VoIP vs Landline: What's the Difference for a Business?
Landlines are reliable and rigid. VoIP is flexible and scales. The real trade-offs.
Landlines deliver calls over dedicated copper or a legacy PBX and are simple and reliable but rigid and expensive to change. VoIP delivers calls over the internet and is flexible, feature-rich and cheaper to scale, provided the network is set up correctly. For most businesses today the decision has already been made by the carriers, who are retiring copper service.
Cost
Landline and on-premises PBX systems mean per-line charges, hardware maintenance contracts and technician visits for every change. VoIP is a per-user monthly fee with the system hosted by the provider. Long-distance and multi-site calling are typically included.
Features
VoIP includes auto-attendants, ring groups, voicemail-to-email, call recording, mobile apps, video meetings, CRM integrations and reporting as standard. On a traditional system, many of those are add-on modules or not available.
Flexibility
Adding a user, opening an office or sending everyone home for a week is a configuration change on VoIP. On a landline system it is a service order and a wait.
Reliability
Landlines keep working through internet outages and some power outages. VoIP depends on internet and power, which is why a business VoIP design includes battery backup, a second internet path or cellular failover, and mobile apps as a fallback. Done right, VoIP uptime is excellent; done wrong, it is the first complaint you hear.
Call quality
Equal or better on a properly configured network with quality-of-service settings. Poor on a congested network or cheap consumer internet.
911
Landlines send a fixed address automatically. VoIP systems must be configured to send a dispatchable location for each user and to notify someone on site when 911 is dialed.
When to switch
When the current system is out of support, when you add a location or remote staff, or when the copper is being retired. See signs it is time to replace your phone system and how much business VoIP costs. The basics are in what is VoIP.
Mentis Group deploys and supports RingCentral and Microsoft Teams Phone systems for businesses in Dallas-Fort Worth and nationwide.
Have a question about your own environment? Schedule a consultation with Mentis Group or call (866) 901-7808.