VoIP phone services are really one of the most basic tools any business should make use of, especially law firms, you know, since lawyers like to talk so much (insert winky face emoji). VoIP technology is the “make(s) it easier – and more affordable than ever for lawyers to seamlessly and effortlessly communicate with their clients and colleagues” says the ABA Journal. Beyond just being fancy phones with a bounty of convenient features as the above quoted ABA article points out – they enable one to “receive unlimited phone calls, conduct conference calls, forward calls to your mobile or home phone, receive (and store) messages in different formats, manage calls on the go, send and receive online faxes, and much more”.
VoIP technology can actually do much-much-more than your run of the mill POTS (plain old telephone service) or PSTN (public switched telephone network). As mentioned earlier, forward thinking VoIP companies are now designing features which integrate – not only with the more general-use CRM software platforms, but with LPM software!
Nothing new to the tech-savvy, VoIP (Voice over Internet Protocol) technology has actually been around since the 70s. Well, sort of. The site VoIP Insights touts the following history (we boiled it down a little):
Voice over Internet Protocol (VoIP) transmission began in 1973 as a result of the experimental Network Voice Protocol… it wasn’t until 1995 that the first Internet Phone Software – Vocaltec – appeared…The Vocaltec software compressed the voice signal, translated it into digital packets, and distributed it over the Internet… Although sound quality was poor and nowhere near that of conventional equipment at the time…By 2000, VoIP traffic accounted for more than 3% of all voice traffic…mass market VoIP telephony began in 2004 with the introduction of VoIP calling plans which permitted subscribers to make calls just as they would with conventional telephone company services.
So if your firm is not using VoIP yet, you are only a decade and a half behind the times – which in the world of technology may as well be 100 years. Or more poignantly, as Ray Kurzweil writes in his 2001 essay The Law of Accelerating Returns: “An analysis of the history of technology shows that technological change is exponential, contrary to the common-sense “intuitive linear” view. So we won’t experience 100 years of progress in the 21st century – it will be more like 20,000 years of progress (at today’s rate).” Jeepers!
VoIP is popular with IT professionals and business operations managers not only because it is easy to manage, it is also easy to get just the ‘right fit’. “VoIP enterprise systems aren’t just for large businesses. Many small and medium businesses can also benefit from them, as long as they get a plan that suits their company size. With flexibility in plans, it’s simple enough for companies of all sizes to get a VoIP plan that suits their needs without going overboard or falling short” states Georgi Todorov in his article on Born 2 Invest. Further, “VoIP systems can be integrated with other apps, software, and technology solutions. You can create a fully connected system within your company that makes it easier for everyone to stay up to date, use each tool effectively, and communicate internally or externally.”
Forward thinking VoIP companies are now designing features which integrate – not only with the more general-use CRM software platforms, but with LPM software! Integrations tailored to the needs of lawyers! We do that!
