Voice over Internet Protocol (VoIP) has become the standard infrastructure for business communications systems in recent years.
Following, here are some important trends related to business VoIP heading into 2020 and beyond.
- Unified Communications as a Service (UCaaS)
- Artificial Intelligence (AI)
- 5G
- Cloud Telephony
- Increasing Mobility
- Security and Compliance
- Video Chat Services
- VoIP and WebRTC
- Internet of Things (IoT)
- Blockchain
Trend #1 – Unified Communications as a Service (UCaaS)
Voice services will continue to be integrated with other digital communication channels, including messaging, video conferencing and meetings, fax services, team collaboration features (like screen sharing), and more.
It integrates voice with other digital communication channels, including messaging, video conferencing, meeting collaboration, faxing services, team collaboration features (e.g., screen sharing), and more.
Trend #2 – Artificial Intelligence (AI) for VoIP
Smart Voice Assistants and Advanced Automation
AI and machine learning (ML) will lead to smarter capabilities. More intelligent, skills-based features will help create digital voice assistants which can conduct real-time sentiment analysis.
It’ll also include new solutions like transcribing conference calls, identifying action items [within the transcript], and sending it out to the participants, overall providing a great customer experience.
Trend #3 – 5G
The fifth generation of mobile communication and data connectivity, 5G, will give you an uninterrupted internet connection. The fifth generation of mobile communication will produce a better quality of service (QoS) for VoIP in many areas, including higher data speeds, lower latency, 100% network availability, increased device capacity, and more bandwidth.
With 5G, users can experience 10 GB/s upload speed with comparatively lower latency for web conferencing with 4K and 8K videos.
Trend #4 – Cloud Telephony
Cloud telephony is one of the most exciting things now, and several companies have already shifted from on-premise PBX to the cloud-based phone systems in the past few months.
The continued digital transformation of business communications will allow for HD quality audio, greater scalability, and better overall management. Many companies have already shifted from on-premise PBX to cloud services.
Trend #5 – Increasing Mobility
Enhanced Remote Communication Systems
Trends to look for around increased mobile capabilities will include enhanced content sharing, virtual meeting support, and better overall team collaboration. These expanded abilities are tied to the ongoing rise of UCaaS adoption.
Trend #6 – Security and Compliance
Broadband internet connection and VoIP software are also vulnerable to cyber-attacks.
VoIP security will be a continued point of emphasis, including the use of firewalls, virus & spyware protection, web content monitoring & screening, spam filters, and utilizing virtual private networks (VPNs) to help reduce the risk of breaches.
Trend #7 – Video Chat Services
Experts predict that the market for business video chat PaaS will reach $1.7 billion in 2020. This really shouldn’t surprise anyone, since video chat has been shown to improve closing rates between 35% and 75%, and can also reduce handling times by up to 70%.
Trend #8 – VoIP and WebRTC
WebRTC enhances the VoIP experience by adding instant streaming services, as well as live video support. It also enables peer-to-peer file swapping, allows for direct calls from web browsers, and provides enhanced web conferencing.
Trend #9 – Internet of Things (IoT) and VoIP
It is predicted that businesses will have over 7.6 billion IoT-connected devices in 2020. With device connectivity now in the zettabyte (1021) range, enterprise VoIP will play an essential role in helping to drive IoT office automation.
Trend #10 – Blockchain
Blockchain acts as a decentralized ledger. With its emergence, it is expected that Mobile Number Portability (MPN), Local Number Portability (LNP), and Do Not Call (DNC) registries will become even more prominent in 2020, and into the future.
It also provides standardized access and routing lookup for all operators worldwide. Millions of connected devices connected through a decentralized system would also make it nearly impossible for a hacker to launch a successful cyber-security attack.
What is VoIP?
Voice over Internet Protocol (VoIP) – also called the internet or IP telephony – is a way of delivering voice and multimedia messages digitally. It enables you to make calls anywhere, anytime, through internet-connected devices.
Ready to ramp up your company’s unified communications?
Reach out to IDeACOM NC today; we can help! IDeACOM NC provides the best business phone solutions for small businesses, ensuring more effective communication across your organization.