VoIP vs. landline – which phone system is better for your business?

Quality phone customer service is definitely the must-have for a business owner who aims high. Your company needs to be available for customers 24/7.

They need to know that if something goes wrong (let’s hope that it will happen as rarely as possible), they can make a quick call and get to know how to make things right.

Of course, the reasons to make a contact with your customer service are highly diverse, it’s not only about problems.

Sometimes customers don’t trust the words they read in the FAQ section, they need to hear them in person.

And you can’t blame them for that attitude – it’s their right to make a call and have a chat with a customer service worker who is always well-prepared to make his life easier. He knows how to explain everything step by step, clarify all the issues and leave a good impression on your customer. That’s how it should be done.

I can assume that you’re planning to develop your startup from a small building to a skyscraper that is bound to overcome Burj Khalifa with its height.

But, before you start adding consecutive floors to meet your objectives, it’s great to take care of the foundations – reliable and empathetic phone customer service.

In this article, we will compare two popular ways of launching a phone system in your business. There are two camps of supporters.

First, there is a growing fanbase of modern technology that lead to the creation of a VoIP phone system. We will analyze and explain what makes it a revolutionary solution for users. On the other hand, there is a group of traditionalists, too.

The classic landline phone system has a sentimental value for them. And of course, we will reflect upon the reasons why they stick to a good old friend.

OK, I can hear a bell that starts the fight. For the start, we will go with still young but already experienced fighters on the market.

Ladies and gentlemen, let me introduce you to the VoIP phone system.

Table of contents:

1. VoIP phone system – what is it and what are its main benefits?
2. Landline phone system – what is it and what makes it still good?
3. VoIP vs. landline – what do the experts say?
4. Which phone system is better and why VoIP?

VoIP phone system – what is it and what are its main benefits?

You probably got to know the meaning and bright sides of VoIP in our previous posts. It’s no surprise – this type of customer service has become very convenient and popular in recent years. Therefore, we just couldn’t have missed it.

Let’s do a quick reminder, so you can have every important piece of information in one place.

The term VoIP itself is an abbreviation of Voice over Internet Protocol. This is when we can go a bit further into this case. And how to transmit voice over the Internet? It needs to be transformed into digital signals. Then, internet protocol is used to management of this process.

It works in both narrower and wider ranges. In other words, it can go in both LAN (local area network) and WAN (wide area network).

If you want to do it in a classic way, you can go for the on-premise option. But, you need to know that it’s based on hardware in your office. So, yes, you’re right – it can be tens of wires, no matter the size of your company.

You also need to equip yourself with special VoIP phones that will operate the system. And all these devices, wires, etc. are limited to managing just internal communication, with no window on the world.

You still need to call your partners or customers, so you have two phone systems – one is domestic for your office, and the other is for outbound calls. Do we really need to separate these two?

This is when cloud telephony appears. It’s the type of VoIP that doesn’t require any specific device. You can install the system on your private mobile phone or computer and start using it.

As the name VoIP says itself, the Internet connection is also necessary here. But now it’s common for every office, so I’m just saying it from the sense of duty.

What does cloud VoIP bring to your business?

If we want to explain it in common sense, it’s making phone calls with no effort and concerns.

A few clicks and you connect with a customer while sitting comfortably in front of the computer. And you don’t need to worry or blame yourself for any issues, especially when you cooperate with a reliable provider.

You know that you can count on him when it comes to the technical side of your customer service. It’s starting with a quick and convenient installation and goes with high quality and permanent support.

So, the technical side of phone customer service doesn’t bother you and you concentrate on things that really matter at a particular moment.

VoIP providers usually adjust their offers to your needs. They present you with flexible services, you choose the right combination of features and subscription plan.

That’s it – you have a mutual agreement. You know what you’re paying for and you make it profitable for your business. No additional payment, no unexpected bills, every part of the deal is clearly formulated and executed.

Last but not least, we already mentioned that the quality of phone calls is the most important part of VoIP. When you choose the right provider, you can explore how many features contribute to the final satisfying result.

Just a quick note – Channels is an example of a VoIP provider that offers many options. It’s a cloud-based phone system that gives you customer data before a call, IVR, Web Call, international phone numbers, and much more.

