An efficient communications system is the backbone of a successful government organisation. That’s because it underlies both the internal and external work of the office.
When outside parties contact the office, they need to be smoothly guided to the right employee or mailbox for their needs. At the same time, employees need a reliable system to keep them in touch with one another. And, of course, managers need a communications system that’s flexible and secure.
What’s the best answer? Increasingly, government offices are turning to VoIP, or Voice over Internet Protocol, to handle their communications needs.
To learn more about the features offered by VoIP for government organisations, read on.
What is VoIP?
In the past, the UK relied on copper landlines to make phone calls. Many companies and government offices used a PBX (Private Branch Exchange System), which worked via copper phone lines connected to public landlines, or PSTN.
As of 2027, that type of telephony will no longer be possible, as the UK’s copper landline system will be shut off.
What other option is available to organisations? One choice is VoIP – Voice over Internet Protocol. VoIP lets you make calls that are transmitted via a broadband connection rather than via physical phone lines.
VoIP services typically also include a number of other functionalities. In other words, the ability to make calls over the internet is just the start. VoIP offers useful features for office phones, such as call forwarding and call holding, and it can have more advanced functions as well.
Benefits of VoIP for government offices
Put simply, VoIP is a sophisticated, flexible phone system that’s well-suited for our internet-based era. It offers perks such as…
Adaptability
In the old age of physical phone lines, adding a new phone to the system was quite a complex task. A new physical phone needed to be brought out of storage and connected to the system. IT specialists needed to pay for a new phone line, set it up, and then let everyone else know about the new user’s extension.
And if the system needed to lose a phone line rather than add one, the office was stuck paying for the unnecessary phone line until the end of their contract.
With VoIP for government offices, this kind of adaptability to circumstances is done in a flash. Since VoIP is subscription-based, you can change your number of users month by month. Moreover, there’s far less setup needed, which means less burden on IT personnel and less space required to store all the equipment necessary for physical phone lines.
Reduced costs
VoIP means it’s easier to pay only for the lines you’re using. Plus, it saves work hours and office space. That adds up to one big conclusion – decreased expenses in numerous lines on your budget.
Moreover, VoIP can be cheaper in any case because it doesn’t require any costly maintenance on physical phone lines. You also won’t have to risk seeing high fees for international phone calls on your bill. There’s just one predictable subscription payment each month.
At VS Group, we pride ourselves on being able to help our customers save money. Organisations that switch to using our service find, on average, that they have saved 30% of their previous technology costs. That’s a massive difference.
Boosted efficiency
Government organisations can be immensely busy. Anything to help smooth inefficiencies and boost productivity is a welcome asset – especially in offices where certain times, like the end of the financial year, can bring an increased workload.
That’s where VoIP can help out. VoIP for government offers automated elements that can help lighten administrative burdens on administrators and managers.
Here’s how it works. An auto-assistant can answer calls for you and direct them where they need to go – saving time for the real employee who would answer the phone. What’s more, if a caller leaves a message in an employee’s voicemail, the VoIP system can transcribe the message and send it directly to that person’s email. That frees up time and helps avoid situations where messages don’t get passed on to the right person.
Quality and security features
To keep your government organisation running confidently and without a hitch, you’ll want a phone system that gives you high-quality, stable calls. And it goes without saying that your telecoms solution needs to be secure to avoid any dangerous data breaches.
Of course, a high-quality broadband connection is the first requirement for great-sounding calls. But VoIP also has mechanisms designed for just these concerns. Quality of Service (QoS) features do just what they sound like they’d do – they help ensure your calls sound just as crisp and strong as they should.
And when it comes to security, VoIP encryption and access controls help keep your network safe, thereby, protecting your data and your reputation too.
Helping the environment
If your office has made being eco-friendly its goal, VoIP can help.
Firstly, as we’ve mentioned, it doesn’t require all those wires and hardware that traditional phone lines need. That means fewer components that go into landfills when they’re worn out.
Moreover, moving to online messaging and chats through VoIP’s internal communications systems can remove the need for wasteful stacks of paper and pens, not to mention printer ink and cartridges.
And VoIP itself can also use less electricity than a traditional PBX system. That’s partly because it doesn’t rely on all that equipment, which may need a power supply of its own.
Try VoIP for government organisations with VS Group
If you’re looking for a VoIP service that makes it easy for you, VS Group has the answer. We’re a specialist telecommunications company with ten years of experience offering bespoke solutions for customers including small businesses and non-profits. We don’t just set you up with a great system – we also provide high-quality ongoing support while you use it.
Our experts are available to chat if you’d like to discuss what we can do for you. Just ring us on 0330 094 0170 or email us at customerservice@vsgcomms.com.
