VoIP technology appeals to 4 in 5 businesses

The financial and practical benefits of unified communication systems are proving increasingly attractive to firms, according to a new survey.

Research by Vanson Bourne in Slough found that 87 per cent of businesses plan to invest in such hardware by the end of 2008.

Voice over internet protocol (VoIP) solutions were particularly popular, with 80 per cent of respondents claiming that it is vital to invest in such upgraded communications.

Meanwhile, 41 per cent of those polled were considering interactive voice response as an alternative.

Richard Brown, vice president of sales, EMEA, for Interactive Intelligence, said: "Technologies such as VoIP and SIP [session initiated protocol] can deliver huge benefits internally to companies by improving their operations, yet when brought together as a unified communications solution companies can experience both improvements in customer service and internal operations."

Around 80 per cent of businesses claimed that unified communications would enable them to integrate call centres with other facets of their commercial operation.