Small- to medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) across the UK
are losing more than £1bn a year by using old telecoms systems,
according to research from internet telephony services provider
Inclarity.
The study of more than 500 managers in SMEs found that while
only one in eight SMEs are currently making phone calls over the
internet, these firms were seeing their telecoms overheads drop by
23% and IT costs fall by 13%.
What Inclarity calls a “shocking” three-quarters of SME managers
have a limited or no understanding at all of VoIP. According to the
most recent DTI figures, there are 185,390 SMEs in the UK. By
uniting this figure with its own findings on potential savings,
Inclarity estimates that UK SMEs could save just over £1bn per year
− £434m on telecoms and £566m on IT − by migrating to VoIP.
"SMEs can't possibly be equipped to drive more efficient
operations without fully understanding the technology options
available to them. It would be like cutting bread with a spoon,"
says Paul Anthony Beaumont, chief operating officer of
Inclarity.
"It's up to service providers to educate the market as to the
benefits of VoIP, for the good of the UK economy. Not only does it
cut company communications overheads, but VoIP also enables staff
to work flexibly through remote working and use more effective
voicemail and presence options."