If you learn from this body of knowledge that a VoIP phone system is better for you than a landline one, you can try Channels, even for free.

Landline phone system – what is it and what makes it still good?

All right, we’ve learned quite a bit about VoIP, now it’s time to move to the competitor – landline phone system.

It’s in retreat currently, but it still has something to offer to traditionalists.

The frequently mentioned advantage of the landline phone system is its reliability. You can make a call there even during a power outage.

So, if any emergency situation happens, you are guaranteed that if someone is then at your office, he’ll be there to answer the phone. That method of communication has the least probability of failure.

At the same time, let’s be honest, we use smartphones and the Internet all the time and there can be some problems with a signal only during events like natural disasters. And, let’s be honest, hurricanes don’t strike day after day.

Putting weird scenarios aside, this feature generally shouldn’t be crucial in choosing the type of phone system for your business.

Another widely praised feature of landline phones is the sound quality. Every word can be heard loudly and clearly. It raises the level of understanding and increases the chance to have a productive talk.

But, at the same time, we’re in 2022 now, so in this case, spotting (or in this case hearing) the difference between smartphones and classic devices isn’t so obvious.

And, once again, I don’t believe that clear sound speaks to you more than lower maintenance costs and a variety of features. There are some things that are higher in the pecking order.

To sum up – there are still some undeniable advantages of landline phones. However, VoIP covers them easily and surely has something more to offer.

VoIP vs. landline – what do the experts say?

We’ve also asked several sales representatives, customer service specialists, etc. to share their opinion about this “rivalry”. Which type of phone system is better for them? Let’s give them a voice.

Our phone system is responsible for keeping the staff connected and serving our consumers. And like most other businesses, we too have a business necessity to allow employees to work from home. While landlines have long been regarded for their consistency and dependability, VoIP has several advantages, including lower prices, higher reliability, and improved sound quality.

And hence, for our business, VoIP’s versatility, functionality, and convenience of use are unmatched by landline phone service. It gives the company the most scalable and secure communication options. Since uptime is seldom an issue with today’s dependable internet service. VoIP has the potential to reduce expenditures by more than half.

– David Reid, Sales Director at VEM Tooling

VoIP phones are better than landline phones as they have a more comprehensive range of options. Companies love to have control over their calling experience to track calls and improve customer satisfaction. Landline phones are getting severely outdated with limited calling features and no good tracking service.

Whereas, VoIPs are easier to manage, and all they need is an internet connection and a phone or computer. I prefer using VoIP phones as they are convenient and more in tune with modern needs; their efficiency is unmatched.

There is no need for additional hardware, so the process can be done from the comfort of our homes. This has allowed us flexibility as we have shifted our customer care teams to complete remote work models.

– Cale Loken, SEO and Business Consultant at 301 Madison Consulting

Landline phones cannot be compared to VOIP. Even in situations where one has a physical business, it would still be better to get VOIP over landlines.

The first and perhaps biggest advantage of VoIP over landlines is the flexibility that comes with it. Apart from a laptop and a nice set of headphones, VoIP requires no extra hardware. With VoIP, you can handle business phone calls from wherever you are. This works quite well with remote working, which is a crucial facet of business today.

Also, VoIP works well with other communication channels. Working with landlines in conjunction with a customer service tool like Zendesk can be tiring. The likelihood of losing crucial communication because it wasn’t recorded anywhere is also high. VoIP can easily be integrated with the rest of your customer service system.

This means that any communication done via VoIP is also automatically captured on your customer service platform. This ends up reducing the workload required of your customer service team and increases their efficiency too.

– Alina Clark, co-founder of CocoDoc.

Which phone system is better and why VoIP?

As you can see, there’s a general feeling that VoIP is the winner in this fight.

Mobility and speed are its main values. Also, these are the reasons why the old and experienced player has his own advantages but just isn’t likely to keep pace with his rival.

Enough of this metaphor – after research on forums and asking experts in private, there are clearly more statements of support to the VoIP.

In this article, you got the full image of this comparison, so you can form your own opinion.