Chances are if you’re reading this you have an internet connection. Good. Chances are also high that you’re looking to improve how your business communicates with the outside world, or even internally. We want you to know that investing in VoIP for your business is:

• straightforward

• cost effective

• incredibly intuitive

Rather than using the phone lines, Your Voice is transmitted Over the Internet (VoIP), the p stands for protocol and really just exists to complete the acronym. We understand and know the reasonable doubts about changing to a newer system, or just change in general. Because of this we’ve outlined the 10 signs that you really should move away from your old communication systems.

1. Your current phones look like this

       2. Or this

If you still have these phones in your office, just keep them, it’s too late for you to be saved.

If your phone system services 10 or more people, you really don’t have a not to switch to internet phone services. It is significantly cheaper and just as reliable.

       3. Your business is expanding and costs are getting tight. Many, many startups fail within their first five years. One of the main causes? They expected larger profit margins. If you’re a proof of concept startup or in funding stages, you may need to maximize your available funds for excellent staff and R&D. VoIP is more than just phone calls over the internet, video, text chat, and integrated cloud services can be easily packaged within a voip setup.

        4. You have a decent portion of remote workers. We live in an ever expanding world of limitless information. Employees don’t need to work from a central office anymore, and mobility is key. Enabling effective communication between you and remote staff is an additional incentive to get VoIP. Over 40% of the current US workforce freelances in some way, and that industry will continue to grow. You want to be able to tap into talent in that work force, and to communicate with them effectively.

        5. Leadership is changing hands. You could already want to switch to the cloud, VoIP, or improved integration, but you have not been able to. Changing leadership often is an excellent opportunity to introduce new ideas into a business.

        6. Your IT Department is Rioting in the Streets. Well, if they’re rioting there may be a larger issue, but listening to them will certainly help the rioting stop. Enabling improved internet connectivity (of which VoIP is a part of) will certainly make your IT department less likely to pull their hair out. Managing traditional phone lines in addition to the scores of technical issues is just another hassle. Make it hassle free and make your techies happy.

        7. You’re bored of what you have. Even if your current setup is doing the job just fine, boredom can reduce the motivation of your employees (and you). Full disclosure: you’re not going to have ‘fun’ using a VoIP system. Let’s not get ahead of ourselves. What you will have is an effective, efficient communication network that will reduce the time you have to spend being bored and increase the time you can do more important stuff, like getting lost in a wikipedia black hole and learning about the importance of being idle.

       8. Your Customers are Upset about their support. If your phone system is ancient, then chances are getting in touch with your customers is a lesson in futility. Most adults do not have home phones anymore, and if your company provides services for homes, you’re going to need a way to always understand what the customer is upset about. You need a reliable system that defines voice quality as the #1 metric of technical success. It will not completely satisfy your customers’ complaints, but they certainly will be able to get the message across much more clearly. Miscommunication causes more issues than actual technical issues.

      9. You just switched to a new shiny ISP. So your internet speed is now super, super fast? Awesome. If you need the newest communication systems then you need internet that is reliable, fast, and consistent. Upload and download speed is essential, but the time that these metrics are available should be known. If your current ISP is giving you the short end of the stick, you should switch. Uptime on the internet is well over 99% as a standard, and speeds for businesses can be over 100mb/s and be easily affordable.

      10. Like number 9, if your internet is still dial-up, you could benefit from some new technology. If your internet is still dial-up, you should probably get out from under the rock you’ve been under since 2002.

In conclusion, there are many, many reasons to switch you business communications to VoIP. Not all reasons are created equal, though. If you still have dial-up internet, use a corded phone, or have a rolodex on your desk, you should consider making the switch sooner rather than later.