Even if you’re a fairly small business, you’ll need to run conference calls on occasion. Whether you need multiple employees on a single call or a variety of callers from different locations, you’re almost guaranteed to need this technology on a regular basis. That’s why it’s important to get it right the first time and use the right technology for conferences. It’s vastly cheaper to hold a conference call, perhaps with video calling, than it is to send over an employee to do the work on location.
First, the cheapest option is often using the free, consumer targeted program Skype. This, however, is not viable in all businesses; for one thing, the service offers an instant messenger which may be blocked by company policy, and secondly requires hardware to work. You’ll have a phone but it won’t be hooked into the service, so you’ll need to purchase additional hardware. It’s also somewhat unreliable. Skype has little to no support – even for business customers – and IT departments will likely find themselves more or less stranded if they run into severe difficulties.
A business VoIP phone system, however, will have none of these limitations and is overall much better for conference calling than a traditional phone system. The first and primary reason for this is because it’s cheaper. Conference calling often comes included as standard, and if the people you’re calling are within your own business, every minute of your call will be free, even if your branches are spread across countries (presuming they are all using VoIP phone systems). VoIP is also more technically efficient at conference calls, which is why it’s cheaper.
An advanced VoIP phone system will incorporate video calling into its system as well, which is a clear advantage for any business at all interested in teleconferencing. Not only would you be able to see one another and show examples of work or design, you should also be able to share screens with one another. This is an obviously fantastic tool and can be used to be effect when training; a software developer, for example, should no longer need to travel to demonstrate how to use his creations, but instead deploy it from the comfort of his own conferencing room. A video camera will be required, but these are widely available for fairly low prices.
When it comes to installing a VoIP phone system, there are numerous advantages beyond conference calling. VoIP systems can often use your existing PBX system and servers for ridiculously simple installation; it’s easily scalable, offers premium features at low to no cost, and provides numerous advantages over traditional phone systems. We’re getting closer and closer to the days of HD VoIP and you’ll no longer experience any packet loss or static if your internet connection is reliable. Calling will often be cheaper, even internationally, and you could save 30% every month. If you can imagine what you could do with that extra money, it’s worth considering a VoIP phone system for your business today.
