Small Business Virtual Phones: Budget-friendly for Startups

A huge perk of the modern business landscape: an advanced communications package doesn’t have to break the bank.

There is no way around it; legacy phone systems are expensive. Their cost structures are loaded with fees and up-charges, and the complex infrastructure they require is enough to cripple startups with limited resources. Not only are they pricy to install, but downtime and repairs are commonplace as well.

Luckily, small business virtual phones provide a powerful and intuitive alternative for a company looking to leave its mark on an industry. Consider the two side-by-side:

• Legacy wire-based system: Single, dedicated lines with no free calling (international calls are outrageously expensive), huge upgrade and extension costs, and extra charges for call waiting, call forwarding, and call transferring.
• Small business virtual phone system: Maintained by a host over the Internet, with free peer-to-peer calling, scalable and costless upgrades and a variety of big business features like a professional auto attendant, voicemail-to-email notification, Reach Me Anywhere call forwarding and voicemail transcription.

Virtual phone systems make good financial sense because they require little-to-no additional training for employees or customers. Their intuitive interfaces operate on the backs of technology most are already familiar with—namely smartphones, laptops and tablets—completely negating the time and expense of training and the time it takes to start collaborating effectively. 

If your new company is looking for a way to make it through what can be a rough first year or two, consider making a small business virtual phone one of your allies. Because you’ve never had a friend like this.