Published December 3, 2025
It’s safe to say the era of fax machines and pagers is behind us. It’s been quite some time since we all sat at cubicle desks, chained to our seats by landlines, while talking business. That’s one piece of nostalgia people don’t really seem to miss. From the revolutionary smartphone to the modern cloud-based VoIP systems, companies now have the option to let their employees make calls and communicate from anywhere in the world.
Companies of all sizes are utilizing VoIP systems for streamlined communications, a more approachable experience, and a system that won’t break the bank. Don’t get tripped up in a maze of wires or the complexity of seemingly a million interfaces. VoIP does more with less physical equipment. Don’t let ancient tech or legacy systems slow down your success. Integrate ease and accessibility into your communications—optimize VoIP for businesses and unlock its long-lasting benefits for your organization.
What is VoIP?
You might’ve heard of the term before, but didn’t know what it fully entailed. Let’s start with the question: What does VoIP stand for? VoIP stands for Voice over Internet Protocol.
Second question: How does VoIP work? Simply, it refers to a phone service that transmits calls over the internet rather than traditional phone lines. VoIP phone systems allow users to make calls, receive messages, instant message, and video chat. Plus, thanks to smart devices and better user experience design, VoIP users enjoy additional advantages that traditional phone lines simply aren’t designed for.
There’s no need for a phone line, equipment, or maintenance that comes with a traditional phone system. What’s more, there are no long-distance fees or contract plans with a set number of call minutes. Once there’s WiFi, you’re free to enjoy the innumerable benefits of VoIP!
VoIP is an excellent communication solution for all industries. However, it’s essential to look at the details of what getting a new system will entail. Do you need video call features? Are you sick of maintaining and troubleshooting physical desk phones? If you answered a hearty “yes,” a VoIP system will be a breath of fresh air and a good investment for your business. While not every single organization needs a VoIP instead of hard-wired phones, it’s undoubtedly a good idea to weigh the pros and cons of making the switch. If your organization relies on technology or phone systems for success, chances are you’d benefit from a VoIP phone system.
How VoIP is Revolutionizing Business Communication
Smarter Connections
Your phone system is your inbound and outbound connection to your customers. Whether they’re local to your business or live 1,000 miles away, you’ll likely be communicating via phone either way. VoIP for businesses is designed for quick implementation to keep your team moving toward success. Since VoIP systems run on existing WiFi networks, setup takes less time than a traditional phone service. There’s no need to assign desk phones to every employee or to spend precious time troubleshooting physical infrastructure issues. Better yet, tedious details of usability and scaling are a thing of the past when you opt for VoIP and internet-based features. VoIP connects with computers and smart devices to offer a more intuitive user experience.
As team members join or leave your organization, VoIP makes it easier to assign phone numbers and grant device permissions digitally. This technology will save your IT and HR teams so much time and hassle, not to mention help your other employees streamline their day-to-day operations. Fast and efficient communication is just one of the many benefits of VoIP.
Personalized Systems
Companies are increasingly looking to step outside the box. We all want tools and resources custom-made to our needs. A VoIP system offers greater personalization and an improved user experience. You’re free to tailor your system to whatever your company needs to run smoothly, including remote work. Running your phone system via a computer, tablet, or smartphone greatly simplifies tasks like forwarding messages, transferring calls, and creating voicemail transcripts. Instead of trying to remember someone’s extension and when to hit the pound key, your team can click, tap, or drag icons to perform these functions.
Unlike a traditional phone, you can access and share functionalities across different devices and instantly manage your team’s accessibility to features like video and conference calls. Plus, because VoIP is still improving, there’s constant growth and innovation, such as new features to improve mobility and CRM integration.
Eliminate Your Phone Bill
No matter your business or organization’s mission, saving money is crucial. Whether you’re trying to boost your bottom line to pay employees more or you want to put money toward designing a new product, it never hurts to have some extra funds in your bank account. VoIP can help you save money on phone bills. Thanks to its integration of smart devices, VoIP does more with less. You can access multiple phone numbers and perform several functions all from the convenience of a single internet-connected device. This singular device can act as your answering machine, fax machine, and cell phone all at once. All you’ll need is an internet connection (and wireless backup), and you can wave your phone bills goodbye!
Stay Connected From Anywhere
As globalization and remote work become the norm, VoIP service providers are here to keep your company connected. No matter where your employees live or work, they can stay connected to their colleagues, bosses, and clients. Since cloud-based phone systems don’t rely on accessing a physical phone line, they can easily stay connected from anywhere.
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Preparing Your Business to Transition to VoIP
Prepare Your Network
Is it time to make the switch? You may be asking yourself, “How do I get a VoIP?” Well, first things first, take a look at your network to determine if your internet connection can handle the added network traffic while providing quality voice service. Unless you’re running a call center, the bandwidth you have is likely all you’ll need. But it’s always better to be safe than sorry. If you or your IT team has decided that you need dedicated bandwidth for your VoIP calls, based on your network setup, you can configure priority for voice traffic. QoS (Quality of Service) means that there’s a priority set for any VOIP traffic to get first rights to the Internet. So when Jerry is streaming TV during his lunch break, your phone call can continue uninterrupted.
