Small business owners might think VoIP all sounds a bit too fancy and high tech to suit their modest requirements or budget. This post will dispel a few of those myths, proving that a VoIP phone solution is ideal, even for the smallest of businesses.
Small Business Concerns
After many years of providing VoIP solutions to clients, we have a fair idea of the reasons often quoted when it comes to smaller businesses switching to VoIP, primarily:
- We don’t have time to do it
- It will be too expensive
- We aren’t big enough to warrant it
- Our existing phone is fine though
- We don’t have a budget for new handsets
It can all just seem like a bit too much hassle, too expensive and after all, why fix what isn’t broke?
Let’s Address Some Of Those Concerns…
It’s reasonable for a smaller business to have concerns about anything that is going to potentially cost them money or cause disruption. But in most cases, it’s easy to demonstrate that their belief is a misconception or that they simply aren’t aware of certain benefits.
Here are our responses to the common concerns stated above:
Time – once upon a time, it might have been a bit of hassle to switch to VoIP. Not so now. It’s an incredibly quick process and in most cases, you can set a small business up and running within 24 hours. When a customer says they don’t have time, what they mean is they don’t want to have to do anything. Take time to assure clients that the work they need to carry out at their end is minimal and won’t affect business continuity.
Expense – it’s widely acknowledged that it is cheaper to use VoIP. Customers may not be aware of this though. In most cases, a business owner won’t willingly tell you how much they’re paying for calls or phone services. It’s up to you to show how competitively priced VoIP is and how your customer can save money. Here is a previous post on how VoIP can save money.
Size – size doesn’t always matter. Especially when it comes to VoIP! Even the smallest of businesses can benefit from a VoIP solution – that includes sole traders. There is a common misconception that only multi-site companies or ones with hundreds of employees need a VoIP phone system. Our solution is just as easy to install with one phone as it is 200. Plus, every business intends to grow, and the beauty of a VoIP solution is the flexibility – clients can scale up as they grow.
Change – it’s a fair observation for someone to say that their current traditional line works just fine and why should they bother changing it? Why not gently remind clients that phone lines as they know them will become obsolete? BT hopes to have completed the phase-out of all ISDN and PSTN services by 2025, in the meantime, investment and development will slow down and customers may start to notice the once-reliable system has many faults. Why delay what you can do today until 2025?
Handsets – with a huge range of reliable handsets on the market, there is always a phone to suit budgets. It isn’t difficult to find reliable handsets that don’t cost the earth. Clients may also overestimate the number of handsets they need – in some instances a review of their current system can cut the number of handsets required. It’s also worth reminding clients that VoIP doesn’t need handsets. Our VoIP solution can be used as a ‘softphone’ solution that clients can use on their laptops or other devices, eliminating the need for a handset.
Get In Touch
Looking for a reliable, scalable VoIP solution to provide your smaller business clients? VIP VoIP offers an attractive reseller proposition that makes it easy for you to sell the benefits.
Please get in touch if you have any questions – a member of the team will be happy to help you out.