VoIP has been around for a long time. Although there were a lot of reservations about its commercial usage when it first came out, Voice over Internet Protocol telephone is now an integral part of any small business that wants to succeed.
Business VoIP has helped startups even with the most limited budget to thrive. Communication is very important to finding clients and maintaining a relationship with them, something that VoIP makes very easy to do. And because it's much more flexible and cost-effective, there's not any reason to delay making the switch… or is there?
Sadly, there are a lot of people who don’t move forward with this necessary upgrade because of the myths and misconceptions surrounding VoIP.
These cause small business owners who aren’t in a position to make a lot of financial mistakes to avoid taking the leap altogether. As a result, they miss out on a lot of potential growth.
Just imagine how much more they could’ve achieved with the most efficient business communication solution available today. VoIP solutions and services providers like Betacompany have made it easy and cheap for any type of business to grow exponentially.
We want every business to experience all the benefits of VoIP. So for this post, we’ll talk about the biggest misconceptions that prevented entrepreneurs from signing up as we bust them one at at time. More importantly, we’ll talk about why these are all wrong as we debunk VoIP myths.
Myth #1: You Will Have To Change Your Number To Switch To VoIP
With your traditional phone companies, you have to get a new number. This is especially true if you’re switching providers. If you’ve already spent on marketing to encourage people to call before, this is a huge hassle.
Changing numbers mean updating all your information both online and offline as well as informing your existing customer base. Plus, it doesn’t look very professional, does it?
Centuries of having this experience made people assume that anything involving phones would have the same rules. But with VoIP, you get to keep your number.
VoIP uses something called number porting that allows you to use existing numbers when you make the switch. Alternatively, you can also choose from the available numbers that your provider offers.
Myth #2: You Have To Get New Equipment
Remember when you had to get an answering machine to be able to receive voicemails? Especially if you’re going to use a different type of system altogether, this usually means getting new equipment that will cost a lot of money.
This is probably where the misconception came from. With almost everything, an upgrade means sinking money into the prerequisites of that upgrade.
If you think you'd need new types of phones just to use VoIP, you're wrong. Businesses that are really trying to limit spending don't have to buy anything new. There are desk phones specifically designed for VoIP, but they are by no means necessary to get started.
The most crucial infrastructure associated with VoIP exists online. This means all you need is an internet connection, which in the internet age, you already have anyway.
Myth #3: It’s Hard To Get Started With VoIP
Are you dreading potentially reading a long manual just to understand how to set up your new VoIP system? Or perhaps you’re worried about the issues of transferring or duplicating your existing system in VoIP.
In every sense of the word, starting your VoIP system is easy. You don’t need to get new numbers if you don’t want to. Plus, installing the system can be done with just a few clicks. The interface is made to be so easy to use that you can set everything up on your own.
And should you encounter issues, you can always call 24/7 customer support for free. With all the help you need, you’d easily be able to start using VoIP for calls.
Myth #4 Using VoIP Isn’t Safe
Because you’re reading this right now, I assume that you’re using the internet. Do you feel particularly unsafe right now, like someone’s about to steal all your information?
The experience is the same with VoIP. It’s as safe as browsing, say Facebook. Top-notch providers would always provide data encryption as part of the package too. And if you want more protection, you can always get third-party online security.
If you and your team are exercising the necessary precautions, you shouldn’t have any problem.
Myth #5 VoIP Is Just For Big Businesses
Just because something is fancy and advanced, it doesn’t mean that it’s financially inaccessible. You can even get a VoIP number for less than $5. And because there’s no contract involved, you can always adjust your subscription to respond to your needs.
This is why VoIP telecommunications is an excellent solution for small businesses and startups. VoIP affords them all the conveniences they need for cheap prices.
We hope that addressing these myths convinces you to try VoIP. There's a lot to be gained as soon as you make the switch to Voice over Internet Protocol phone systems.