Why I Love My VoIP System:

Voice over Internet Protocol (VoIP) is a technology that allows an organization to converge its voice network with its data network. It is technology that’s been around for some time and, in fact, most of the small business owner’s that I speak with already have a VoIP network.

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From an architectural standpoint, a VoIP phone system makes good sense: why build two networks if you only need one? But instead of spending a lot of time writing about all of the organizational benefits of VoIP technology, I am going to spend a little time describing three of the features that I personally find most valuable:

One Touch dialing:

I spend a tremendous amount of time talking with people on the telephone.  Before my company implemented a VoIP phone system I would sometimes have to dial the same person several times because I miss dialed the telephone number.  With our VoIP system, I can dial anyone in my CRM system by clicking a telephone icon next to the contact’s phone number.   One touch dialing saves me a lot of time and assures that I get the phone number right every time, assuming the telephone number is entered correctly into my CRM system.  (Data quality will probably be another topic for another blog posting at another time.)

Soft phone:

VoIP technology turns the phone system into a software application.  The handset that sits on my desk is far less like a telephone and far more like a computer.  The handset routes calls and accesses my voicemail just like an analog handset can.  But the VoIP handset can work from anywhere I have an Internet connection.  If I wanted to, I could simply unplug the VoIP handset and move to any desk in the office.

I frequently work away from the office and need a way of connecting to my VoIP system when I am not sitting at my desk. Carrying around a bulky office phone is inconvenient and not much of a solution. Instead of using a handset, I have a piece of software loaded on my laptop called a soft phone.  This software turns my laptop into a mobile office phone.  The soft phone application allows me to maintain an in-office presence from anywhere that I have an internet connection. I can then pair my laptop with any Bluetooth headset and I am able to make and receive calls from my work extension.

Voicemail routing:

You’d think that with anywhere any time access to the phone system a guy like me would never miss a phone call.  I only wish that were true!  I do spend a lot of my time on the telephone; however, I also spend a lot of my time meeting in person with people.  During these times, when I am not available to take telephone calls, the VoIP system will automatically route my caller to my voicemail. This is familiar to anyone who has used voicemail in the past. However, the VoIP voicemail system shines because after the voicemail has been left, the system converts the message to an audio file and forwards it to my e-mail in box.  I receive the email on my BlackBerry and am able to listen to the voicemail at my earliest convenience.

These benefits are just a few of many that I see on a daily basis.  VOIP phone systems are highly specialized software applications that require a great deal of expertise to deploy and utilize properly. Endsight partners with trustworthy phone system providers to meet this requirement for our clients.  If you are interested in looking into your options for phone systems, send me a quick note and I would be happy to help you find a good phone system and partner for you work with. You can email me at jclause@endsight.net