Top UK Small Business VoIP Solutions

With the world of business changing faster than ever, small businesses in the UK who adopt a VoIP solution can steal a step on their national and international competitors. There are many benefits to be found with IP telephony, but the biggest attraction with a business VoIP solution is the cost savings that can be made.

In this post we’re going to explore what the growing small business in the UK needs in terms of telephony, what benefits are attained by switching to a VoIP solution and who the best business VoIP providers are in the UK.

The Telephony Needs Of A UK Small Business

Considering that business is conducted across borders, small businesses need a solution that is as flexible and extensible as possible. Gone are the days when small businesses should be content with a standard landline and extension per desk. Small businesses do not have to pay the extortionate rates that are associated with a traditional setup.

So what kind of business phone setup is required for the average, but growing, UK business?

• Flexibility - small businesses need to grow to survive, they don’t need to be impaired by the hassle of getting an additional line for a new start employee.
• Extensibility - as if adding a new phone line or extension number isn’t complex enough, adding a new fax line or forwarding number is even more complicated and time consuming.
• Low cost - calling within the UK can be expensive, calling international associates will be expensive. UK businesses looking to expand internationally do not need crippling phone bills.

The Benefits Of Business VoIP Solutions

There are many benefits of switching to VoIP for your business. Here are some of the most obvious, and beneficial.

• Virtual numbers - got clients in New York, with VoIP you can get a virtual number in New York so that your clients can call a local number instead of making an international call and vise versa.
• Cheaper calls - calls within the UK are usually free with most VoIP providers, while calls to mobiles and international numbers are much cheaper.
• Futureproofed - because VoIP is based on software rather than hardware, updates can be made easily and with minimal interference in day-to-day business.

Recommended UK Small Business VoIP Solutions

• BT Business Broadband Voice VoIP
  At first glance you might be surprised to find BT offering a VoIP solution for businesses, however they do. And it’s perfectly suitable for small UK businesses. Features in the BT Business Broadband Voice VoIP package include unlimited local and national calls, inclusive calls to other BT Business Broadband Voice customers, capped rates to mobiles and international numbers, a choice of UK geographic phone numbers and the BT Office Communicator softphone. Unfortunately BT don’t support number porting just yet, but that feature will most likely come soon.
• Gradwell Business VoIP
  With a slew of awards for excellency, Gradwell VoIP is ideal for small businesses in the UK. A whole host of features designed with business users in mind make Gradwell a compelling choice, as does the low price. Some of the key features in Gradwell Business VoIP include call forwarding from any UK or international number, easy BT number porting, email-to-fax / fax-to-email and cheap calls. The Gradwell Multi User Centrex is of particular interest with broad functionality including call transfer, call forwarding, time-of-day call routing, voicemail, conferencing and much more. Gradwell Business VoIP is a great business VoIP solution!
• Vonage Business VoIP
  When it comes to a small business VoIP solution, the first provider that comes to mind for many in the UK is Vonage. The Vonage small business plan is actually a decent solution and offers free calls to landlines in the UK and Ireland, reduced rates to mobiles, competitive international rates, a free fax line, voicemail, caller display, call diversion, call waiting, 3-way conferencing, a great management dashboard and more. For a small business, Vonage is a good solution.

Obviously there are more VoIP providers out there catering for small businesses. However, many small businesses don’t have a dedicated IT department or expertise in customising their own Asterisk setup in-house. In this case, a solution such as one of those above is ideal because they cover all the bases and are switching is easy.