How Voip Can Help Your Business Be Greener

By Author: Staveley Communications Ltd
Total Articles: 4
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One of the 21st century’s biggest dilemmas relates the environment. How can we all be greener? Governments are clamping down on emissions and want us all to work towards a more sustainable and economic future. How does one become greener and Earth-friendly however? The transition is easier than you think.

There are the obvious decisions that more and more businesses and happy and keen to take up, such as going paperless, using more energy-efficient hardware and equipment as well as encouraging alternative green transport, such as electric cars for instance. However, you don’t have to stop here. A VoIP telephone service allows you to have these benefits, plus much more.


Firstly, with Hosted VoIP your employees can cut down on travel, they can work from home but still remain connected to your office network via their softphone app on their mobile. This instantly reduces your carbon footprint as your staff can work, communicate and collaborate from virtually anywhere, not to mention cuts down on travel costs as well, giving employees more time to get work done.

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Secondly, VoIP allows you to go paperless. Fax Over IP for instance (otherwise known as Paperless Faxing) lets you send faxes without the need for supplies like paper and the need to constantly maintain it, unlike older, less energy-efficient fax machines. You don’t even have to print the content, you can use your computer or smartphone to send and receive faxes as email attachments. This allows for a more streamlined and greener service for those who still want or need to use fax, but want to reduce their carbon footprint.


Along with this, VoIP generally needs fewer resources to function, compared to older and traditional analogue and ISDN lines. There is less equipment to install and maintain. With many hosted telephone systems, the handset simply connects to your internet and will begin working. There is no need for costly phone lines and telephone exchanges. Not only is this better from a financial perspective, but it also cuts down greatly on the amount of resources needed to implement a telephone service. There is no need for copper wires, microwave transmissions, cabling underground or even satellites. Businesses can also operate in smaller environments with VoIP phones. Beforehand, some businesses may have needed big office spaces to house large cabinets for their telephony. With VoIP this is no longer necessary.


One of the biggest ways in which traditional telephone systems can be particular damaging is when it comes to hardware waste. Due to the fact that your phone system may need upgrading so periodically because it is missing the latest features, means you could be throwing away a perfectly good, functioning telephone system. Think about how many times people throw away their smartphones because they want to upgrade to the newest available model, despite the phone being less than a year old.


Although it’s understandable that you want to upgrade your old phone system because it is missing features like video conferencing and instant chat functionalities, every time your system is replaced, the equipment and telephone lines need to be removed and disposed of, usually in a landfill where it will take centuries to break down, doing terrible damage to the environment. This process is then repeated every time you upgrade.


If you were to move to a VoIP telephone system however, you don’t have to resort to needlessly damaging the environment every time you upgrade, but instead, you simply call your supplier or provider instead who can perform a basic upgrade for you, sometimes even remotely over the Internet, depending on the type of upgrade required. Software updates can be done without disruption to your business and with no environmental damage.


VoIP also allows employees to ‘Bring Your Own Device’ (BYOD) and use their mobile and tablets as communication options. These also reduce the need for duplicate devices in the workplace along with their power and raw material usage being considerably lower than a regular telephone system. This translates to less waste, even when the device has reached the end of its useful life.


“Going green” can no longer be considered a passing trend, it is a form of action that businesses need to take in order for them to be environmentally responsible, which is a duty of everyone. If you’re making the switch to VoIP telephony, it could be one of the most important decisions you make.


Staveley Communications is an expert supplier of telephone systems and related technologies from leading vendors such as AVAYA and Splicecom telephone systems, and Ruckus and Ubiquiti wireless solutions. For over 18 years Staveley has delivered to more than 150 clients boasting the most hands-on, friendly and professional telephone system maintenance contracts in the UK