10 VoIP Software Trends for 2024: Latest Predictions To Watch Out For

Communication is vital to any organization. Whether you have a small or large-scale business, you need to communicate with your clients and teammates on a regular basis. In such cases, using traditional phone systems can be quite costly and harder to maintain as your business grows.

With the advent of VoIP technology, it is now much easier to make calls and connect to every person within your organization. As a modern tool, it provides more than just a phone service—a VoIP system usually offers other advanced features, such as built-in SMS messaging, voice mail, video calls, and caller IDs.

In this article, we will discuss each of the VoIP software trends shaping the industry. The post will also walk you through the latest technological updates affecting VoIP services, as well as the market growth of the VoIP industry.

As a result of the COVID-19 pandemic, many organizations around the world are facing new and evolving remote work challenges. The rapid transition to work from home protocols suddenly exposed unprecedented flaws in conventional processes and systems implemented in many workplaces, including the use of traditional phone lines.

When businesses shifted to remote operations, they had to resort to basic call forwarding and ask employees to use their own mobile phones as a communication tool for work. This led to VoIP systems becoming even more popular and necessary than it already was in most organizations.

In many parts of the world, studies suggest a significant spike in usage of VoIP services. For instance, India saw a dramatic increase in mobile VoIP usage, which peaked at 20% more than pre-COVID rates. In Indonesia, similar findings reveal that daily usage of VoIP platforms on mobile devices increased to 18%. Apps like Zoom and WhatsApp also experienced an increase in daily utilization at 500% and 40%, respectively.

Compared to traditional landline phone systems, VoIP platforms offer much more to streamline communication within your organization. To have better ideas on how to leverage VoIP systems for your business, here are some of the VoIP current trends you have to look out for in 2022.

1. VoIP Adoption among Small Businesses

VoIP platforms bring plenty of benefits to small businesses. Unlike traditional analog systems that require costly installation and physical space, a VoIP software allows businesses to communicate with anyone over the Internet. This means teams and clients can easily get in touch with each other through their own devices, such as mobile phones, laptops, or desktop computers.

For small businesses, this means having a reliable communication channel that can grow and scale regardless of physical office constraints. According to the latest report by crowdsourcing platform Startupanz.com, small businesses experience a 90% reduction on startup costs when they implement a VoIP system as their organization’s communication channel (Startupanz.com, 2020). This is because VoIP platforms allow businesses to do away with traditional landline phone lines, which often come with heavy and fixed equipment that are more expensive and harder to maintain.

In addition, VoIP platforms typically offer a wide range of features that streamline communication processes. For instance, a VoIP app usually has video conferencing, conference calls, and advanced call management tools to make communication easier and more efficient for your team and your clients.

2. Merging VoIP Data with Other Customer Data

According to a report by CRM platform SuperOffice, providing the best customer experience is the top priority of businesses for the next five years (SuperOffice, 2021). So if you wish to improve your customer service and support operations, analyzing data is the way to go. However, this is one of the many disadvantages to using traditional phone systems—they do not have the necessary functionality to give you any customer data and analytics.

Fortunately, most VoIP systems today now come with advanced analytics tools to help you identify key trends across teams, employees, and customer behavior. By integrating VoIP data with customer data, you can easily make informed business decisions and prevent potential issues that can disrupt your operations.

3. Use of AI in VoIP Systems

As with other business platforms, the use of AI in most apps is streamlining workflows and increasing efficiency in the workplace. In VoIP software trends, AI especially comes in handy by reducing latency in VoIP communication and providing a higher quality of audio and video calls. Also, AI makes it easier for VoIP platforms to solve incorrect network and low-bandwidth configurations in real-time.

Another benefit that AI brings to VoIP systems is that it analyzes patterns in emails and conversations and generates valuable insights into consumer behavior. Through machine-learned techniques, AI also helps in managing call traffic by routing calls and customer queries to the right agents in your team. This improves the productivity of your customer service team and fine tunes the overall support experience for your customers.

Recent AI statistics by global solution provider Servion reveal that 95% of all customer interactions, such as online conversations and live telephone calls, will be AI-controlled by the year 2025 (Servion, 2021). By integrating AI with VoIP systems, routine and manual tasks in your processes can easily be automated, resulting in a more efficient workflow for your team.

Most Popular VoIP Software

1. Ooma Office is an affordable, robust, and advanced VoIP and security system designed for both business and personal use.
2. ShoreTel Sky is a cloud-based communications software designed to unify all business communication processes.
3. MiCloud Business integrates a comprehensive communications platform for call collaboration, communications, and multimedia.
4. Google Hangouts is a lightweight Google product that allows you to connect with the people that make your business run via HD video, voice or text.
5. PhoneBurner is a call-anywhere phone dialer that allows you to log in and make calls without having to install additional software.

4. Using Language Recognition for Smart Call Routing

Language recognition technology is a rapidly growing area of innovation for most communication systems. By combining AI and machine learning functions, a VoIP system with language recognition capabilities can help you communicate better with customers from different parts of the world. This further allows you to provide a more personalized customer experience regardless of where your clients are from. According to Salesforce’s latest report, 52% of consumers actually expect customer service to always be personalized (Salesforce, 2020).

Today, you can find plenty of VoIP platforms that can recognize and route calls in different languages. Because of the accuracy and efficiency that they provide when it comes to customer service, a growing number of businesses are now implementing VoIP platforms with language recognition features.

