Steve Jobs, in one of his interviews had said that if not for their blue box business, Apple would not be a reality today. While the two events may seem disjoint at first sight but they do give a sneak peek on how the communication landscape was shaping up in the early 1990s. The Blue Box does have some congruence with the modern day IP phone systems. Blue Box allowed users to make unlimited phone calls (international and domestic) for free.
Blue Box was a great hit because they made calls free (domestic as well as international) and VoIP offers a range of cost-effective calling features.
VoIP breaks traditional network roadblocks and leverages existing network services to offer a more integrated communication solution that benefits general users and enterprises alike. The large scale integration coupled with the digital communication mediums is set to redefine personal and professional workplaces. A study by future market insights on VoIP industry trends reveals that market for Voice over Internet Protocol (VoIP) will touch $204.8 billion (£144.7 billion) worth of subscriber base by 2020. A few other highlights of the report include:
- By 2019 computer-to-computer VoIP services will register $24.74 billion in revenue with 72.2 million subscribers.
- Industry Growth will be primarily driven by trending technology like AI, Cloud etc.
- Cost efficiency will determine fast track adoption among SMEs.
- VoIP will be at the center of telecommunication service providers like Reliance JIO in India.
- With 128.3 million user base Phone-to-Phone VoIP Services will record $56.56 billion in revenue by 2019.
Here are 3 Important Trends That Will Redefine VoIP in 2019.
Work On-The-Go
VoIP Systems could be the torch bearer for the work-from-anywhere Culture. Smartphones today define as well as command our personal and professional lives. Especially workplace which requires agility and constant collaboration, VoIP Solutions cater to all the needs of the employees and much more.
Millennials prefer multitasking over traditional work processes and VoIP facilitates more than just multitasking. It makes the processes equally efficient too. Today VoIP solutions enable two individuals separated by miles to work collaboratively and seamlessly on a particular project. With the time zones and distances diminishing and 5G services ready to be rolled out across major world economy, VoIP systems could redefine work culture sans any intimidation and glitches for the employers and employee.
Frictionless Collaboration and Continued Compatibility are two features that will drive VoIP solution adoption by enterprises in 2019.
Stringent Security Norms
While VoIP solutions no doubt enhance business products and services, they also send alluring invites to hackers. The most common form is Toll Fraud. Imagine one day being slapped by your service provider with a $15,000 dollar phone bill and a call list full of mysterious outgoing overseas calls. So it’s equally important that enterprises keep their firewalls well oiled. Besides hackers also are on the lookout to devise new techniques to fool IP phone systems. A few of these include:
- Gathering confidential information by listening to unencrypted calls. This is later used to extort money against disclosure of identity and information.
- Temporarily paralyzing enterprise network with DDoS bombardment.
- SIP Trunk Hacking may leave employee details compromised.
One important advice to follow while opting for VoIP services in 2019 would be to zero-in on only service providers offering security features like end-to-end encryption, real-time monitoring, etc.
AI And Cloud
In line with 2018, the transition from PBX based systems to cloud-based systems will continue but VoIP industry trends 2019 will be earmarked primarily by AI feature integration. From intelligent chatbots to customer insights, AI could redefine how enterprises adopt and implement VoIP solutions for much-improved business and customer services.
Intelligent Voice Assistants integrated with IP phone systems will promptly answer random customer queries with accurate call transfer capability. Further, AI will facilitate real-time data collection followed by pinpoint analysis of customer feedback and requests for informed business decisions and product innovation.
Notwithstanding the new technology integration, flexible and scalable telephony services will continue to dominate VoIP service pamphlets. Quality call services coupled with tangible work environment features will only add to the magnetic effect of VoIP services on SMEs. Further, integration of CRM equipped remote working environment and extension of services to mobile devices will further accelerate VoIP service adoption among businesses.