Do you know the advantages of a VoIP telephone switchboard for hotels? If you think that your hotel spends too much on landline infrastructure or you consider that your current corporate switchboard is too complex and expensive, this article may be of interest to you. We tell you why make the leap to a virtual VOIP switchboard.
What is a VoIP phone system for hotels?
Telephones are a key element for both professionals and hotel guests. Traditionally, a hotel telephone exchange was characterized as an analog system, made up of complex consoles and coaxial copper cables, used to connect the various telephones to the hotel's integrated telephone system.
Currently, there is possibility of installing virtual phone systems, which allow voice calls via IP (VoIP). IP Telephony (Internet Protocol Telephony) is the term used to describe valid communications to exchange telephone calls, voice and other forms of communication over the Internet.
In order to successfully replace a traditional telephone switchboard for hotels with one over VoIP, it is important to have a network infrastructure with good capacity, requirement that we can offer quickly through fiber optic cabling. It is also possible to incorporate this new service through conventional wiring systems.
How do IP phones work?
You want to know how IP technology works and how it is different of the telephone exchanges of a lifetime? We explain it to you in a schematic and simple way:
- La IP technology is logical replacement of telephone exchanges to make voice calls from an analog system, now obsolete, to a system for sending data over the Internet. Specifically, voice calls with traditional systems are made through analog PSTN (Public Switched Telephone Network) lines, while IP telephony transports voice data in packets through a LAN (Local Area Network) or the Internet. .
- IP phones identify analog voice signals and turn them into one version or digital format. These signals are then transmitted over a broad line as data and received by the receiver through their Internet connection.
Why bet on a virtual telephone switchboard for hotels?
If you are thinking of installing a IP telephony system in a hotel to eliminate the complex hardware associated with the conventional telephone switchboard or reduce call rates and equipment maintenance costs, here is a series of arguments that probably encourage you to migrate to cloud IP telephony.
1. Cost optimization
Is it possible to save with a VoIP Telephony system? The truth is that yes, basically because two reasons. Since the system can be in the cloud, there is no need to have physical equipment in the hotel, and there is also no need to have expensive maintenance contracts.
On the other hand, when making voice calls over the Internet, we access much more advantageous rates than those offered by traditional operators for any type of call: international, calls to mobiles, landlines, etc. This is especially attractive to reduce the telephone bill of the guest and the hotel since the savings can reach 60% or 70% on international calls.
2. Improve the experience of your guests
Calls with a VoIP hotel phone system are much clearer and more stable than with traditional phone systems. In addition, thanks to the integration of the VoIP system with the hotel's CRM or PMS, eIt is possible to give a more personal touch to the communication with your guests, displaying information about the user of the call in progress: name, specific needs, history...
3. Communication infrastructure optimization
Another advantage of VoIP systems in hotels is that allow you to improve the entire communication infrastructure of your establishment, making the most advanced voice processing techniques available to employees, professionals and guests, which facilitates and adds a plus of quality to daily operations. We speak for example of:
- Automated wake-up call
- Automated IVR menu for the agile management of the most frequent queries: change of towels, room cleaning, breakfast preferences or access to the WiFi network.
- personalized locutions
- Call recording
- multiple calls
- Advanced call forwarding or routing
- The possibility of making simultaneous calls without occupying the line. Something very interesting when managing from a telephone line reservation calls, suppliers, guest queries...
- The mobility of the line. A fixed extension can be converted to mobile, especially interesting for teleworking.
- Administrative panel with statistics on calls and ease of tracking them.
4. Better scalability conditions
In addition to being cheap, fast and simple, the migration to an IP Telephony system is one of the solutions for hotels that offers better scalability conditions, allowing all kinds of extensions and adapting perfectly to the needs of your hotel in the field of communications, both current and future. For example, it is possible to group the communications of different assets, such as different hotels or restaurants, even if they are not in the same place.
5. An easier implementation
One of the most important advantages of the IP Telephony system is that its installation and configuration is very simple. With VoIP systems, the hardware is limited to the maximum, and if you wish, you can continue to use the analog or digital desk phones, so it is not necessary to invest in renewing the phones.
Having a fiber optic network in your hotel allows you to quickly integrate this new technological service in each room being able, for example, to easily assign a free VoIP service to your VIP clients, offer special rates or incorporate personalized voice services through the VoIP device in the room.
Maybe you are interested: Cerium, implementation of GPON fiber optic networks for hotels
Have we helped you understand the advantages of VoIP PBXs with this article? Now that you know what to take into account in a migration project to IP telephony, at Cerium we can help you.
Yes, it is true that for easily migrate to IP system it is highly recommended have GPON fiber optic technology, capable of incorporating this new service in the current wiring, in Cerium We adapt to the current infrastructure of our clients, being able to deploy this new service from the CPD to each of the rooms also through conventional wiring.
