'VoIP brings various benefits to the call centre environment'

Businesses introducing Voice over Internet Protocol (VoIP) to their call centre environments can cut costs and also put themselves ahead of the competition, a leading expert suggests.

Rob Lith, chief executive of Connection Telecom, told South African newspaper the Times that an investment in IP-based telephony can bring various benefits to call centres.

Mr Lith explained that VoIP can bring a solid return on investment but can also enable businesses to "place themselves comfortably ahead" of the competition.

"As the efficacy of a call centre's business operations is based on telephony technology, VoIP can offer significant monetary savings by way of affordable long-distance and international calls, free calling features and convenience," he pointed out.

"Money may be tight for most organisations now, but it is possible to minimise IT spend on infrastructure and initiate effective cost optimisation by harnessing the potential of VoIP."

Stephanie Viscusi, TMCnet.com assignment desk editor, recently said the global economic downturn could lead more businesses to deploy VoIP as a way to save money.