1. You need to cut costs
This is the main driver for SMBs,
and in some cases, the only one. All SMBs want to reduce costs, but
circumstances may dictate the need to do so. When your
viability is on the line, management will look for every avenue. VoIP’s
economic advantages are well known enough now that telephony will be a quick
target for generating quick savings. In these cases, saving money could trump
everything, including a phone system that still works perfectly well.
For businesses that are truly
looking for alternatives to costly legacy service, this will usually be the
right move. Keep in mind, however, there are hidden costs associated with VoIP,
so the savings that come will be somewhat offset by these. Overall, however,
you should be able to generate enough cost savings to make this move
worthwhile.
Remember, there are two main areas
where you’ll reduce costs by going to VoIP. First is for the service itself,
which will be less costly in many ways than legacy telephony from your
incumbent provider. Second is the phone system, and if you’re using a legacy
PBX now, a system refresh would absolutely cost less money. There is also a
savings associated with converging your voice and data networks, but that’s
more difficult to quantify, especially if a quick decision on cost-cutting
needs to be made.
2. Your phone system needs replacing
This defines scenarios where
sticking with the status quo is not an option. For a variety of reasons, your
phone system will eventually reach a point where it cannot meet your needs, and
a change is in order. You may still feel attached to that phone system,
especially if it has served you well and your employees are very comfortable with
it. Replacing it with the same type of system is a possibility, as there are
always sources out there on the secondary market.
Sticking with legacy may be the
least disruptive option, but it’s not really a good business investment. The
role of telephony is changing, and there are many viable paths to follow.
Replacing your phone system actually presents a golden opportunity to make a
break with the past and move along one of those paths.
In the context of this article, the
path you’ll likely choose is to replace legacy telephony with IP telephony. You
may see no reason to do telephony any differently, but you do want to reduce
your costs. Going to VoIP allows you to replicate what you had with legacy, and
if that’s the vision you have in mind, this will be a good plan.
3. You want a better way to do
telephony
The above two scenarios are
triggered by events that necessitate a change, but this is another driver for
moving to VoIP. Your business may be doing well, and you’re not facing the
incessant pressure to reduce costs. Furthermore, your legacy phone system may
be holding up nicely, so day-to-day telephony reliability is not an issue.
On a broader plane, if your business
is in a growth mode, and/or there’s a strategic imperative to create more
competitive differentiation, there is a higher-order driver for VoIP. In
particular, your business sees technology as an enabler for these objectives,
and if so, VoIP will be a prime candidate for adoption.
SMBs tend to move slowly with new
technologies, so even though Unified Communications delivers more powerful
benefits, you’re probably not ready yet for such a big leap forward. After all,
VoIP is new for your business, and there are lots of reasons to have
reservations about its capabilities. To minimize your technology adoption risk,
however, VoIP is a pretty safe bet if you choose the right partners.
Once that risk obstacle is crossed,
you also know that VoIP is a better way to do telephony – not just for
economics, but new features that speak to your strategic objectives. For now,
though, the tactical benefit of making telephony better is reason enough to
adopt VoIP.
To learn more contact MCC’s Telecom
Solutions Division today!
For more details please contact us at:
Memphis Communications Corporation
4771 Summer Ave
Memphis, TN 38122
Tel: 901.725.9271
Fax: 901.272.3577
Toll Free: 866.805.5893
Service and Supplies: 901.257.2500
Website: http://www.memphiscommunications.net
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