Ew Cisco VOIP Phone System, Essay Example

Significance of the Problem

Today, many small and medium sized businesses face increased call costs, and in order to remain competitive, they need to reduce their operational expenses. However, keeping in touch with customers, following up orders, and managing suppliers requires personal or phone contact. This means that the organization needs to find a way of managing business partners, without incurring high phone usage charges.

Alternatives/Solutions

The company could use Skype for communicating with customers who have an online account. One of the benefits of the system is that files can be sent and shared during the conversation, and conference or video calls can be arranged. The disadvantage of implementing these changes, however, is that Skype calls could be disturbing employees, and not all partners would have the tool installed.

The other solution would be to look for new business phone packages that have unlimited calls included. While this solution seems to be cost-effective, it is also important to note that international calls are not likely to be covered by the package. Further, there is no evidence that the company would be able to successfully reduce its call-related costs.

The organization could also opt for Cisco’s new VoIP system. The small business VoIP is user-friendly, reduces the charges for long-distance and international calls made, and has some unique features, such as checking line and employee availability, and it can handle all phone networks and systems within the company. While setting up the new system would require initial investment, running it would incur lower expenses than the current system.

Conclusion and Recommendations

Based on the above review of available technologies, it is recommended that the organization signs up for a VoIP system provided by Cisco. It is flexible, as it allows adding or removing lines any time (Cisco). It also has unlimited long distance calls included in the fees, and the phones supplied by the company represent the latest communication technology features.

References

Cisco. (n.d.) Why You Should Buy Voice over IP(VoIP) Hardware. Retrieved from http://www.cisco.com/cisco/web/solutions/small_business/resource_center/articles/connect_employees_and_offices/what_voip_can_do_for_you/index.html