Backup Your Data
Your business should already have some sort of backup set up for your data, but you may consider a secondary failover for the transition to VoIP. VoIP offers plenty of benefits in terms of functionality and interface, but you have no phone system if you have no internet. Whether you’re using VoIP internally or as a direct line to your clients, you don’t want to lose access to your method of communication.
If you’ve ever run into internet connectivity problems, you know that one of the first things to do when troubleshooting is to check if it’s just you or the entire circuit area. If you look it up and find messaging saying something similar to, “we’re aware, and we’re working on it,” then you know all you can do is wait. But when you’re running VoIP calls, waiting isn’t always an option, so that’s why a lot of organizations use a secondary failover provider that differs from the primary connection. For example, if your primary internet provider is Verizon, you could use Comcast as your secondary provider. That way, if a Verizon area goes down, you won’t see an outage. It will be just a blip on your radar.
As a last resort, you might also utilize your organization’s cellular carrier as a wireless backup. If you’ve ever used your phone as a hotspot, LTE backup functions very similarly. The service provider can install a cellular wireless router with a SIM card so you can pull WIFI from it. While LTE backup is not meant as a first choice, it will do in a pinch.
Train Your Staff
Most VoIP solutions include intuitive call features and actions, but you should still plan to provide training for your staff. Solid training will make the transition to VoIP much easier. If everyone knows how to operate all the valuable features, you can bet that they will be happier all around. For example, if staff understand how to use the Receptionist View to administer calls, dragging and dropping calls for a swift call transfer is easy breezy. But if they don’t, they could end up hanging up on an important client or sending callers to the wrong person. It’s best if you can conduct group onboarding calls or webinars to review features in real-time. That gives everyone time to ask questions upfront that they might not later. It’s even better if your provider can hand out FAQ cards for new users.
Keeping Your VoIP System Secure
Voice over Internet Protocol systems are like any other technology in the sense that you’ll need to keep them secure. Once you’ve implemented VoIP for businesses, your work isn’t quite done. There are a few precautionary steps to ensure your VoIP phone system stays secure, so you can safely reap its benefits. Let’s review best practices for VoIP security so your devices can effectively defend against cyber threats and hackers.
Creating Strong Passwords
We hear it time and time again, but it’s absolutely true. Strong passwords are essential to effective security measures. Many VoIP systems come with pre-set passwords, and while it can be tempting to leave them alone for convenience, it’s paramount to change them as soon as possible. Consider using a password manager, but first ensure the service is well-encrypted and secure. Different organizations have different standards for passwords, but the general wisdom is to ensure your passwords meet the following criteria:
- At least 12 characters
- A mix of numbers, letters (capital and lowercase), and symbols
- No obvious numbers/letter substitutions (i.e., passw0rd)
- Stay away from typical dictionary words
Multi-Factor Authentication
In addition to a strong password, multi-factor authentication is a major tool in securing your accounts against potential threats. It acts as a second line of defense against any security risks. There are multiple ways to implement multi-factor authentication, including SMS or email messages, fingerprint or face recognition, or GPS tracking.
End-to-End Encryption
VoIP is revolutionizing voice calls. One way it stays on the cutting edge is its encryption capabilities. Nearly all modern systems offer end-to-end encryption, meaning your data stays locked down even in the face of cybersecurity threats.
Corporate Firewall
When you transition to a VoIP, don’t forget about the firewall! VoIP phones should be safely behind a corporate firewall, just like any other device you have in the office. Going without the added security of a firewall leaves your VoIP system open to bad actors.
Consider Blocking International Calls
Hackers and cybersecurity threats often target VoIP phones. Much of the time, the call appears to be coming from another country. So, unless you regularly get legitimate calls from overseas, it’s a good idea to block international calls altogether. Some companies opt for calling cards to make international calls rather than allowing them to go through the VoIP system.
Educate Staff and Identify Weak Spots
Cybersecurity risks are ever-changing and can be hard for the average technology user to keep up with. Educate yourself and your company’s staff on how to protect their VoIP systems and understand how to detect a cyber risk or hacker. As technology advances, hackers do, too. You always need to be thinking about chinks in your cybersecurity armor. While looking for potential vulnerabilities, make sure to consider VoIP upgrades that may make your job easier. When technology comes out that makes your systems harder to hack, don’t wait to implement it! The team at Exact IT will help you pinpoint your weak spots and identify useful upgrades.
Partner with a Managed IT Service Provider
Exact IT understands the importance of a well-integrated phone system for any business. We pride ourselves on our ability to recognize the shortcomings of current phone systems and manage existing phone systems for our clients.
