Updated on September 19, 2022 by John Clarke
The first question most nonprofits have when speaking with Ohio.Net is “How much does it cost to implement VoIP”?
When it comes to an upgrade to Voice over IP telecommunications, the answer is simple. The cost to upgrade is minimal, and the savings a business will experience by switching to VoIP can be considerable. Although the dollar amount can vary greatly, depending on your needs, here are a few of the costs associated with an upgrade.
Ohio.net’s costs for services range based on features and size of the system so that you are only paying for what you need. Prices begin at $15 per user on the system, up to $40 per user. Compare that to competitors – where you often have to purchase stock plans that may be more (or less!) than what your business needs.
When you break it down, though, there are many ways VoIP can help businesses save money and improve their communications.
Multiple Offices
One way that a VoIP phone system can save you money is by eliminating the costs associated with multiple office locations. Between the costs of local phone service for each location, different phone systems, and a frustrated IT person trying to bridge the inefficiency gap within the disparate systems, running telecommunications across multiple offices can be pricey.
VoIP takes multiple phone systems and turns them into one enterprise-wide system – hosted in the cloud – which means employees in multiple offices use the same solutions, and all changes, support, and updates happen centrally, saving money and time.
Reporting
VoIP offers to report at a detail level that traditional phone systems simply cannot do. A Hosted VoIP system can tell you who is using the phone system and whom they are calling. Phone companies usually give you a hefty paper report that is difficult to navigate. With a VoIP phone system, data is available in an easy-to-access and immediate report. Ease of reporting can save money because a nonprofit can identify inefficiencies and correct them. This is the case especially in companies with call centers.
Call Centers
There is no need to finance expensive systems with bells and whistles. VoIP allows call centers to use only the features they need without the company being forced to buy and maintain a high-priced system. And, since some VoIP platforms have recording built in, there’s no need for additional call recording hardware. Others can have an add-on enabled to record calls on a server.
A VoIP phone system also creates robust call detail reporting for call centers, so call center managers and executives have access to more data than they have in the past. Traditional phone companies can give a list of calls that take place, the length of the call and the cost of each call, but that’s it. VoIP offers all that information, as well as which operators are handling which calls and other data that can inform companies as to trends in the call flow. Check out our blog “Why Nonprofits Shouldn’t Use Personal Cell Phones” for more information on the benefits VoIP has for nonprofit employee happiness and success.
In addition, call center managers can easily see which day of the week has the highest call volume, which weeks of the year are busiest, and more. That sort of data helps managers make smart staffing and shift decisions, which saves money and improves efficiency.
Ohio.Net’s Nonprofit Stewardship Program
At Ohio.Net, we’re proud to provide first-class communications technology to our nonprofit clients at a discounted price. We understand that many times, one of the biggest barriers for nonprofits to implement new technology is having the funds for necessary equipment or hardware. That’s why we launched our Nonprofit Stewardship Programs, which gifts our nonprofit clients with donated Polycom and Cisco 7900 phones.
Check out our infographic below
There are many other ways VoIP phone system can help companies save money. Contact us today to learn about Ohio.net’s affordable VoIP and other phone systems and internet services, and talk to us about how your new telecommunications system can save you time AND money.
