10 VoIP Features to Enhance Business Communications

There are several advantages to switching over your company's phone system from a traditional analog service, to an internet-based Voice over IP (VoIP) phone system. The biggest advantage of using VoIP is saving 50-70% on your long distance phone bill. Other advantages to using VoIP include dozens of valuable features that enhance business communications.

Here is an overview of ten helpful VoIP features. Keep in mind that many of these features come standard with a VoIP system, and traditional phone companies like to tack on additional charges for each one of these features.

• Offsite Phone System. With VoIP, you get a dedicated phone system that can be hosted on premise or offsite. If your phone system is hosted offsite, you don't need to worry about managing and maintaining the expensive hardware and network bandwidth.
• Cut the Phone Lines. VoIP uses your existing internet network, this makes VoIP both easy to install and easy to expand when your business grows. This means less infrastructure when adding new desks, as they plug into your workstations or directly into the network..
• Web and Voice Conferencing. VoIP makes meeting with multiple partners and clients easy by giving you the ability to make conference calls. And because being charged per minute is no longer an issue, you can now take all the time you need with important conference calls.
• Live Reporting. With VoIP, you have access to helpful analytics that will enable you to better manage your phone system. This includes knowing when your phone system experiences high activity, determining average hold times, analyzing phone usage patterns of different callers, and much more.
• Email Integration. VoIP enhances communications by combining your email inbox and phone service. VoIP allows you to check your voicemail and make calls all from your inbox. This is an especially handy feature if you are taking calls away from the office on your mobile device.
• Paging and Intercoms. VoIP provides your office with multiple lines and extensions for every employee, and with everyone using an SIP phone, this means anybody can be reached with a page and office communications are enhanced.
• Call Recording. VoIP makes recording calls as easy as a push of a button on your phone. Call recording is an especially handy feature for keeping track of project details with important conference calls, as well as training and supervision.
• Call Follow. If you are expecting an important call, and you are not sure if you will be at the office, at home, or on the road, then Call Follow will attempt to reach you on all of your different phone numbers before sending the call to voicemail.
• Call Music. VoIP systems makes it easy to add and manage audio when a caller is on hold. Whether you choose to use music or a recorded personal message, VoIP makes managing the caller audio easy.
• Set Up your Office Anywhere:  When travel puts you up in a hotel room for a few nights, you don't need to miss your phone calls.  Taking your VoIP phone set with you and plugging it in to the internet will give you access to your phone as if it were at your desk.

These ten VoIP features are just are a sample of the dozens of features that come with a VoIP service package. If you are interested in knowing more about VoIP, then call Computerware at (703) 821-8200 and let us show you how VoIP can revolutionize the communications of your business.