Advancements in technology have made today’s businesses unrecognizable to those of the past. Some of the most significant changes have dramatically affected the overall speed and efficiency in which people complete their work. The shift in technology has impacted the way business communications occur. And the rising adoption of Session Initiation Protocol (SIP) technology and similar solutions have benefited small and medium-sized businesses (SMBs). SIP provides them with the same tools once only available to larger corporations. This technology uses a broadband IP connection to call people all around the world.
While many SMBs still rely on analog phone solutions, over 70 percent of SMBs expect to purchase some form of SIP communications in the next few years for many reasons, including these:
- Advanced Features
Whether it’s a young tech startup, local bookstore, or franchised clothing shop, businesses that adopt SIP phone systems receive a multitude of benefits often unavailable with traditional analog systems. Analog phone solutions often provide only the most basic features such as dial tone, voicemail and call forwarding. But SIP-based solutions deliver much more. Think IVR (interactive voice response) auto attendant, DID (direct inward dial) routing, and voicemail-to-email. SIP providers usually include these features in low monthly costs. While it's possible for a business to get some of these advanced features paired with an analog system, they would need an IT staff to manage the onsite system—usually a costly investment. New SIP phone systems are intuitively designed to deliver these advanced features without the need for any training, enabling employees to benefit from the advantages of SIP right away. - Easy Scalability
Another advantage of SIP solutions comes from the ability to add or remove lines based on current business needs. While an SMB might only have three employees now, it may hire more employees as the business grows (or as a seasonal sale approaches). Traditional analog solutions require a business to purchase additional physical lines early on in anticipation of increased demand. But SIP solutions work via virtual lines, so a business can add or drop lines at any time. - Mobility
Today’s SIP solutions are designed with convenience of use and mobility in mind. The addition of a SIP-based cordless phone solution eliminates the tangle of wires associated with traditional deskset setups while still retaining many of the same features, such as large display screens and programmable feature keys. A cordless solution enables employees to take calls from anywhere in the office as long as internet access is provided. In a SMB environment where employees have to juggle multiple roles and responsibilities, a cordless phone solution lets users take customer service calls while checking inventory or handling office logistics without worry of interruption.
SMBs of today have access to a whole new realm of tools and technology aimed at increasing the speed and efficiency of work. SIP-based telephony solutions offer many of the same features that were once only available to larger corporations without the need for steep learning curves. As SMBs consider upgrading existing telephony infrastructure, SIP-based telephony solutions provide a multitude of features, are easily scalable, and offer increased mobility to the shifting SMB landscape.
