Top 10 Reasons to Transition to an IP PBX

Transitioning a business to an IP PBX phone system from a business from a legacy phone system that has "worked fine for years" is indeed a daunting task.

And, of course, it's human nature to avoid, or at least procrastinate when it comes to making decisions that can potentially be painful.

So, we thought you could use a little extra motivation in executing your dream of using IP technology to converge your voice and data networks, which is why we created a list of the Top 10 reasons you should begin your migration to an IP PBX today!

The Top 10 Reasons to Switch to a New VoIP Phone Systems Today:

Reason 1: IP phone systems are a lot simpler to install, configure, manage, and maintain.

- Compared to legacy TDM PBXs, todays IP PBX makers have made their products easy enough to install and administer that in many cases someone who has configured their own PC or set up their own WiFi router can rather easily install and manage a small office IP system.

Reason 2: Eliminate duplicate phone wiring!

- VoIP PBXs utilize the same network cabling as your office's existing data LAN. That means there's no more need to invest the time and money in multiple wiring runs to each desk and office.

Reason 3: Free yourself from vendor lock!

- Most of today's IP phone systems utilize the SIP standard. This means that, with many manufacturers' IP PBX products, you can mix and match brands of phones, VoIP gateways, software, and SIP trunks. Gone are the days of having to buy all of your telecom hardware and software from the same vendor!

Reason 4: Web-based GUI Management

- With traditional PBXs you often to call your "phone guy" to come in and perform basic MACDs (moves, adds, changes, deletions) to your system when you hired a new employee or fired one, moved offices, or needed a new auto attendant recording added. With today's IP phone solutions it's a breeze to perform these common, every day IP PBX MACDs on your own, so you don't have to a) pay the hourly rate of your "phone guy", or c) wait days or weeks to make a simple change.

Reason 5: VoIP providers offer significant monthly savings!

- This is often the most commonly thought of benefit of VoIP and IP PBX phone systems - lower monthly phone bills and no long distance toll charges. While VoIP systems offer a lot more important benefits than this (after all, today's toll charges becoming smaller and smaller), many small business' who have remote office and/or make lots of long distance calls often see thousands of dollars in monthly cost savings. Look into which SIP trunk services are offered in your office's region (think of SIP Trunks this way: they are to business as what Vonage is to residential users).

Reason 6: User-friendlier phone usability (whoa, that's a tongue-twister and, even more likely, not an appropriate term!)

- Nonetheless, today's SIP phones are more sophisticated and often much easier to use, with larger LCD screens presenting more relevant info, built-in web browsers, HD (high def) audio. Yes, some employees who has been using the same ol' digital desk sets for the last 10 years will probably scream and cry when they have to learn to use a new interface. But, we promise they'll likely become more productive once they get over the learning hump!

Reason 7: Cool features like Hot Desking, Find Me/Follow Me, and Roaming.

As we touched upon above, cost savings is just the beginning of what an IP PBX can offer. More importantly than saving pennies is worker productivity and job efficiency. IP phone system users can take their IP phones wherever they go and simply plug them into an existing LAN drop. Warehouse workers no longer have to run the 100 meter dash to pick up an incoming call. Workers can move from desk to desk on any given day and have their same extension number follow them wherever they go.

Reason 8: Improved phone system scaleability

- Are you an entrepreneur who is growing a business? Do you run a small business that is likely to grow your employee headcount by the dozens in a short period of time? Are you in an industry that requires regular churn of staff headcount? IP PBX phone systems allow you to start small and grow big without having to switch from one new phone to system to another. Similar system upgrades with legacy TDM PBX phone systems required more hardware to be added that increased the number of ports necessary to add new extensions and voicemail boxes, often costing hundreds if not thousands of dollars.

Reason 9: Improved customer service and employee productivity

- Ever improving CTI (computer telephony integration) features, especially surrounding CRM solutions. For example, IP PBX systems allow your employes to be better prepared when fielding and placing customer calls, thus improving customer satisfaction, by using caller ID to show a screen pop on your employees computer screen for a given customer's account information.

Reason 10: Create a unified phone system across all your office locations.

- Does your business have remote branch offices in different parts of the city, state, country, or even the world? If so, chances are each of those offices uses a different brand and type of phone system of a different age from a different manufacturer with varying feature sets that was installed for a different price. IP PBX systems allow you to create a unified telecommunications network across all your locations thus exponentially magnifying all of the previous nine benefits and therefore, the reward you gain from them!

As you can see, the list of reasons that a small business can enjoy from installing a new IP PBX phone system is both real and extensive.

Sure, the importance of the types of benefits listed above varies greatly from one company to another. And, such a perfect phone system panacea isn't created overnight.

But, the sooner you stop procrastinating and get started on the project of reasearching, shopping for, installing, and training your staff for a new IP PBX and all of the productivity, and even lifestyle enhancements they can offer, the sooner you're business can see its top and bottom lines improving!