How Hosted VoIP Outshines Landlines During Inclement Weather

Living in the Hawkeye State means dealing with all sorts of wild weather – tornadoes in the summer and snowstorms that can bury you in winter. When the weather gets severe, the last thing you need is your phone system to give up on you.

This is where Hosted VoIP (Voice over Internet Protocol) shines brightly over traditional landlines.

The Benefits of VoIP: Resilience in Inclement Weather

When the weather turns rough, businesses need communication systems they can rely on. Here’s how VoIP stands strong:

1. Geographic Flexibility

Picture this: a storm knocks out power and sends telephone poles crashing like dominoes. With traditional landlines, you’d be out of luck. But VoIP? You could continue on with your workday like nothing happened. Why? Because VoIP relies on internet connectivity rather than physical lines, you can keep making and receiving calls from anywhere with Wi-Fi, even if the local infrastructure takes a beating from the storm.

2. Redundancy and Reliability

VoIP providers know that downtime is a business’s worst enemy. That’s why they’ve got backup plans for their backup plans. With redundant servers and data centers spread across different locations, VoIP can quickly reroute your calls and keep your lines open, even if a server gets knocked offline by a lightning bolt or a power outage.

3. Remote Accessibility

When the roads are blocked, and the office is inaccessible, traditional landlines are stuck in one place, gathering dust. But VoIP? It’s your ticket to freedom. With VoIP, your team can work from home, the local coffee shop, or anywhere with internet access. No need to miss a beat – or a call – just because the weather has other plans. Which brings us to another benefit: device flexibility!

4. Device Flexibility

With VoIP, you don’t need to keep specific equipment in your home office to weather a storm. Thanks to softphone applications, you can turn any device into a secure business line! Now, employees can make and take essential calls from cell phones, tablets, and even laptops, which is beneficial if your home Wi-Fi is disrupted. Thanks to the softphone apps, you can use your 4 or 5G LTE network to stay connected and relocate your office as needed. And that’s just the start of the benefits of VoIP. But let’s stay on topic.

VoIP vs. Landline: A Clear Contrast

When it comes to weathering the storm, the benefits of VoIP outshine traditional landline systems in several key aspects:

1. Infrastructure Dependence

Traditional landline systems rely heavily on physical infrastructure, including telephone poles, wires, and central switching stations. These components are vulnerable to damage from high winds, lightning strikes, flooding, and other weather-related events, leading to widespread outages and communication breakdowns. Which, in turn, can lead to massive financial losses. In their annual outage losses study last year, The Uptime Institute reported that 45 percent of companies who experienced an outage lost $100,000 – $1 million because of it. Ouch.

2. Limited Mobility

Unlike VoIP, which operates over the internet, landlines are fixed to specific locations. Ever tried to pack up a landline and take it with you? Spoiler alert: it doesn’t work. In the event of an evacuation or temporary relocation due to inclement weather, businesses using landlines will struggle to maintain communication continuity, potentially losing touch with customers and partners. Or have no continuity at all.

3. More Expensive

Let’s talk dollars and cents. Traditional landlines come with a laundry list of expenses – hardware, maintenance, long-distance charges – the list goes on. Not VoIP.

Not only is VoIP resilient during inclement weather, but it also throws that laundry list in the trash. On average, companies can save up to 30 to 50 percent when they switch to VoIP.

VoIP also provides flexibility in pricing plans, allowing businesses to scale their communication needs according to demand.

So, there you have it – the lowdown on why VoIP is the undisputed champ when Iowa’s weather decides to throw a tantrum. It’s resilient, flexible, and budget-friendly – a triple threat that makes it the go-to solution for businesses in Iowa and nationwide.

Experience All the Benefits of VoIP with United Business Technologies

At UBT, we get it. We know your business can’t afford to be stranded without a lifeline when the weather throws a curveball. Our hosted VoIP solutions are designed to keep your communications running, rain or shine. If you’re ready for unstoppable communication, reach out to our team! We can help you ride the storm, not get swept away by it.