VoIP Solutions vs. Business Landlines - Pros and Cons

One important decision that many people setting up an office have to make is whether they go for a landline, or a VoIP solution. In this article, we’ll look at some of the characteristics of landline and VoIP as compared to one another, and then we’ll look at the pros, cons and summary of VoIP communication systems.

Business Phone Providers Offering Landline and VoIP

Some business phone providers offer both landline and VoIP solutions. Indeed, there are specialists in each realm but you may be able to find one that offers a combination as sometimes you will need a VoIP and a landline solution to work in harmony in your business.

Let’s have a look at the characteristics of the two types of technology including call costs, set-up, equipment, set-up cost, reliability, features, security, mobile integration and how expandable they are.

The Call Costs on Business Phone Providers

With landlines, the call costs are generally quite expensive compared to VoIP. VoIP calls are well known as a cheap solution to your business phone requirements.

Set-up

With landlines you need a technician to set up the connections whereas with VoIP, you can do it yourself if you have a basic level of knowledge. It’s normally just plugging a cable into your router.

The Equipment

Obviously the equipment required for landlines will depend on the type landline connection you get and the solution you take on board. With VoIP you will generally need a PC or laptop and a headset, you’ll also need a decent microphone in order to get decent call quality.

The Set-up Costs

Again, the set-up cost on a landline system will depend largely on the type or set-up you are having. Normally, you do need to invest quite a lot in order to get going.

With VoIP you will have to invest but normally it’s cheaper than landlines and it’s more easily scalable.

Reliability

The reliability of landlines is superb. They’ve been in operation for many years in business and therefore you shouldn’t have any problems. With VoIP, you can’t use the connection when you are out of internet coverage and therefore you’re at the mercy of the level of internet connectivity you have. You don’t need super-fast broadband speeds but you do need a steady connection.

Features

With the features of landlines it really depends on what you take. You can get ring-back, call-back, and lots of additional features on phones. Again, with VoIP you will be able to get lots of different features, but you’ll also be able to in general access online interface that you may not have access to with your landlines and you may even be able to make calls when you are outside the office from the same landline.

Security

Landlines can of course be tapped but this requires quite a lot of expertise in work. VoIP connections can be hacked and also infiltrated by viruses and malware.

Mobile Integration and Expandability

Both landlines and VoIP can integrate with mobiles and are expandable solutions for your business. Obviously you need to ensure that you get the building blocks right in order to ensure that you get a business solution that will scale and remain appropriate into the future.

A Bit More About VoIP

Many businesses prefer to start off with a VoIP solution because you can get free calls ?and your fixed costs are controlled. And you can also use online interfaces and also make cheap international calls.

Let’s have a look at some of the positives of VoIP.

Low Cost Calls from Business Phone Providers

You can make some of the cheapest domestic and international phone calls through VoIP. By checking through the list of different providers and their offerings, you can quickly find plans that will suit your business.

Working outside the Office

With VoIP it’s possible to work outside the office but retain the same phone number and call from it too. This is great if you are teleworking or commuting and you need to make an important call from your business line.

Conferencing

Conferencing is possible through VoIP and you’re even able to do face-to-face communication through systems such as Skype. These systems do have their limitations but they are a fantastic way to have which media communication and also share files and talk type at the same time. For many businesses in the IT world, VoIP is more a necessity than a possibility.

The Negatives of VoIP

Unlike landline business phone providers, VoIP providers require you to have an internet connection in order to function. If your internet goes down, so does your VoIP. This is why many providers choose to have a backup phone line that they can forward to if they have issues.

Indeed, internet tends to go down from time to time especially if you are on residential broadband connections and this can be an issue if you need 100% uptime of your telecommunications.

Free Calls to Other VoIP Services

If you’re looking at the benefit of free calls through services such as Skype, then it’s worth noting that you only get them if the other provider has the same service. Skype to Skype calls are free but you can’t get free calls when you are calling Skype to landline, you will have to pay a fee even though it is a very reasonable fee in most cases.

Indeed, you can get a package where you can call landlines in the UK for practically nothing on Skype. Monthly fees are not extortionate at all.

The Verdict

Whether you go for a landline business phone provider or a VoIP solution really does depend on the make-up of your business. If you are in the IT industry, outsourcing industry, or graphic design industry, probably will be using Skype and other VoIP services from time to time in order to connect with other clients and other service providers.

In order to ensure that you do get the best from the services, make sure that you have a business broadband connection so that you don’t lose speed and get intermittent connections. From time to time, residential broadband does drop and you will suffer from poor customer service. If you are on a residential broadband connection, your calls will be answered more slowly and you will receive lower priority in the queue than business broadband customers.

Sam Jones’s friend was starting a new venture and wanted to know more about business phone providers. As for home phone providers, sites like uSwitch list all the business phone deals to help find the right one for you.