The Equations team have been chiming on about VoIP for some time now. But with good reason! It’s a promising tool being used by many organisations to make phone calls, connect their team, and do so in the most efficient way possible.

Don’t just our word for it though. VoIP is being used now more than ever across the UK, with many more organisations keen to make the switch.

What exactly is VoIP?

If you’ve missed the boat and aren’t really sure what we’re talking about, let’s quickly run through what Voice over Internet Protocol (VoIP) actually is.

In technical terms, VoIP converts your voice into a digital signal that travels across the internet. In basic terms, it’s a telephone that you don’t need to wire up to your landline system. It’s powered by your internet connection entirely.

VoIP works the same as any other landline phone. It looks the same as any other landline phone. But it does the job far better than a traditional landline phone. Not being tied down to the county’s aging copper cable phone system, and instead using the internet, means calls are better quality. Plusm VoIP can be used just about anywhere (as long as you have an internet connection).

The rise of VoIP

VoIP isn’t particularly new to the scene – it was kickstarted back the 90s – but more recently the technology has improved and new features are always being added.

Today, it’s seeped into businesses, homes and sites all over the country. You’ve probably used it yourself even if you haven’t realised. Taking calls on Whatsapp, for example, requires a VoIP system.

VoIP has been described as one of the fastest growing industries today, and is expected to reach a whopping global market cap of £40bn by 2025. Now, that’s not a bad figure!

There was a massive uptake of VoIP users during the Covid-19 pandemic – an 210%-285% increase, according to Comcast. But why? Well, it’s because there was a spike in people working from home who still needed to be connected to their team, stakeholders, and other contacts.

If you’d like to read more about why VoIP works so well for home-based teams, you can read our blog here.

According to a study by Snom Technology, more than a third of small and medium businesses in the UK have switched from fixed landlines to hosted phone services. That’s the highest rate in Europe!

Some of the reasons for businesses switching include:

• Cheaper overheads – some businesses save as much as 80% on existing costs by switching to VoIP.
• Improved call quality – generally, the sound on VoIP calls is much better and speeds are much faster.
• Future proofing – in 2025, the UK will face ‘the big switch off’. What this means is traditional copper landlines will be binned, and everyone will have to move over to a more modern, reliable alliterative – also known as VoIP.
• Easy to scale – as VoIP uses the internet, it’s a great choice for small businesses with high hopes of growing. As their team expands, there’s no need to set up new, complicated and frankly expensive phone lines. Just plug into the internet and you’re good to go!
• Easy to use – one thing you can thank VoIP for is being nice and simple to use. No complicated set ups. No over the top systems. It’s designed to be as efficient as possible.

Ready to switch to VoIP?

If you’re ready to make the jump into the world of VoIP, get in touch with us today.

Or, if you’re just after some more information, feel free to contact us and we’ll be happy to help. You’re under no obligation to switch over, and we can help you break down what a VoIP setup would look like specifically for you and your organisation.

Give us a call on 01237 420010.