An increasing number of small and medium businesses are turning to the internet to make their telephone calls, according to a new survey.
Over a quarter of small businesses surveyed said that internet telephony would reduce costs, and a further 24% were attracted by the extra advantages it offers.
VoIP – or Voice over Internet Protocol – allows the user to make telephone calls over a data network such as the internet.
VoIP converts the voice signal into a digital signal that travels over the web, and then converts it back at the other end.
“These figures are significant because although cost is still a major factor in the decision-making process, businesses are finally realising that there are other benefits that VoIP can offer,” said Guenter Junk, chief executive officer of Swyx, which conducted the survey.
“Increased functionality is all about adding real value to the business which can result in improved efficiencies and better customer service,” Junk continued.
Junk also said that the increase in many business owners requesting VoIP systems to be implemented within their firms was a sign that ‘internet telephony is now moving out of the back room and into the board room’.
He also said it offered businesses the opportunity to ‘deliver real competitive edge’.
© Crimson Business Ltd. 2006
