Telappliant, a leading UK internet provider for small to medium sized businesses has recently released the findings of a new survey which reveals that almost 70 percent of UK businesses will be using VOIP telephony services by 2013. The study, which questioned 100 UK businesses from a mixture of various industries, showed that 41 percent of UK companies are currently actively using VoIP telephony to improve efficiencies within their business:  an additional 25 percent of businesses have plans to review and implement voice over IP within the next 12 months. The survey data also indicated that medium sized businesses employing between 100 to 500 people are embracing the technology faster than smaller businesses.  Unsurprisingly the two principal reasons the respondents gave for using voice over internet protocol technology were the need to reduce overall telephony costs for business, and the ability of allow staff more flexibility to work from home or an alternative location.

Interestingly the survey also showed that some businesses still feel there are certain barriers that are preventing them subscribing to VoIP services. The principle barrier was the mistaken belief that VoIP delivers a poor quality and unreliable service: 42 percent of the respondents believed this to be true. 32 percent of the respondents believe that businesses are reluctant to invest in VoIP because the service is not fully understood by management. A quarter of those surveyed also mistakenly believed that VoIP adoption demanded too great an effort to install and maintain. However, 99 percent of the business that had already started to use the VoIP service confirmed that there were substantial cost savings to be made, and that the deployment had led to greater flexibility and enhanced customer service.
Tan Aksoy, Telappliant’s Chief Executive Officer commented:

“In reality, VoIP telephony has moved a long way forward since the days of staff having to plug a headset into their desktop computer. Modern VoIP services are easy to set up, reliable and offer crystal-clear call quality. With advanced telephony features usually only found on high-end phone systems, VoIP gives SMEs a range of tools to compete more effectively with their larger competitors. Functionality such as audio conferencing, call recording and IVRs (Interactive Virtual Receptionists that automatically route calls to the correct department) will enable businesses to work smarter and more efficiently.”

VoIP is also extremely scalable – and is not just limited to the office. Staff can use a special SIM card to extend their office phone extension to any 3G mobile handset, meaning they can carry their desk phone in their pocket. This is ideal for staff that spend a lot of time on the road, home workers or any employee that does not want to be tied to their desk. And because staff are linked directly to the office VoIP network, there are no expensive mobile phone bills. This kind of improved efficiency and saving can’t be ignored by businesses that want to improve their bottom line, or by London-based companies that need to ensure business continuity during the Olympics.”