There are many reasons VoIP is becoming popular in the industries around the globe. In fact, its market share exceeded 31.2 billion pounds in 2022 and is expected to keep growing (Global Market Insights 2023).
Whether it’s saving costs on international calls or facilitating communication among remote workers, VoIP systems are being integrated into many businesses. In this article, we will explore various VoIP examples and see how this technology is proving beneficial for those industries.
But first, let’s see which types of VoIP the industries use.
Types of VoIP used by businesses
There are 3 main types of VoIP used by businesses.
1. In-house VoIP
An In-house VoIP system is a self-hosted setup that a business operates on its own premises. It is suitable for large-scale businesses that have a dedicated IT team. This system requires having an IP PBX system in the locality of the office so multiple VoIP devices can be connected.
Other than that, it requires equipment like IP phones, VoIP gateways to connect the traditional phone lines to the VoIP network, routers, switches and SIP trunks to enable external calls (both audio and video).
2. Hosted VoIP
A hosted VoIP or cloud VoIP system is managed by a VoIP service provider rather than the business. The infrastructure and the software needed are all installed on the premises of the VoIP provider; the businesses just subscribe to the service and access the VoIP features.
This system doesn’t require a PBX system. It simply needs VoIP phones, headsets, softphones and ethernet cables to connect the IP phones with other devices.
3. Application solutions
Application solutions refer to ready-to-use VoIP applications like Skype, Slack and WhatsApp. It is perfect for small-scale startups and freelancers but if you have a large-scale business, it’s recommended to opt for a hosted or in-house VoIP system.
This is because these applications are not suited to handle large volumes of data and integration of third-party apps at a large scale.
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Examples of VoIP applications in businesses
Now, we will discuss how VoIP technology is providing value to businesses around the world. According to Fortune Business Insights Report 2023, the top 5 industries to integrate VoIP into their systems were IT, education, healthcare, hospitality and e-commerce.
And thus, we’ll discuss these 5 industries.
1. VoIP example in the IT & telecommunication industry
Since the demand for efficient and cost-effective communication solutions is growing, traditional landline phones are becoming inadequate.
The IT & telecommunication industry requires robust customer support on a large scale which is not possible without adopting cloud technology i.e. VoIP.
How does VoIP benefit the industry?
- Cost savings: VoIP significantly reduces the cost of calls (especially long-distance calls) by routing them on the internet, allowing the IT industry to save on monthly phone bills. You can call your international customers with peace of mind without worrying about the calls becoming long. The cost of VoIP is one of the biggest benefits of this system.
- Scalable infrastructure: Adding new lines for a growing team of telecom engineers can be done quickly with VoIP, without the need for extensive hardware installation.
- Enhanced collaboration: VoIP integrates seamlessly with collaboration tools like video conferencing, file sharing and instant messaging. IT & telecom teams can use VoIP to conduct virtual meetings and collaborate on projects in real-time.
2. VoIP example in the healthcare industry
Another example of VoIP applications is in the healthcare industry. It improves the existence of affordable and reliable communication between the medical staff and patients.
How does VoIP benefit the industry?
- Integration with Electronic Health Records (EHR) systems: VoIP systems can be integrated with EHR and other third-party healthcare tools. This allows healthcare staff to access patient data, appointment histories and medical records during calls, ensuring informed patient interactions.
- High scalability: There is a hike in call volumes during flu seasons and public health emergencies. VoIP system provides the scalability to manage these fluctuations by easily adding or reducing phone lines as needed. This is one of the biggest benefits of VoIP vs landlines.
- Efficiency in communication: Features like voicemail-to-email, automated attendants and call forwarding improve operational efficiency which allows healthcare staff to focus on patient care more than managing communications.
3. VoIP example in the education industry
E-learning and remote teachers have become a norm in today’s modern education systems. This is why many educational institutes and companies are transitioning from analogue to VoIP.
How does VoIP benefit the industry?
- Front desk support: Landline phones may be prone to physical disruptions, but with a reliable VoIP phone, you can provide extended front desk support to global students and parents.
