Switching Your Field Service Teams from Cell Plans to VOIP (Part 1)

To run a complex and growing business, you need a variety of roles and tasks fulfilled and these are not always the classic stationary desk job. From site inspections to visiting clients, almost every company has at least one employee if not several teams of people who leave the office on a regular basis and take their work out into the field. Whether they are the eyes and ears of a stationary manager or are working as nearly independent agents, your people in the field need a reliable way to stay in contact with home base, one that can be reached from remote areas, keep them in touch through responsive apps, and able to answer their phone from absolutely anywhere. This is usually accomplished through a company cell phone plan, but what if there was a way to maintain the quality of connection without paying an arm and leg for cell plans and 'roaming' fees? With VOIP, you can.

Saving You Money

Some of the most expensive communication packages on the market are those that include talk, text, and data. Pure talk and text packages can be pretty affordable, as can pure data plans but with a standard setup, your field agents need both. VOIP, on the other hand, is different. The acronym stands for Voice Over Internet Protocol, and it's exactly what it sounds like. VOIP allows you to use your internet connection in lieu of a traditional phone, complete with the ability to dial out and to be called from a designated digital phone number. This means that you can still go everywhere covered by a cell tower, you can still stay in contact with your field teams through apps and voice, but you have the freedom to switch everyone to cheaper and more efficient data-only package.

VOIP Works from Any Device

With a normal phone plan, your number only ever works on one device. To be specific, it is tied to your SIM card as are your settings, and all your contacts information. This may seem convenient when you're switching from one phone to the next, but how convenient is it really compared to all the cloud data storage services available? The worst part of this arrangement is if your phone gets lost, crushed, or submerged in water, that's the end of the ballgame. No more phone, no more SIM card, and no more access to the phone number no matter how urgently the company or clients may need to get in contact.

With VOIP, the entire structure is stored online, untethered to any specific device. While your field service team may answer their VOIP calls most often on a phone or tablet, they can log in from anywhere. In the office at their desktop, simply open the VOIP software and plug in your headset. Working from the laptop at home, they can answer from the same number using the same procedure. Even if their phone breaks while out on a job, they can even use a borrowed device to get in touch, answer their calls, and check their messages from the same number every single time. This means never losing touch, needing separate work and mobile numbers, or having to update all clients and business contacts after a phone break.

VOIP is incredibly flexible and is therefore very well suited to the responsive style of field service businesses. Please join us next time for the second half of our two-part article where we'll talk about scaling your VOIP plan to the size of your company and adapting to the switch. For more information about VIOP, contact us today!