By CURTIS PARTRIDGE

VoIP (Voice over Internet Protocol) systems and the ability to transmit telephone calls via the Internet have been evolving since their inception in the late 90's. The quality has improved greatly, and it has become the standard for business telephone communications. Traditional telephone system providers have either pivoted to VoIP or left the market entirely.

Cost is a large advantage of VoIP saving companies sometimes as much as 60 percent on their telephone bills, but like everything involving technology, innovation is now winning the day. Unified communication is now the buzzword involving mobile devices, voice-to-text, team messaging, video conferencing, conference calling, and advanced call routing.

A VoIP strategy can save much more than just phone bills. Some of the advantages for a modern medical practice include...

• For multi-location practices you can operate across all your sites with one telephone system. This means all inbound calls can be answered for all locations at one office, or you can distribute calls across multiple users no matter which office they work in.
• Promotes collaboration and interaction because doctors and medical staff can communicate in real time using features such as video conferencing, instant messaging, and more.
• Patient data can be managed more efficiently by integrating the VoIP telephone system with your current electronic medical records to show patient data on inbound calls.
• Features such as auto attendant and Find Me enhances service and productivity because doctors can easily connect with patients, staff, and other healthcare providers when they are on the go.
• Automated attendants can lower inbound call volume by allowing general information to be relayed to callers.
• Integrated mobile applications allow doctors and staff to call patients without revealing their personal cell phone numbers.
• Cloud-based VoIP telephone systems offer improved business continuity because calls can be routed anywhere including multiple mobile phones.
• Automated call routing can allow your staff to live answer calls, but when they are busy or unavailable an automated attendant can automatically take over answering calls.
• Voice to text features now allow doctors and staff to read voicemail transcripts as text messages without taking the time of listening to each message.
• For transient staff members that do not have a desk they can enjoy the features of the telephone system by utilizing a mobile application.
• Call reporting can instantly show average hold times for callers and where you may need to increase resources to cover inbound telephone calls.
• Cloud-based VoIP telephone systems easily grow and contract as the needs of a practice changes.

A good telephone system provider can consult with your team on the best solutions that fit your practice. This more than just saving money on your monthly phone bill. They can provide an overall structure and strategy to improve customer service and your staff productivity. They can possibly also integrate elements of your current telephone system to save the practice money during the transition to a cloud-based telephone system.

Curtis Partridge has over 20 years of experience in information technology focused on small to medium businesses. He has been a corporate IT manager as well as a consultant. He is currently Senior Systems Engineer for Lotus Management Services consults with businesses to implement and manage technology solutions. Visit https://lotusmserv.com/