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VoIP technology has proven itself to be one that is constantly evolving to meet the critical demands associated with a variety of unique business needs. As business owners become more aware of VoIP technology, how it works and how it is has sophisticated over recent years, they’ve come to see that business IP phones boast the kind of maturity and enhanced features and functionalities ideal for impacting business efficiency.

During a not-so-long-ago time, early adopters and pioneers in the industry compromised their phone solutions and dealt with bad quality just for the sake of having “cutting-edge” tech. Long gone are those days, where companies now no longer need to battle such belligerency. “Now, the quality has caught up with the demand,” assures Vice President of Direct Sales at PowerNet Global (News - Alert), John Putnam. PowerNet Global has been a leader in the telecommunications industry for more than two decades and boasts award-winning communications solutions.

Today, a sweet combination of low cost, excellent quality and enhanced features blissfully puts users over the edge – specifically, gaining a competitive edge – as they ditch their older phone systems and embrace the now competitive market of IP and SIP phone opportunity.

Smart Business recently spoke with Putnam to see exactly what users will enjoy with enhanced IP phones, as well as how these advancements made can boost business productivity and efficiency.

Putnam explains how combining by one’s phone and computer technology together, their employees will be able to better and more quickly retrieve information. “Phones and computers can also be used more efficiently,” he says. “A phone call brings up the caller ID and relevant contact information – if that person is in your contact management software – on your computer screen before you answer.”

Other benefits of using this combination include being able to open your contact records to have control over your incoming, outgoing and missed calls in your system via your computer.

Another big thing right now is cell phone integration, according to Putnam, which increases productivity through simplification, enabling mobile employees to simply push a button on their phone or cell phone to forward calls from the office to their mobile device.

“Business IP phones give companies options in terms of employees who aren’t located in the office by routing calls to either an IP-based phone or a cell phone. This allows employees to telecommute, so you don’t have to have square footage to house them in your bricks-and-mortar location,” Putnam adds. This added flexibility is key to maintaining business efficiency while getting more done and opening more doors for opportunity.

“Some business owners have closed their office space entirely and have all employees working remotely. Customers never know they are calling into someone’s house through auto-attendance and IP-based phone systems, and employers aren’t paying rent or any of the other costs associated with having a bricks-and-mortar location.”

By being able to increase remote workers, businesses can then extend their hours, and longer hours means increased customer satisfaction. “Business IP phones create more flexibility and accountability, which, in turn, increases your company’s efficiency and productivity,” Putnam concludes.

One provider of business phones, Panasonic (News - Alert), offers everything to cover all of the bases. Panasonic’s line of IP phones, for example, integrate remote employees and locations without sacrificing the feature-rich capabilities users crave and need in their Panasonic Communications System. Even more, when working with Panasonic IP telephony, users don’t need a phone jack; you can move your office phones anywhere at any time simply by plugging it into another data port. Its KX-NT400 IP phone, for instance, can display video feeds from up to 20 IP network cameras.

What about powerful SIP phone solutions? Panasonic’s already one step ahead of you by offering small- to medium-sized businesses (SMBs) with cutting-edge communications in its Cordless SIP phone System. Harnessing the power of DECT (News - Alert) technology, Panasonic’s SIP phones are easily expandable and extremely cost-effective when compared to traditional phone systems.

Interested in learning more? To explore more about Panasonic’s entire line of business phones, click here.

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