For customer service and communication with suppliers, every company needs a reliable phone system that will serve as a tool for business development. There are two types of communication on the market – it is VoIP and analog telephony. To make a choice, entrepreneurs should think about the needs of the company and additional features that may be important for productive work.
What is the difference between analog and virtual phone systems?
Landline telephones, which used to be in almost every office, use analog telephony. They transmit voice data over copper wires through a series of communicators. Many companies use an analog PBX so that employees can communicate by phone between departments and receive and make calls to customers.
On the other hand, VoIP telephony does not use telephone cables in principle – the process of voice transmission is carried out via the Internet protocol, which makes it possible to refuse communicators. Instead of landline phones, the company can use any device connected to the Internet:
- laptops;
- computers;
- tablets;
- smartphones;
- IP phones.
And instead of fixed PBXs, VoIP telephony has an alternative – a virtual telephone exchange, which you access through a browser. Thanks to this, companies can maintain a staff of remote employees who will get the same access to the corporate phone system as office managers through IP PBX.
Company’s expenses when connecting analog and VoIP telephony
When choosing a phone system for a company, it is important to consider how much budget is allocated and how many employees are in the state. This question is not accidental since VoIP and analog telephony have different service requirements.
An analog PBX for an office consists of a whole communications system that requires telephone wires, installation of reliable wiring, a server, a switch, and other equipment. Sometimes you have to hire a technician on staff who will monitor the operation of the entire system on an ongoing basis in order to troubleshoot. And this is an additional cost for the company.
The VoIP telephony system is built differently. You order a virtual number from Freezvon VoIP provider. There are several types of numbers to choose from:
- mobile;
- urban;
- national;
- 800 Toll-Free numbers.
Although such numbers look like ordinary analog numbers, if a subscriber calls you from abroad or another region, then for him, the calls pass as “local” (he pays for it at local rates) and not international.
Of the main expenses that a company incurs when choosing VoIP, you will have a connection fee ($10) and a subscription fee (discounts are available for subscriptions of more than a month). Forwarding incoming calls to SIP is free for most destinations. This also applies to foreign virtual numbers – you will not pay for roaming when traveling abroad until you change the forwarding method. Outgoing tariffs are often lower than analog operators can offer.
Getting access to a virtual PBX (from $30 per month), you do not have to monitor the equipment, or hire a technician, because the Freezvon provider is responsible for the maintenance. Additional telephone channels are connected online and do not require new telephone lines. Therefore, in terms of savings, VoIP telephony has more advantages for small and large businesses.
Phone system mobility and scaling
Due to many economic and social factors, the business environment is unstable. And while companies use analog telephony, it will be more difficult for them to adapt. In the case of the COVID-19 epidemic, when the mode of operation had to be reconfigured for a remote office, it was easiest for companies that use VoIP telephony to join the process.
And the reason is that for a virtual number, it doesn’t matter where the owner of the number is located. You can easily change call forwarding methods and adjust the number of telephony users and the number of SIP accounts online. A VoIP number does not depend on location, like an analog number that is registered at a specific address. Therefore, a virtual number allows entrepreneurs to be mobile and work around the world.
When it comes to business scaling, analog telephony will once again be less practical. When new employees appear on the team, they will need to allocate a separate telephone line. And if the company has several offices, then each of them will require the installation of the entire telephone infrastructure from scratch.
Using one virtual PBX, you can implement a single corporate network for all regional centers of your company. And you do not need a separate PBX for each office. You will have an internal line for employees to communicate with each other. All calls will come to a single VoIP number and then be distributed to branches or redirected to specialists using the IVR menu function, which allows the subscriber to choose where to forward calls.
Using one virtual PBX, you can implement a single corporate network for all regional centers of your company. And you do not need a separate PBX for each office. You will have an internal line for employees to communicate with each other. All calls will come to a single VoIP number and then be distributed to branches or redirected to specialists using the IVR menu function, which allows the subscriber to choose where to forward calls.
Possibility to connect additional functions
Most analog telephony providers only provide basic features for local numbers. Calls abroad are paid separately at high rates.
Standard analog PBXs offer the following features:
- connection of extension numbers;
- call forwarding (can be automated);
- autoresponder functions;
- voice mail.
Both VoIP and analog phones for business are very similar. Telephone sets have many buttons, each of which is responsible for its function. But IP phones are characterized by the fact that they can work when connected to the Internet via cable, WiFi, and SIP packets are used to transmit voice data.
But the presence of an IP phone is not required for a virtual number since you can also access advanced features through a computer if you install a SIP application on it.
For VoIP numbers, you have the opportunity to connect the same functions as for an analog number, but there are other services:
- conference call – the option is available to IP PBX users so that several users can participate in the call;
- welcome message – allows you to inform customers about the work of the company, current promotions;
- call recording – helps to control the work of call center managers and evaluate the level of service;
- call statistics – information about the number of incoming and outgoing calls, their duration, and cost will be useful for forecasting demand;
- Simultaneous call processing – thanks to the virtual PBX, call management is simplified, and your managers can simultaneously take orders from several customers or make outgoing calls.
In addition to VoIP numbers for calls, a virtual fax number will be a popular service for businesses. With such a service, you can receive fax messages, even without a fax machine, directly to e-mail as PDF files. This is the type of service that is not found in analog telephony.
What are the requirements for switching to VoIP telephony?
In the choice of VoIP or analog number, virtual telephony remains the leader in terms of flexibility, price, and ease of use. This phone system allows you to reduce costs and makes it easier to expand your business in the long run. To use a VoIP number, you definitely need an Internet connection with a good speed (at least 100 Kbps).
If you need an additional IP PBX for the virtual number, its connection takes no more than three days. For a number of countries (USA, Poland, Spain, etc.) Freezvon provides a virtual PBX along with a free number. Its peculiarity is that it is required to maintain a balance of more than $30, but the connection fee and subscription fee are not charged. Check with your Freezvon manager about what options are available and how to choose a telephony plan for your field of activity. Support works around the clock.
