A lot of government offices use phone systems that are installed on-site in their buildings. These premise-based systems have limitations and can hold operations back. They cost a lot to install, maintain, and upgrade. Plus, if something goes wrong you’re likely waiting for a technician to come out and fix it. That’s what we call downtime. We don’t like downtime. If your phone system isn’t operational, that means you can’t reach your constituents, and they can’t reach you. It’s not a good look for your office. Luckily, there’s a better option. Let’s talk about the advantages of your government office switching from a premise-based phone system to a cloud-based or VoIP phone system.
Cost Savings
Cost savings with a VoIP system is going to be variable depending on your current system and your communication goals, so we always recommend making an informed decision based on cost-benefit analysis. However, it’s no secret that cloud-based systems are more cost-effective than traditional phone systems.
VoIP phones are much simpler to maintain than traditional phones because they use your internet connection rather than hefty wiring. This means you won’t be paying for expensive on-site service calls or hardware that has to live in your office.
Switching to a better phone service for a better price just makes sense. It frees you up to spend your budget on things that matter most to your office.
Scalability
VoIP systems are inherently scalable. This makes it easy to accommodate fluctuations in staffing or office locations. As government offices expand or contract, VoIP systems can adapt to these changes without the need for significant hardware upgrades.
It’s like building with LEGOs. You can easily add or remove pieces (phone numbers, users, etc.) as needed. So, when your office grows and you need more phone lines, it's a snap to add them without hassles or extra costs. Plus, if you ever need to downsize or make changes, it's as simple as rearranging those pieces. This means you can tailor your phone system to fit your office size, no matter how big or small it is, and it can grow and change as you do.
Flexibility
VoIP phone systems allow for geographical freedom, so your employees can work from the office, home, or out in the field. With a cloud-based system, you’re not tied down by phone lines and can use your business line on any internet-connected device. This kind of flexibility is crucial especially in emergencies when you need to be connected to the people you serve no matter what.
You also get the flexibility to integrate your phones into unified communications with things like email, messaging, and video conferencing, making it easier for teams to collaborate.
Advanced Features
VoIP phone systems offer some great features your office will find useful. Some of our most popular and raved about features include things like automated attendants, automatic call routing, professional voicemail features like voicemail-to-email, and business call features like comprehensive caller ID and simultaneous ring.
Faun Cullens at Bastrop County Appraisal District says, "Love this service! Reporting on calls inbound and those that go to voicemail assist in reports to the Board of Directors. The ability of our appraisers to use their cell phone as a work phone has been the greatest investment we have made.” Check out our feature spotlights if you’re interested in reading more about how these features help businesses stay efficient in their communication.
System Reliability
Here’s a big one. One of the major advantages of a VoIP system over traditional phones, especially for a government office, is system and service reliability.
Traditional phone systems rely on physical lines, and when those lines get damaged in a storm or otherwise, your phone goes silent, and that means downtime. VoIP, on the other hand, uses the internet, which is pretty resilient. If one path is blocked, it can find another way to keep your calls coming and going.
Plus, there are those nifty features like automatic call forwarding, so in the event of an outage, your office phone calls can automatically ring to your cell phone. This way, you’re never really offline. You and your office are covered even if your internet or power goes down.
The Bottom Line
Switching from old-fashioned phones to a modern VoIP phone system offers a bunch of benefits for government offices. It helps save money, makes your phone system flexible, secure, and gives you tons of cool features. You can work from anywhere and stay connected on your computer or phone. It's also still reliable even in bad weather or outages, so you never miss important calls. Plus, they're more sustainable––VoIP systems have a smaller carbon footprint than traditional lines, aligning with efforts to reduce environmental impact. In a world where governments need to be quick and connected to their citizens, VoIP is your not-so-secret tool for success.