Answering the Call

Ken Narita

VoIP phone systems allow you to answer your phone from anywhere so you never miss a call.

Florists and nurseries face numerous challenges today—missing calls from clients and the public shouldn’t be one of them. Many have switched to VoIP (Voice over Internet Protocol) from traditional landlines to reduce costs and for the ability to work anywhere while still using your office phone number.

VoIP uses the Internet to make and receive calls, either from analog phones or through IP (Internet Protocol) phones that easily plug into any Ethernet jack. Once connected, you can easily make and receive phone calls.

How is this different from a landline? Technology is the most significant difference between the two phones. Over the past 100 years, landline phones haven’t changed, as they continue to require infrastructure of wiring and exchange hardware—basically only allowing you to make and receive voice calls.

VoIP technology is different and has literally changed the way businesses communicate, especially through innovation and faster Internet speeds. While landlines require additional costs for add-on features, VoIP offers a myriad of communications features built in.

VoIP turns your voice into data transmitted over the Internet, just like sending emails. And if you’ve ever used Skype or Zoom, you’ve already used VoIP.

VoIP calls are made on your phone, connected to the Internet with a network cable or adapter, or via a computer’s microphone and speakers using an app. To make calls, VoIP service providers, within a split second, route the voice data between you and the other caller.

As your business grows, having a phone system that aligns with the public’s expectations is critical. VoIP systems come with powerful features to help any business make the right impression:

Virtual Receptionist—When someone can’t answer the phone, Virtual Receptionist steps in and allows callers to hear a professional, friendly greeting with options that best meets their needs. This compares to callers hearing busy signals, being instantly put on hold or the phone just not being answered.

Ring Groups—With this feature, the phone rings simultaneously so everyone in the same department receives the call. Or you can program it to ring sequentially, ringing person to person until the phone is answered.

Conference Calling—If conference calls are an integral part of your work, you understand the need for a conference phone that delivers the perfect sound. If callers find it hard to hear participants, the meeting will be challenging. To ensure everyone experiences in-person call quality, look for a conference phone with the following features: a 360-degree voice range, an array of built-in microphones and echo cancellation background noise suppression.

Faxes—With VoIP systems, you can still send traditional faxes from your phone to a fax machine. Virtual Fax removes the need for fax equipment.

Business Number—With switching to a new phone system, it’s important to keep your existing phone number—your lifeline to the outside world. VoIP makes it easy and seamless as your VoIP service provider can take care of moving your number to the new system. This benefits you, as there’s no need to change business cards, letterhead and information on your website. 

Working Anywhere—Being able to work from any location these days is critical. And when you’re away from the office, employees shouldn’t have to use their personal phone number for business. VoIP changes that as VoIP allows employees to work remotely easily, through mobile and desktop apps—making and receiving calls from anywhere with your business phone number.

VoIP Phone System Set-up

One of the differences you’ll notice when switching to a VoIP system is the reduction in on-premises equipment. Traditional business phone systems require the installation of large wall-mounted fixtures, followed by upgrades and IT servicing.

With VoIP, the hardware generally consists of one or two compact plug-in pieces. When it comes to switching your phones to VoIP, you have device options. You can continue using your existing analog or digital desk phones, or if you’d like to upgrade, you can purchase IP phones. GP

Ken Narita’s marketing career spans two decades of helping businesses large and small grow. Whether advising emerging startups, guiding clients from the agency side or now leading SMB marketing at Ooma, Ken takes an empathetic approach to addressing goals, gaps and opportunities. For more information, visit www.ooma.com or email press@ooma.com.