What is a VoIP cloud-based phone system?
VoIP (Voice over Internet Protocol) is a cloud-based phone system that allows businesses to make voice phone calls through an internet connection.
VoIP simply uses the internet to carry phone calls instead of the old-fashioned analogue network. You can connect modern business phones to VoIP, but you can also make VoIP calls from your laptop or smartphone. Using the internet to make phone calls makes them cheaper and means you can easily get business features.
Prepare for the big switch off
All UK landlines - both home and business - will be switched from the old analogue network (copper phone lines) to a fully digital network by 2025. Don’t get left behind.
Suitable for large or small businesses
VoIP phones are quicker and more adaptable than traditional phone services. VoIP is also flexible and adaptable, meaning you can make calls from anywhere.
Customise your phone system
Choose from a range of customizable features including conference calls, customer insights, call logging, call routing, a virtual receptionist and more.
Faster, cheaper, and easy to install
VoIP is simple to set up and easy to scale up or down depending upon your needs. Set-up costs and call charges are much cheaper than most traditional systems.
Why switch to business VoIP?
VoIP phones are becoming increasingly popular among businesses of all sizes, across all industries. This is largely because they’re quicker and more adaptable than traditional phone services.
If you switch to a VoIP for small business package, you’ll find that both the set-up cost and call charges are much cheaper than when using most traditional systems.
VoIP is also flexible and adaptable, which is ideal for small businesses. In fact, with a software-based Voice over IP phone system, you can make calls from anywhere, meaning you are not trapped in your office. Essential for effective remote working.
You can also scale up the system quite easily, as most VoIP providers will be able to add workspaces or phones to your system with limited hassle. Again, for many small businesses this could prove especially useful.
To find out how switching to VoIP helped a busy London gym owner, check out our customer case study Gym builds its muscles back up with Bionic.
What business VoIP providers does Bionic work with?
At Bionic, we work with the following panel of trusted VoIP providers who can offer reliable connectivity alongside a great service and competitive rates.
- Daisy Communications – Award winning B2B connectivity specialists. Daisy provides phone, broadband and connectivity solutions to more than 88,000 business customers of all sizes and sectors.
- Focus Group – Specialists in VoIP solutions, Focus is the UK’s leading B2B independent providers of business technology.
- Gamma – Cloud-based business communications specialists.
- Cisco – IP enabled handset and communications provider.
- Polycom – IP enabled handset and communications provider.
- Yealink – IP enabled handset and communications provider.
- Mitel – Specialist VoIP phone system provider.
How to choose the best VoIP for your small business
When choosing which VoIP provider to work with and which package to buy, the main things you’ll need to consider are pricing and the services or features your provider offers as part of their package.
There are several steps to take to work out how much a VoIP phone package will cost your business. The main monthly cost is a fixed price per user, but providers will also charge extra for additional phone numbers if you need them. If your business operates from several locations, for instance, you may want to give customers in different regions their own unique number.
You will also be charged for the calls you make. Just as with your mobile phone contract, you would normally buy VoIP call packages, or bundles, such as 1,000 minutes to local numbers. But do check what call charges will be once you use up your bundle and think about how much you will use your phone line.
In terms of services, providers will offer a vast range, with more expensive deals coming with plenty of optional extras. These might include call transfer services, voicemail, call recording, SMS transmission or call screening - to name but a few. Again, think about what your business needs before agreeing to a deal.
One call to our connectivity experts is all it takes to find the perfect business VoIP solution. Call us now on 0800 327 7734.
How does VoIP work?
Time for a bit of tech talk - Voice over IP phone systems work by converting the sound of users’ voices into digital data ‘packets’. These packets are then transmitted either online or through a local area network (LAN). Once they reach their destination, these packets are decoded and decompressed so that the user hears them as a voice. Unlike traditional phone calls, the decoding and decompression is instant, to make sure calls are faster and clearer.
It's doubtful you’ll ever really need to know much about how the technology works, just how to use it. When you switch to a VoIP business phone line, you can either use a software or hardware-based system.
A hardware-based VoIP system will look and work just like a traditional business phone system, and a new handset will be provided as part of the package. A software-based system uses an app that is installed on a computer or mobile, which allows access to mobile VoIP. Software-based systems allow you to use VoIP with existing computer and mobile devices.
Check out our business phone line comparison page if you are looking to switch your landline instead.
How much do VoIP call packages cost?
VoIP call packages can cost just a few pounds a month or as much as £30 a month. But, as you’d expect, the range of prices means there is also a wide variety of services you might receive for the money paid.
The same provider might offer a package of £5 a month and another at £25. But the more expensive deal will also generally offer more options in terms of the number of lines and additional services they provide. Additional phones can cost anything up to £500, so if you don’t have enough included in your initial package, costs can soon start adding up.
As always, think about what services you need before signing up to one particular package.