When you work hard, you know the importance of good communication. Being able to reach employees, clients, and customers is an essential part of running a good business. The best businesses have optimised and streamlined systems to ensure they never run into any communication issues.
How? Because the best businesses use an internet phone service.
What is an internet phone service?
Also known as a voice over internet protocol (VoIP) or internet telephony system, an internet phone service is a phone system rooted on the internet. This means that, instead of using a landline system that relies on phone lines, all calls are made through a Wi-Fi or other internet connection.
When using an internet phone, callers are able to receive and make calls on their laptop or mobile phone from anywhere--provided they have an internet connection. A VoIP phone service creates the best of both worlds, as it combines the excellent call quality of a landline with flexible modern services we all expect such as texting, video calling, and conferencing.
How does an internet phone work?
A VoIP system works by taking your analogue voice signals and converting them to digital data. This digital data gets sent through a server before connecting with the internet. Once it arrives at its destination, it is transformed back to analogue audio.
With a VoIP system, you can make and receive calls, have a video conference, send SMS and instant messages, and record calls. You have everything you need all under one system. All you need is an internet connection.
An internet phone can be any kind of phone that uses the VoIP service, be it a desk phone, IP phone, handset, headset, home phone, or mobile phone. Internet phone calls can also be taken and made on laptops or tablets using softphones.
Is an internet phone better than a landline?
- Requires costly hardware that is often paid up front
- Additional fees for extra calling features such as voicemail, call waiting, or caller ID
- You may be susceptible to spam calls as landlines do not have restrictions
- International calls may be difficult or expensive
- Typically very reliable and doesn’t go down in bad weather
- Supports emergency calls due to one location
- Might have issues with latest technologies
- Call quality can be irregular
- Runs on a pre-existing internet system, which means that little or no extra hardware is required
- All features included in plan and new advanced functionality can be added when scaling the business
- Call screening means that you can block spam calls and these are illegal to mobiles
- International calls are at no extra cost - and may be free
- Relies on internet access and could be impacted by bad weather - - though, not the best VoIP systems
- Not guaranteed to support emergency calls
- Compatible with all latest technologies, thus offering the likes of CRM integration to meet wider business needs
- Generally has excellent sound and call quality
Why can businesses benefit from internet phones?
All businesses can benefit from internet phones. In fact, the best businesses already are. Here are some reasons your business might benefit from internet phones:
- Remote working. VoIP systems are great for modern businesses, because they make remote working much easier. This means that your employees don’t necessarily need to be based in one office; you can have workers making phone calls across the globe. It allows for greater flexibility and means you can contact them when they’re working from home, travelling, or at a client meeting. Greater flexibility for remote working will make you a more favourable employer and will boost your business.
- Lowering business costs. A VoIP system will lower your business costs. Why? Because it’s cheaper than a landline system. You don’t need to pay for any additional costly hardware, and international calls are cheaper. Not to mention the free calls when communicating VoIP to VoIP. This means a greater opportunity to spend the money you save elsewhere, and progress other areas of your business.
- Greater support. Many small businesses benefit from internet phones because, at RingCentral, we offer 24 hour support. This means that if you’re struggling with your VoIP system we are available at any hour of the day to help. As a small business, you don’t want to be wasting time and money calling a provider to help fix an issue, so this can be a great help. Small businesses need all the help and support they can get to build the brand and compete with bigger names.
- A more streamlined system. With an internet phone service, all communications can be combined into an all-in-one system. This means that you no longer have to waste time calling different providers for the different services you use. With all your communication needs under one platform, if anything goes wrong it’s quick and easy to solve. A more streamlined system means more effective working.
What features do RingCentral internet phones offer for businesses?
RingCentral internet phones offer a variety of excellent features for businesses, including:
- Clear voice calls: the quality of our VoIP system ensures that calls have a great sound quality, allowing you to have the best communication with the person on the other end of the line. That’s no matter where they are in the world.
- Inbound and outbound caller ID: so you know who’s calling before you answer the phone.
- Call screening: allowing you to decline calls or send to voicemail.
- Call recording: helpful for recruitment, training, and spotting customer patterns.
- Advanced call routing: for those looking to set up a customer service centre with software.
- Audio and video conferencing: especially useful for companies with mobile employees or multiple locations.
- Team messaging: allowing users to create groups and teams for certain projects and offering fun options like sending emojis and creating company memes.
- Business app integrations: allowing companies to add communication capabilities to their favourite tools like Salesforce, Google for Work, and Office 365, among others. You can even integrate it to your own in-house software using RingCentral APIs.
How RingCentral internet phones services save businesses money
RingCentral internet phone services help to save your business money. More streamlined, unified communications contributes to workforce collaboration, meaning that effective communication helps employees to bond and work more effectively.
A team of enthusiastic and hard-working employees will boost your business and ensure that everything is running smoothly. They will want to see your business succeed just as much as you do.
How else can RingCentral internet phones save businesses money?
Cost of traditional landlines vs Internet Phones
Internet phones are cheaper than landlines. Why?
Landlines require costly hardware that is paid upfront. They also run using a different provider to your other services, meaning that you will have to pay separately if anything goes wrong. International calls can also be expensive on a landline, and you’ll need to pay additional fees for extra features such as voicemail and caller ID.
Why internet phones are more effective and cost efficient
Internet phones are more effective and cost efficient. Let’s crunch the numbers:
- VoIP calling app-to-app is almost always free
- Calling a landline or mobile number costs very little and may be free
- Other VoIP services, including those from hyperoptic or business providers, require a monthly fee
Whereas for a landline the costs look quite different:
- Installing the new hardware incurs a hefty fee
- You have to pay ongoing line rental
- All calls to mobile numbers will cost per minute
- You can’t send messages or voice call, so will need an additional service for these, which costs extra money
Internet phones are more effective and cost efficient because you have everything you need on one service. You don’t need to pay for any additional features. With internet calling, you already have an internet service. An internet business phone system simply makes sense.
Why RingCentral stands out from other VoIP providers
At RingCentral, we care about our customers. That’s why our VoIP service goes further than any other. As leading internet phone service providers, we offer:
- A free trial to allow you to get a feel for the products;
- A 24/7 support service to ensure you always feel comfortable; and
- We check your bandwidth before installation to ensure that your infrastructure is strong enough to perform all tasks without a hitch.
We want your business to succeed as much as you do. That means good pricing.
Frequently asked questions
- A broadband connection: fibre-optic is more reliable, and unlimited means you can make as many calls as you like.
- A telephony adapter (TA): this comes with the service. You can plug any existing phone into the TA using a standard phone jack, then plug the TA into your cable or digital subscriber line (DSL) modem using a standard network cable. This enables your desk phones to make and take VoIP calls.