Some of the things which attract entrepreneurs to virtual phone systems are all of the large-scale savings which one can gain access to once they make the switch. They are numerous and widely known: cutting down on office space, on phone bills, on entire employee salaries — and of course, much more. These savings are especially helpful for those solopreneurs who are forced to scrounge and scrap for every penny.
However, these big-ticket savings are just that: they’re big ticket. But the switch also has plenty of smaller savings; savings which, over time, add up to some pretty big bucks. And when you are trying to entrepreneur your way when starting a business during a pandemic (or are trying to keep yours afloat), then well, small benefits are all you can ask for sometimes.
So for you all, the types who are liable to pinch your pennies so hard that President Abraham Lincoln starts telling you to chill out a bit, we are going to walk through a couple of the large and obvious benefits, but then we’ll be hitting on the smaller benefits — benefits which can really add up in price.
But first, we’re going to go over a couple of the basics of virtual phone system technology, for those unaware.
Navigate:
- What is a virtual phone system?
- Top benefits of virtual phone systems
- How to save more money with virtual phone systems
What is a virtual phone system?
For those of you who happen to be unaware, a virtual phone system is an internet-based method of communication. Via an internet portal, the user (or users, if you are a team of multiple folks) can share contact info, call records, notes, transcripts- and usually a decent bit more, depending on who you get your system through. Some of these will play into what we discuss later, because there are more costs than you might think which pile up when all of those things are taken separately. You can usually make calls through the use of internet-connected devices- so things like phones, computers, iPads, or other tablets (as long as it can make sound and can input sound, it can oftentimes work).
Usually, you pay a company on a monthly or yearly basis to be able to (in short) host your number on their portal. Your number can sometimes be ported from one you are already using, or you can get an entirely new number from the company (again, this all depends who you are switching from and who you are switching to).
The top savings of virtual phone systems
There are some benefits which, right off the bat, are pretty clear cut for all to see. Using a virtual phone system means that it’s, well, virtual — you don’t need lots of physical stuff. Just a computer and a cell phone.
No hardware to buy
A virtual phone system means you don’t need to use an actual phone: you don’t need a work phone, don’t need a bulky or difficult to use desk phone, don’t need a landline. You just need the computer which you probably use a lot anyway, or you can just seamlessly use the cellphone you’re already carrying around in your pocket.
That can save you hundreds of dollars just in terms of purchasing new devices; for upkeep, buying new ones every couple of years, and repairs? You’re talking about thousands upon thousands of dollars that you just won’t have to be spending. Poof. Gone.
Unlimited extensions
While it depends on the company, MightyCall allows you to add or subtract members from your team with ease through the use of unlimited extensions. This is a big financial saver right from the get-go. With a landline, a small business would pay a fortune to have an extension for every employee. If you are interested to learn more about our unlimited extensions, click here.
More features = less employees
Most virtual phone systems include things like auto attendants, after-hours call routing, customer voice greetings, external app integration, etc.
Take an auto-attendant, for example. With this feature, callers press different buttons to access different features on the voice menu. Access to simple information can be pre-recorded, while important requests can be sent directly to specific people on your team.
Having an auto-attendant saves you from needing to spend money on a full-time receptionist position (apologies to any Scranton-area receptionists reading this!) and also gives off professional vibes for your small (or very small) business. The former amounts to thousands of dollars in savings, while the latter is priceless.
And that’s just one simple feature out of the dozens of cool features of virtual phone systems!
How to save more money with virtual phone systems
How do bigger perks above factor into the smaller, lesser-known savings we mentioned? Pretty prominently actually!
Your office is wherever your mobile phone is
So right now everything is pretty much closed anyway, but assuming that this pandemic won’t be here forever (and it won’t be…right?), the odds are that sooner or later we’ll all be driving around. And in case you forgot: gas costs dough. Like, a lot of it.
One of the lesser-known benefits of a virtual phone system is that you use a lot less gas. Firstly, there’s no daily office drive. Let’s say you’re one of the lucky ones and your office is ten miles away from home, and that gas costs $2.50 a gallon, and you drive something that gets 40 miles per gallon. Each month, if you drive *only* to the office and back, that’s 20 miles a day, 100 miles a week, and about 400 miles a month (these are rough estimates). 40 miles a month means you’ll need to fill up your car 10 times, which will cost you about 25 bucks a month. Multiply that 12 times a year, and you get 300 bucks. That is gas you spend only on getting to your office space- it doesn’t include things like contacting clients, conferences, or any non-work-related things.
Now, with a virtual phone system, you don’t need a physical space to tie yourself down to. You can do all of your talking online — with your colleagues, clients, and potential clients. Work from any place in the world with internet or Wi-Fi, and stay safe in times of a pandemic. The options are endless.
All of the tools to manage your team are online
When you are connected virtually to your team, all of your work is online. You don’t have to print stuff out for the rest of your team to see- you can email it to them, or upload it to your central portal in some cases. All of your writing can be shared online too — (free) programs like Google Docs allow you to work collaboratively and seamlessly share whatever you need to immediately.
Plus, virtual phone systems mean that your CRM, calendar, and contact book can be placed safely online, where they can easily be updated and edited. If you are out and realize you don’t have a key work contact’s number (someone you might not have in your personal phone contacts), all you have to do is log in to your business phone system.
Save big, save small
It’s all a circle — it all comes back to itself. Saving money allows you to save more money, which in time allows you to save even more. But it isn’t just money- it’s time, and it’s stress. No more rooting through your papers, desperate to find that one key business card you haphazardly threw on your desk a couple months ago. No more running somewhere at the last minute because you forgot to write a key appointment into your calendar above your desk.
And that means you can more carefully plan the rest of your spending out- and means you are less likely to make mistakes or to overspend on things you don’t need to overspend on. Once again, saving elicits more saving. It puts you in a mindset- that every dollar is precious, because those dollars add up- and it could be the difference between smooth sailing and slowly sinking.
Final word
No one ever got successful by leaving money on the table. Don’t rip yourself off or your company off by not taking advantage of every possible avenue that you can! With online virtual phone systems, you can save on all shapes and sizes, in ways you may not be able to predict. But you can predict your wallet’s size at the end of it: it’ll be bigger.
Save and complement this post with useful information on how startups can compete with big rivals using virtual phones.
And check out our out-of-this-world fast, mobile, and budget-friendly phone system for small business. We’ll help your team talk anytime, anywhere, and about anything, at a stunning price.
