The traditional phone landline is engaged in a battle with the smartphone, and the landline seems to be losing.
The vast majority of people these days have a smartphone. It’s not that uncommon these for someone not have a landline at all. The smartphone provides them with all the telecoms they need, whether at home or elsewhere.
The smartphone is ubiquitous, handy, and essential for a lot of people. In fact, it has gone beyond essential for a lot of people. The phenomenon of smartphone addiction is actually becoming recognised by some medical professionals.
So – the situation we have is the smartphone in a seemingly unstoppable march, stealthily taking over global telecoms supply, while the landline apparently slinks into retreat.
There is a way to make this global trend work to your advantage.
With VoIP, you can use your smartphone is more ways than ever before. Softphone apps are now available to download and use, and this changes how your smartphone can function. It is no longer just a mobile phone, it has been transformed into a VoIP-enabled mobile office!
The app for the smartphone (also called a ‘softphone’) is software, downloaded onto your smartphone. It works in tandem with a VoIP service, allowing you to carry all the extra features and functions in your pocket.
Once downloaded, it allows you to make and receive calls, transfer calls, and serves as your office phone system.
You can call customers showing your advertised company number, you will be included in any ring groups that have been set up, and you can even have music for callers to listen to if they are on hold!*
In short, all the features you have on your office VoIP service will transfer into the smartphone in your pocket.
Because a VoIP system is not tied to any particular location, you can transfer it to anywhere you have a stable internet connection. While using a smartphone, it is using 3G or 4G to connect to the internet.
Working from home becomes as easy as plugging your deskphone into a different internet connection. Just unplug it from the office connection, take the phone home, and plug in to your home connection. As long as the phone is connected to the internet it will work.
Not only will your phone work, the whole of your office phone set up will work. You can transfer calls to a colleague, or pick up a colleague’s phone if they don’t answer.
You can call out displaying your advertised company number, rather than your personal mobile.
You can give your company’s virtual receptionist or a pre-recorded greeting message.
The range of features available is limited only by the features you have on your business VoIP service.
So in the battle between landlines and smartphones, the smartphones have scored another win. The landline loses on the grounds of flexibility and available feature-set. The smartphone now adds the softphone app to its arsenal, and takes the fight directly into the business arena.
See more about the Bria softphone app
See more on our Hosted VoIP services
See more details on our Fully Managed Hosted VoIP
*The features available on your softphone app will be dependent on the VoIP system serving your main phone system