since then. Here is all you have to do, to ensure reliable business VoIP:

1. Use a reputable provider. Don’t use a company down the road, deploying a home-grown VoIP solution from their offices. Larger, reputable VoIP providers have been through the trials and have invested in excellent technology, to ensure their customers have a good experience.
2. Make sure your company has adequate bandwidth (which only requires a maximum of 100k/simultaneous call). If you are worried other Internet traffic (like John’s YouTube usage), might compete with the VoIP, invest in a relatively inexpensive SD-WAN service to prioritize VoIP.
3. Make sure your company’s LAN is in decent shape. This means Ethernet cables are working properly and your network switches are not end-of-life and are running the most recent firmware.

Need assurance? Most providers will do a “VoIP readiness test” on your LAN, before installing. Can it get any easier?

Not only is VoIP reliable for businesses, but in my opinion, business VoIP is actually more reliable and better quality than traditional phone systems and phone lines.

For instance, most business VoIP solutions have HD Voice… which is better than your company has today.

And you know what’s not reliable? That T1 circuit your company is currently using for dial tone. When it goes down (and it does nearly once per year), your company is dead in the water. Just this last week, one of our customers (who still has a PRI T1 for dial tone), had their T1 line go down for 5 days!

With VoIP, however, if your Internet connection goes down:

• Your company can have a backup Internet connection and still receive calls.
• All calls are still being received in the cloud… no busy signals.
• You can receive calls on your mobile app (on your mobile phone).
• You can use your desktop phone or soft phone, to receive calls at home or from any Internet connection.
• You can login to your company’s phone system portal (from your cell phone) and re-route calls to whatever number or location you wish.

Oh, and by the way, VoIP isn’t expensive. It’s why so many companies are moving to VoIP. If you find the right provider, your cost will probably be about the same as you’re currently paying for traditional phone lines… except you’re getting an entire phone system.

Have more questions or concerns? Email or call me (714-593-0011).

Need to know which business VoIP providers I’d recommend for your company? Email or call me (714-593-0011. I’m quoting this daily for our customers and am happy to help.

About the Author
Mike Smith is the Founder and President of AeroCom and has been helping companies with telecom and cloud services since 1999. He has been the recipient of numerous business telecommunications industry awards and in 2011, he was honored as one of the top 40 business people in Orange County, CA., under 40 years old. Follow Mike on LinkedIn, Twitter or SpiceWorks.