{"id":2417,"date":"2019-11-05T10:00:03","date_gmt":"2019-11-05T16:00:03","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.headwaycapital.com\/blog\/?p=2417"},"modified":"2020-10-05T15:04:24","modified_gmt":"2020-10-05T20:04:24","slug":"sba-voip","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.headwaycapital.com\/blog\/sba-voip\/","title":{"rendered":"A Small Business Guide to Voice Over IP"},"content":{"rendered":"

Today\u2019s small businesses have an interesting relationship with technology. In the past, only enterprise- or corporate-sized entities were privy to the newest tech on the market, as they alone had the resources and budgets to make these considerable purchases. However, subscription-based platforms and wider tech implementation across the board have made these once-exclusive software, tools, and devices available to (small to midsize businesses) SMB users as well.<\/p>\n

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Voice over IP, or VoIP, is one such innovation that many small businesses have adopted to replace more traditional methods of communicating with customers<\/a><\/u>, outside vendors, and coworkers. For small businesses, specifically, there are a host of features and benefits designed to make your communication and workflow strategies more productive.<\/p>\n

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VoIP: An Introduction<\/strong><\/h2>\n

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What exactly is Voice over IP?<\/a><\/u> A collection of technologies designed to simplify communication, both internally and externally, VoIP is a complete redesign of the traditional office phone. By collecting and organizing your voice into digital \u201cpackets,\u201d VoIP sends and receives audio information through either wi-fi or broadband connections. Because VoIP phone systems operate through the internet, many small businesses are able to cut their phone lines, saving up to 40%<\/a><\/u> on local calls.<\/p>\n

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How It Works<\/strong><\/h2>\n

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Voice over IP relies on a PBX, or private branch exchange,<\/a><\/u> phone system that is hosted on the cloud and managed by your VoIP provider. Although similar to on-premise PBXs, VoIP\u2019s cloud-based alternative reduces the amount of equipment and hardware that small business owners need to make calls, resulting in higher call quality and a reduced need for on-site repair services.<\/p>\n

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By removing the need for hardware, wired connections or a physical phone, VoIP gives your business a wider range of options for how and where you\u2019d prefer to communicate. There are three primary methods for making a phone call through VoIP:<\/p>\n

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