Are common calling plans croaking?

Posted on Friday July 08, 2016

Fewer and fewer people are taking phone calls for granted. That is to say, more and more of us have become discerning when it comes to ringing up our friends, family, colleagues, and customers. And the reason for this is simple: we no longer have to rely on traditional phone companies and pricey calling plans. We can now use VoIP.

In technical terms, VoIP is a broadband phone service that uses the internet instead of a public switched telephone network (PSTN) for things like voice calls and video conferencing. In simpler terms, VoIP stands for "Voice over IP" which is another way of saying "making phone calls over the internet instead of over traditional telephone lines."

Here are some statistics on internet-based communications that really show where the trend is heading:

• Telecom companies are losing an average of 700,000 landline customers per month.
• Skype's 300 million users spend an average of 3 billion minutes per day on calls.
• During its annual stockholders meeting, Apple CEO Tim Cook stated that there are 15 to 20 million FaceTime calls every day -- and this was back in 2014.

Why the big numbers?

Surely you've noticed that you incur no charges when using an application like FaceTime for that quick face-to-face with your associate who's away on business, or for the video conference with your clients who are stuck at LAX after a cancelled flight.

But phone calls for free aren't the only advantage of VoIP. Many of us utilize it because it has features and benefits that make it a more attractive alternative to the phone company's usual mobile calling plans.

Take the VoIP functionality in Apple's latest version of its iOS operating system (iOS 10). Apps like Skype and Facebook Messenger are so well incorporated that they work just like the iPhone's own phone application. Incoming/outgoing calls interface just like your regular phone, your contacts are fully integrated...You can hardly tell the difference.

So as consumers and businesses continue to recognize the benefits of VoIP and default to applications like FaceTime, Skype, Facebook, Line, or Viber for their calling needs, will conventional providers like AT&T, Verizon, Rogers, Bell Canada, etc. get squeezed out?

Can you ditch your legacy voice plans altogether?

It's food for thought, and even if you don't abandon them entirely, there are plenty of reasons to make broadband internet phone service a part of your day-to-day operations. And not only on your smartphones and other mobile devices.

Did you know that small businesses that change over to a VoIP network can save up to 40% on their local calls and up to 90% on their international calls? Or that a recent piece in PC World indicated that a business with 30 users on its calling plan saves nearly $1,200 per month when switching to VoIP?

Add in features like call recording, call-routing, conference call bridges, auto attendants, and virtual faxing and it's easy to see why roughly 31% of all businesses now employ some type of internet-based VoIP telephone system.

So if you have a good-quality internet connection and you're intrigued by the prospects of moving your business away from your local phone company's services, we're here to help. Call us today and together we'll develop a robust VoIP solution that delivers cost savings, provides state-of-the-art functionality, and presents a professional image to the world.