- Improved data analytics: Schools and training institutes can track call volumes, durations and other metrics to identify areas of improvement.
- Remote learning: VoIP supports remote and hybrid learning models that make education more accessible. In times like COVID-19, VoIP allowed schools and universities to transition to remote learning effectively.
4. VoIP example in the hospitality industry
Hospitality industries thrive on customer support and operational efficiency. VoIP can be integral in this regard.
How does VoIP benefit the industry?
- Customised guest experience: When a guest calls the front desk, the staff can see their profiles, preferences and history on the integrated software. This allows the staff to address guest by name, offer personalised services and make recommendations based on their previous stays.
- Enhanced communication: Housekeeping, maintenance and front desk staff can use VoIP phones to communicate instantly from anywhere. For example., when a guest requests room service or a repair, the front desk can immediately notify the relevant department through the VoIP system, ensuring quick service.
- Cost savings: Hotels often need to make international calls for bookings and vendor communications. VoIP lowers the cost of these calls as compared to traditional phone systems.
5. VoIP example in the e-commerce industry
The VoIP phone system can prove quite beneficial to the e-commerce industry as well. Be it developing a local presence or saving costs on international calling, VoIP integration may give e-commerce founders high profits.
How does VoIP benefit the industry?
- Develops local presence: Thanks to non-fixed VoIP numbers, e-commerce companies can call their customers with local area codes without needing physical offices in those locations. Since these codes are recognisable to the customers, the business appears larger and more established.
- High scalability: E-commerce companies often experience fluctuations in call volumes due to seasonal trends or sales events. Since VoIP systems are highly scalable with virtual numbers, they can easily add new phone lines to adjust this demand hike. And when the companies have to scale the phone lines down, it is as easy as calling their VoIP provider and requesting them to remove the additional lines.
- Integration with CRM systems: By integrating VoIP with CRM platforms, businesses can capture valuable customer information during calls, track communication history and personalise customer interactions. This integration improves customer support by leaps and bounds.
Top VoIP features for your business
VoIP systems come with advanced features that improve the standard of communication among businesses. Let’s have a look at some of them.
- Voicemail: The option to convert phone messages into emails allows you to handle customer inquiries even when customer care officers are not present around the phone.
- Call forwarding: With call forwarding, your call agents can redirect calls to another person or department in case they are not able to handle the issue effectively themselves.
- Conferencing: Conferencing calls among remote workers enable them to carry out Q&A sessions and conduct project meetings. This results in greater collaboration and enhanced productivity.
- Do Not Disturb: The DND feature enables your employees/agents to disallow any call while they’re conversing with a customer. Also, it allows them to divert it to another agent so he can continue taking the call without interruption.
- Auto attendant: The auto attendant feature streamlines call management by automatically directing callers to the appropriate department without human intervention. For example, it can direct a customer who is calling a retail business to various departments, such as sales, returns or support.
- Call recording: This VoIP feature allows you to improve your customer service. Your employees can listen to customer inquiries and note down keywords that express appreciation or complaints.
- Interactive Voice Response (IVR): IVR acts like a virtual receptionist which takes the callers to a menu option so they can be routed to a specific department. This reduces wait time and improves customer satisfaction.
- Call parking: This feature allows the receiver to place a call on hold in a “parking spot” so that the call can be picked up from another device (VoIP-enabled phone, mobile or computer). This enhances flexibility and improves workflow.
- Integration with CRM systems: These integrations (like HubSpot, Salesforce & Zoho) perform various functions like tracking calls, analysing data points, providing AI chat support, etc. They enhance customer service, manage customer data efficiently and optimise scalability.
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FAQs
You may already be using VoIP technology without realising it. It includes applications like WhatsApp, Skype and Facebook Messenger. All of these platforms use internet to make and receive calls.
The 2 types of VoIP are hardware-based i.e. phone-to-phone VoIP and software-based. Hardware-based VoIP uses adapters (ATAs) or IP phones to manage calls while software-based VoIP uses applications installed on a computer, laptop or mobile phone to manage calls.
