Hosted VoIP Is A Boon for Small and Medium-Sized Businesses

Hosted VoIP Is A Boon for Small and Medium-Sized Businesses

When Jim Ballack started his own courier business, he did not have the money to buy an off the shelf PBX system. He was shocked to find that just the installation and setup would cost him in the thousands. Other complications arose as well. His service staff wanted an email productivity suite combined with a messaging system, which meant more expenses. Like most starting small business owners, Jim was not even sure that all this would lead to profits. He did not want a legacy system that would become redundant and obsolete after a few years. After researching on the internet, he came to the conclusion that a hosted business VoIP would be ideal for his situation.
There are several myths associated with hosted VoIP PBXes. Many are reluctant to try the service because they don't understand how it works. But the truth is that allowing such a service to run your communications is a lot like trusting a car to take you from point A to point B. It is a transparent service that can be deployed and used without knowing anything about its underlying technology. Service providers take care of all the maintenance and update your phone system with all the latest features so you never have to worry about managing it yourself.

Another myth about hosted PBXes is that it is meant for big businesses with offices spread over several locations and that its too costly for the little guy. The truth is that these services are better suited for small businesses. There is no capital expenditure involved in hosted business phone solutions. For people like Jim, this can be a big boon. The cabling requirements are also nil since the normal internet cable works perfectly well.

There are other benefits for small and medium businesses. Some providers allow their customers to seamlessly scale up or down the usage depending on requirements. For example, one can increase usage during the holiday season and quickly reduce expenses by scaling down post Christmas period. This flexibility is not available with traditional PBX systems. Many small startups tend to take up bigger space as the business expands. With a legacy in-house system, relocating equipment from one place to another can be a huge burden. Changing offices can be a breeze with hosted VoIP solutions since there is no equipment to transport and install other than the phones.

VoIP providers that charge per usage means that a small business can leverage their limited resources. Hosted VoIP can be extended to cover mobile devices to increase productivity. Many businesses have developed models based on these services that enable their staff to work from home and while on the move, allowing their staff to benefit tremendously.

Overall, hosted VoIP solutions are well suited for small and medium businesses. Data and voice communication over a single channel reduces complexity of infrastructure, providing flexibility, cost savings and increased productivity - factors that are critical to business success.