A survey of voice over Internet protocol (VoIP) use found that companies have begun to realize the benefits of this channel, and that both the costs and functionality of the technology are in line with their needs.
VoIP allows companies to conduct vocal conversations through online channels. This channel can be used in sales and customer service functions, as well as intra-company communications.
While some of the firms reviewed by the Aberdeen Group limited their use of the technology to their call centers, others had rolled it out across a variety of service provider functions, or were providing the capabilities for third parties. Regardless of how they used it, the most successful entities reduced the cost of their internal and external communications as well as their bandwidth expenses, while setting up voice applications that enhanced a variety of business functions.
The report covered in-house and outsourced service, and concluded that the latter offered lower implementation and maintenance costs, as well as the ability to stay current with technology changes and increased functionality. But it also suggested that companies that would use the system for substantial intra-company communication invest in bringing such a system in-house, as the lowered telephony costs would readily generate return on the investment.
Implementation times for VoIP projects compare favorably with enterprise-wide software projects, according to the report. Most companies surveyed reported that the projects were completed within two to six weeks.
On the downside, Internet protocol handsets are fairly expensive, with sets ranging in price from $500 to $800. While Aberdeen said that vendors are rolling out models in the sub-$200 range, it did not test enough of them to offer quality evaluations.
The Boston-based Aberdeen Group conducted its research during February 2002, and released its report, “What Works: Significant Voice Over IP Deployments of 2001,” on Friday.
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