In today’s digital age, most businesses rely on the internet to make transactions locally and internationally. Unlike how it was back in the day when a traditional analog phone call would have sufficed, the rapid pace of development calls for a system fast and reliable enough to keep up. That’s where VOIP comes in.

What is VOIP?

The easiest definition for the concept of voice over internet protocol (VOIP) would be that it is the technology to make and receive phone calls over a broadband connection rather than a traditional wired phone line. A more in-depth look entails having to understand how to leverage the following: a formerly-military protocol, the rules of the internet as proposed and managed by the Internet Engineering Task Force (IETF), and open source programs like Asterisk.

Though the technology itself is not new, it certainly isn’t outdated. In Southeast Asia alone, there are thousands of companies relying on this technology to bridge the gap between consumers and businesses.

Why invest in VOIP?

The advantages of a secure and reliable method of connecting may not appeal to the everyday user, but businesses with a bigger scope of operation (i.e. call centers) may find this service essential. These features, on top of being a more cost-effective measure compared to paying for international fees and monthly phone bill maintenance, make the notion of jumping on an IP-based architecture more feasible. It’s generally known that calls made on a VOIP system are 60%-90% cheaper than those on Public Switched Telephone Networks (PSTN).

When is the right time to invest in VOIP?

To answer this question, look at your current operation and answer the following questions:

• Are you currently handling a progressively-overwhelming number of calls?
• Are you looking to expand your scope of business sometime in the near future?
• Do you want to build a systematic and categorized communication system that is cost-effective and reliable?

If you answered yes to any (or all) of the above, now is the right to look at transitioning to a cloud-based VOIP system.

Conclusion

The advent of the internet has definitely opened the doors for businesses to take their operation worldwide. The more we head towards that inevitable future where everything goes digital, the need to adapt to the protocols available to us goes up too. The beauty of VOIP is not just in its seeming simplicity, it’s also in its potential to make everything easier for both consumers and providers. The promise of reliable and cost-effective communication is something you just might need to take your business to the next level!