10 Reasons to Avoid a Landline Phone for Your Small Business

There was a time, in the not-so-distant past, when opting not to have a landline for your small business was unthinkable. In today’s changing times, there are many scenarios where investing in the fees and installation charges are simply unwise. If these ten guidelines apply to you, it might be a good idea to consider foregoing a traditional telephone.

1. You Want to Avoid Telemarketers – As more people make the move to exclusively using cellphones, the bulk of calls received on a traditional landline are from telemarketers. If you find that your business line is being monopolized by marketing calls, making the switch to cell-based service might be a good move.
2. The Business Is Internet-Based – Those who handle the bulk or all of their business online can comfortably do away with landlines; when customers communicate with you solely through email, the money spent on a phone line is wasted.
3. Office Space is Limited – If your businesses is a mobile one with a small home office for record keeping and paperwork, and you’ve already dropped home phone service, there’s no need to add the expense of a landline.
4. Call Forwarding is Your Best Friend – Many small business owners have their calls forwarded to their cellphones most or all of the time, in order to ensure that calls coming in when they’re away from the office aren’t missed. Most cellphone providers will allow you to port your existing number to a cellphone, so you can take an established number with you.
5. You Work in Independent Sales – Working in independent sales often means that your vehicle doubles as an office. Keeping records on a laptop and taking your services to clients’ homes eliminates the need for an office; skip the expense and print your cell number on business cards.
6. Using VoIP is Feasible – Voice over IP technology makes switching to an internet-based phone service a snap; with prices that are much lower than traditional public switched networking providers, small businesses that handle a low volume of voice calls will find that their needs are more than met by VoIP service.
7. You Don’t Need a Fax Machine – Traditional fax machines rely on standard telephone lines, but the technology is quickly being outpaced. Scanning documents and emailing them is becoming more common than transmitting via fax; if your existing phone line is dedicated to a fax machine that is rarely used, you might want to consider dropping the service.
8. Your Security System is VoIP Capable – Another reason that many small businesses have held on to landline service is that their security systems relied upon it. Many security companies now offer VoIP capable alternatives.
9. Cellphone Coverage In Your Area is Good – Those in rural areas or with poor cellphone reception probably don’t want to cancel phone service for their business, but these areas are increasingly rare as more cell towers are erected. If you have a strong signal and don’t use your landline, doing away with it will certainly help your bottom line.
10. Capital is Limited – Some small businesses are suffering in this tough economic climate, while those that are just getting off the ground are met with difficulty securing loans. If your start-up capital is limited due to loan limitations or revenue is temporarily down, canceling a seldom-used landline or foregoing it altogether for new businesses can save a bundle.

For those considering a landline-free business, it’s important to weigh all the factors. In most cases, canceling a traditional line is a great way to eliminate unnecessary cost; the savings will certainly add up.

Taken From Phone TV Internet