Every business needs a sound marketing strategy – ideally, one that makes the most of new technology.
Now, VoIP isn’t exactly fresh out of the box. In fact, it’s a tried and true technology that has been on the market for a couple of decades now.
But there are still plenty of businesses that are apprehensive about making the switch.
Why is that?
In general, the advantages of a VoIP phone system are outlined in terms of incremental cost savings as the cost of VoIP calls is cheaper, and flexible infrastructure. Which makes it about as exciting as buying more durable carpets for your office.
Top 5 Ways VoIP Phone System Can Add Value to Your Business
The reality is that there are plenty of ways that VoIP can add value to any business; marketing is no exception.
Here are just five…
1. Think global, act local
With a VoIP phone system, your number is… whatever you need it to be. In a sense, you’re a local wherever you call!
Whether you’re calling Brighton, Bangladesh or Brisbane, you can always display a local number. Clearly, that comes with some major benefits.
First, this allows a business of any size to appear as though it has a local office. Maybe your startup doesn’t have a presence in New York City (yet!) but it will sure look like you do.
Not only does this make your business look established – it also helps to build trust. An outbound contact center faces difficulties when it comes to calling out. But a local number always has a higher answer rate.
2. Be available, even on the go!
The days of the physical copper wire are on their way out. You’re not restricted to the area around your desk – you’re not even restricted to your office.
You can wander far and wide without ever risking a missed inquiry. The local number that’s attached to your business is attached on your mobile phone or any number of devices.
Every employee in the office can have a virtual extension making them easy to reach – even when they’re working remotely. That’s especially important given the rise of the virtual contact center, like RingCentral Engage Voice – a trend that is likely to continue for the foreseeable future.
Availability is one of the crucial factors for success, especially in sales. With VoIP, it’s very simple to define an answering rule that directs callers to a ‘backup’ agent if you’re not available.
3. Slash your costs
Cost is always the factor that turns heads. The initial cost of implementation is low and the hardware is cheap, but it’s really the low ongoing costs that make the difference.
A 30-seat contact center can expect to save around $1200 per month by adopting VoIP, most of which comes from the far lower cost-per-call.
Thinking longer-term, VoIP also makes scalability easier and cheaper. Next time you’re ready to grow your organization, you’ll likely be glad that the cost of adding additional lines and numbers is so low! (Low for both cost and effort – you generally just need to log on to an online manager and tick a box.)
4. Test and improve your strategic efforts
How can you make the most of multiple phone numbers? How about with a classic strategy that (in the past) was reserved for major campaigns at huge businesses?
Here’s how it works; different campaign materials carry different phone numbers. Customers then use those numbers to contact you for your campaign. That enables you to track the visibility and success of each touchpoint – does it convert people into leads?
You always want to understand the ROI of any touchpoint that you invest in– this is one of the simplest ways to achieve that.
5. Connect your phones with *any* other channels
Modern customers expect a lot of contact channels. Accordingly, most marketing campaigns now allow for the multichannel journey between a show of interest and a sale.
For businesses that are starting out with only phone lines, this can be an incredibly daunting challenge. And, if they’re relying on traditional phone lines, they have good reason to feel intimidated; that kind of integration can be tough.
But what about businesses using VoIP? They have a much simpler time, for the simple reason that the VoIP signal is already digital. That makes it far simpler to connect up process flows with phone interactions, email, SMS marketing, or anything else you need.
One major plus is that this can reduce the number of software platforms that you have to tangle with (and pay for).
Conclusion
The right VoIP phone system implementation can bring enormous benefits to businesses of any size.
Scalability, flexibility, and cost are some of the biggest advantages, but there’s more besides. For an existing business relying on traditional phone lines, VoIP is an attractive option.
For a business that’s just starting out, it’s a no-brainer!
