Member Article

How is VoIP empowering the flexible workforce?

Hear ye, hear ye! The end of 2015 is nigh, and a new year beckons. It’s been busy a twelve months in the world of business comms, and the ever-growing adoption of Voice over Internet Protocol (VoIP) indicates that the rise of workforce mobility is set to continue in 2016.

Staff are no longer tied to desks, with Cloud-based systems enabling increasing numbers to carry out their duties from virtually anywhere in the world.

There are two easy to deploy forms of Business VoIP that are rapidly gaining in popularity, namely Hosted Telephony and SIP Trunking.

Hosted

Mobility is the way forward for businesses looking to cut the cost of office space, while also enabling a technology-driven workforce. Flexible workers tend to be more productive than those cooped-up with a strict 9-5, with the added freedom said to make for happier staff who are less likely to slack.

Hosted Telephony is a Cloud-based system that requires no on-site equipment, with everything managed remotely from a central portal by either you or a service provider. An employee’s personal device can connect to your company’s Hosted telephone network, allowing them to make and receive calls and voicemail just as they would do in a normal office. This ensures that clients and colleagues can easily stay in touch using a single number, even if said employee is frequently on the move.

Hosted VoIP is quick and easy to roll out with minimal hardware required, meaning that businesses can embrace mobility with little effort and at low cost. Mobile employees can work from their own devices, but VoIP handsets can also be installed in the office to replace traditional digital phones with a plethora of benefits, such as free voice recording.

Once a Hosted VoIP system is installed, it enables businesses to change their working structure with minimal disruption to clients.

SIP Trunking

Of course, a ‘mobile workforce’ doesn’t necessarily mean one where employees whizz left, right and centre. Mobility can also describe the flexibility one has to scale up as your business grows, or down in an off-season.

SIP Trunking is a VoIP-based platform that connects businesses to the Public Switched Telephone Network (PSTN) via broadband, Ethernet or a private circuit. It’s a reliable alternative to traditional digital lines, which BT plan to disable in 2025.

With SIP Trunks there is much less risk of downtime, you can easily set up non-Geographic numbering, and you can take numbers with you should you move to new premises - perfect for a company that is expecting growth.

SIP is also considerably cheaper, with lower line rental than traditional networks and free calls between sites. In the event of a disaster, calls can also be forwarded free of charge.

Businesses are steadily embracing the full possibilities that VoIP services offer, and the modern workforce is able to stay fully-connected to HQ from any location. There are various pros and cons to flexible working, but there’s no doubting that the potential benefits are exciting for the future business landscape.

Patrick Lincoln is the Director of Bristol-based Solution IP, specialising in Unified Communications, Professional Services and all things Data, Network and Telephony. You can connect with Patrick on LinkedIn and follow @SolutionIP on Twitter.

This was posted in Bdaily's Members' News section by Patrick Lincoln .