VoIP for Business has become a fixture in the marketplace. Most businesses use it, appreciating the many benefits it can bring them. The benefits associated with VoIP for Business have been highlighted by the increases in remote working and working from home following the restrictions imposed by the pandemic. That has, in turn, driven a need for video conferencing as an essential corporate communications medium.

In the past, whenever an employee left the office they were uncontactable, with the possible exception of the evening at home or in their accommodation on the road. This made communications between staff, the office, and each other difficult at best.

All that has changed with the advent of Business VoIP. Simply put, with Business VoIP and it’s inbuilt video-conferencing capability, individuals and teams need never be uncontactable, inside or outside the office. True mobility is possible.

If we extend the traditional definitions of conference calls, that of a group in a static setting using tabletop microphones and cameras, to include ad-hoc group video calling with smart devices, to and from anywhere, the benefits of conference calls to a business are undeniable.

The Benefits Include:

• Cost BenefitsUsing VoIP Conferencing for group meetings between staff at different locations is much cheaper than video conferencing using a PSTN connection. Because the calls are routed over the Internet, rather than the PSTN, toll charges can be avoided in most cases. This is particularly beneficial in conferences involving long-distance and international connections.
• Improvements in the mobility and accessibility of staffThe ability of smart devices like tablets and smartphones to support video calling over WiFi brings great benefits in accessibility and mobility.A member of staff can make and receive voice and video calls and participate in group and individual video-conferences on their smart device exactly as if they were sitting at their desk. Depending on the capabilities of the smart device, this can include other VoIP features such as call forwarding and pick-up, voicemail placing and retrieval.For remote workers, what is different today is the growing availability of WiFi, both at clients premises and in public spaces. Most businesses have WiFi, and public spaces, such as shopping malls now provide free WiFi, either themselves or thorough their tenants. Most hotels now provide free WiFi, and some municipalities provide it as a public free service.Using public WiFi means that remote and mobile workers can now connect to the corporate network from anywhere there is WiFi.Full integration of remote and mobile workers into the workforce is now a reality.
• Improved teamworkStaff make voice and video calls and conference calls using smart devices and a WiFi connection to the corporate network rather than by cellphone or PSTN. Being able to interact visually with another staff member brings teamwork and communication benefits. Errors in communications and misunderstandings are reduced.That allows remote and mobile workers to participate fully in teamwork and teamwork events, exactly as if they are onsite in the company of the rest of the team.VoIP Conference Calls can assist the process greatly by pulling together local and remote teams to look at and resolve a problem.As a result, response times and the quality of responses are improved. Being able to be contacted at any time by colleagues and customers means staff members can respond more quickly;Being able to take immediate actions and be more visible to staff and customers means they can be more effective without the worry of being out of touch with other team members.
• Improvements in workplace efficiencyAs an example of administration improvements, staff no longer need to organise meeting locations. Video conferencing means that all participants can participate from where they are.Having staff available to other members of staff and customers at all times for group video calls, wherever they are and at any time, brings significant improvements to workplace efficiency and effectiveness, and for external viewers, to the company’s business profile.Overall, Business VoIP brings significant tangible benefits to an organization by reducing communications costs and keeping staff contactable. The intangible benefits of improved communications leading to improvements in teamwork and staff morale are not so easily measured but are undoubtedly there.