Everywhere you turn, people are on their smartphones. It's highly likely you have one on you right now, you may even be reading this very article on your mobile device. Whether you like it or not, the technology is here to stay - is your business getting as much out of it as possible?
Just as the hardware itself has evolved over the past decade, so too have the solutions and infrastructure that make smart devices so incredibly useful. With Deloitte finding that smartphone penetration hit 84 per cent in Australia in 2016 - a whopping 16 million devices - the time has arrived to transition the organisation to mobile VoIP.
Benefits of mobile VoIP
It may feel alarming to ask yourself whether your business needs its landlines anymore, but a fully featured mobile VoIP solution checks all the boxes of traditional phones and more. Let's take a look at some of the benefits of mobile VoIP:
- Portability and flexibility: Whether on mobile or not, VoIP is available anywhere there's a Wi-Fi or data connection. That means mobile users can conduct their business communications from essentially anywhere, without being tethered to the office.
- Support for multiple devices: Android, iOS, Windows or Mac - modern VoIP solutions cover all the bases to ensure users can access them regardless of where their device loyalties lie.
- Quick and easy to set up: Once you have established a business phone system with your provider, accessing all the features on your smart device is usually as simple as downloading the right mobile app.
- Unbeatable cost-effectiveness: How much your organisation spends on mobile VoIP will depend on usage and available features, but as long as you have access to the internet, most services are immensely affordable - or even free.
- Access to innovative feature sets: Voice and video conferencing, one-touch voicemail, secure messaging and call forwarding are just a sample of the great features offered by the best mobile VoIP solutions, all from the palm of our hand.
Australia (77%) has second highest smartphone penetration behind South Korea (88%) https://t.co/LvuztkRO7y
— David Olsen (@DDsD) May 25, 2016
Are there downsides to mobile VoIP?
While the positives of mobile VoIP far outweigh the negatives, there are a few caveats to keep in mind. Here at Fonality, we have worked hard to ensure our HUD Mobile solution addresses each of these potential sticking points:
- Users must be connected to a data plan: The number of modern offices without a Wi-Fi plan is likely pretty small, but for users on the move, a mobile data plan is essential. The price of mobile data has fallen steeply in recent years, however, and the cost will largely be offset by a reduction or removal of landline services.
- Not all devices support mobile VoIP: It's true that there are still a number of operating systems on mobile, but the field is narrowing every year. Gartner notes that 99.6 per cent of all new smartphone sales were wither Android or iOS in Q4 2016 - precisely the two OS options supported by Fonality.
Not convinced that mobile VoIP is right for your business? Speak to the team at Fonality today, we can demonstrate the effectiveness of our HUD Mobile and have you running to cut the cord in no time.