Voice Over Internet Protocol, or VoIP, is a beneficial tool for any company that wants to move away from traditional landline systems and harness the efficacy of their internet connectivity. It is a telecommunications solution that enables companies to make phone calls over their own internet connections using VoIP phones or computers and other data driven devices.

VoIP comes with numerous features that make it a multifaceted and convenient tool for you and your customers or clients. These features include:

• Call forwarding, or the re-routing of incoming calls to different destinations
• Voicemail to text or email messaging, with which voice messages can be converted into text on a laptop or smartphone
• Auto-attendants, or digital receptionists, which are voice menu systems that allow callers to be immediately transferred to the relevant extension
• Call analytics, which you can use to collect and measure your phone call data in order to optimise marketing campaigns and call handling

What’s also great about VoIP is its potential for sustainability. You can use this tool to reduce your company’s carbon footprint and make a positive impact on the environment. Here’s how. 

Fewer resources needed

You don’t need the same amount of resources for a VoIP system that you would need for a regular landline system. A public switched telephone network, or PSTN, relies on a great deal of infrastructure to operate, including dedicated copper lines, undersea telephone cables, telephone exchanges, communication satellites and microwave transmissions.

PSTNs consume a great deal of power, while a VoIP system simply requires a stable internet connection to operate smoothly. You can also choose not to install a VoIP deskphone and just opt for a softphone, which is an online program for making telephone calls using your computer or smartphone. No matter the choice you make, you’ll be using far less equipment than you would if you had a traditional landline.

Reduced company travel

VoIP enables connectivity via video conferencing and mobile applications. This means that employees can communicate with clients directly from the office, which in turn reduces the need for them to drive to meetings. Company transport can be reduced and, as a result, the carbon emissions your company is responsible for are decreased.

Reusable hardware

VoIP is an adaptable business tool that you can easily integrate into your current office hardware. You can keep your original office telephones and connect them to your VoIP systems, making for a quick change from one system to another. In essence, you can repurpose your existing hardware.

Traditional landline systems, on the other hand, need to be upgraded on a regular basis, a necessity that is not only expensive, but which can also be very wasteful. Whenever you replace a telephone system, the equipment, such as the systems wiring, needs to be removed and eventually makes its way to a landfill where it will take a long period of time to break down.

Less use of paper

You and employees will, at times, need to handle hardcopies of certain documentation. There’s no doubt about that. But VoIP can help you reduce your business’s use of paper. With this tool, documents such as faxes can be stored, accessed and disseminated online thanks to the use of fax over IP. It’s just one means to save your office paper for something more important.

VoIP has many benefits. It’s a robust and multi-faceted tool that far outweighs traditional landline systems in terms of functionality and convenience. Added to that, it can help your company benefit the environment more. With it you can reuse hardware, save up on paper, reduce your carbon emissions and do away with resources associated with conventional landlines. Harness this tool, and not only will your company’s productivity increase, but you’ll be helping the environment as well.