5. Multi-layer Security for VoIP Systems

In recent years, VoIP security vulnerabilities have earned headline spots in various industry reports. The latest one happened in 2020 when a hacking group compromised the VoIP networks of almost 1,200 organizations from 20 different countries (Zdnet, 2020). Industries, including the military, finance, insurance, manufacturing, and government were affected by the hacked systems, with over half of the victims located in the UK.

To prevent similar hacks, VoIP providers are expected to leverage more powerful multi-layer security as part of VoIP trends 2022. Blockchain technologies are now being explored as a way to decentralize control over VoIP platforms, which means cybercriminals will have a harder time breaching systems and stealing confidential customer data.

6. Increased Usage of 5G Networks

The 5G network is the latest buzzword in the VoIP industry today. Built to provide faster communication speeds and response rates, 5G networks are believed to transform web connection as we know it. With this technology, Internet users can expect increased network capacities, lightning-fast browsing speeds, and better mobile broadband connection.

As one of the VoIP new trends today, 5G networks are expected to increase the potential of VoIP systems. Since VoIP calls rely heavily on sufficient data uploads and downloads, the current 4G networks today tend to have lower connection speeds, resulting in unstable and poor call quality. Due to their limited connectivity, packet loss is also common among 4G networks. This could then lead to dropped calls or reduced quality for audio and video calls.

The introduction of 5G technology is bound to dramatically shift the pendulum toward better and improved streaming quality. According to eMarketer’s latest report on mobile network connections in the United States, there will be over 222.3 million subscribers of 5G networks by the year 2024 (eMarketer, 2021). Soon, 5G networks will allow VoIP users to accommodate higher quality of audio calls and even 4K and 8K video resolution.

7. Calls as Component of Omnichannel Support

For many customers, calls are just one part of omnichannel client support. In fact, most consumers turn to an average of nine channels to seek advice, browse inventory, and make purchases (Salesforce, 2020). Depending on the context, about 76% of customers use different communication tools to connect with businesses, including email, online chat, phone calls, and even in-person engagement.

For VoIP providers, this also means a tighter competition on having all the communication tools businesses need in one system. To guarantee better customer service and facilitate better collaboration among employees, VoIP systems are taking it up a notch by making omnichannel support features readily available to businesses.

Remote work trends are also calling for an upgraded and more unified communications strategy. Thus, more businesses today are expecting VoIP solutions to provide an expanded set of features. These include instant messaging, video conferencing, social media, and voice mail.

8. VoIP as Part of Other Business Tech Stacks

Most businesses leverage several apps and technology stacks to maximize efficiency within their organization. In fact, 82% of millennials are using multiple communication channels to start and complete a single transaction, to which businesses need to respond all the time (Salesforce, 2020).

Although ideal, it is still often inevitable to use just one platform to accommodate all of your business needs. In some cases, you even need to build a tech stack that can specifically accommodate all of the tools you need, including communication, workflow automation, and sales platforms.

This is why VoIP services are becoming more integrated with other business apps. In fact, you will find that sales and customer service platforms are some of the most common integrations supported by VoIP platforms. Since VoIP services are directly tied to customer support, it is vital to think about how your chosen VoIP platform works with your other business apps.

9. Rise of Mobile VoIP

As mobility becomes an increasing trend in various industries, more smartphone manufacturers are now developing devices that are compatible with VoIP solutions. User-friendly and innovative communication apps, such as WhatsApp, Skype, Line, and Viber are also fueling the demand for VoIP services. According to the latest VoIP market trends by Research and Markets, the global mobile VoIP market is set to reach $183.7 billion by 2027 (Research and Markets, 2021).

A mobile VoIP solution typically extends the mobility function of a VoIP system. Through a mobile phone’s 3G, 4G, GSM, WiFi hotspots, or other network connections, mobile VoIP apps allow you to send voice calls as digital signals over the Internet. They provide businesses with a more cost-effective way of calling, texting, and setting up virtual meetings with their team and clients. In addition, mobile VoIPs allow you to accommodate high-bandwidth activities, such as group and video chats.

10. Competition with Video Conferencing Applications

While VoIP services experience increased market penetration year after year, they continue to face tight competition from video conferencing applications. According to recent data published by Lifesize, 80% of users said they use video communication in the workplace to facilitate individual meetings (Lifesize, 2020). Thus, apps like Zoom, Skype, and other similar tools are increasingly becoming popular in the workplace as a means to streamline internal communications.

While video conferencing enables real-time, in-depth collaboration among business teams, VoIP services generally offer more advanced and cost-saving features. For instance, most VoIP systems come with a call recording feature that lets you capture accurate notes and verify details during meetings and internal calls.

Call transferring is also another feature unique to VoIP solutions. With this function, you can easily transfer calls to another phone, a conference bridge, or an outside number. This comes in handy when you need to reroute a call to another agent in your team best suited to accommodate your customer’s needs.

Unstoppable Developments in VoIP Services

Recent technological developments are affecting VoIP services in ways that were unfeasible in the past. By leveraging modern tools like AI and 5G networks, VoIP providers will soon be able to provide radically higher call quality and more powerful integrations with other business suites. The flexibility and advanced features of VoIP should also offer cost savings and better efficiency for businesses in general.

The VoIP software trends in this article show us that VoIP solutions are becoming the modern standard for business communications. In the coming years, VoIP services will continue to evolve in terms of quality, mobility, and scalability. Future technologies will even drive them into a central position in the communication strategies of most organizations

As a business owner looking to upgrade your communication tools, VoIP solutions are your best bet in having a robust and cost-efficient platform that can accommodate your unique business needs. To check out the most popular applications today, you can check out our guide to some of the best VoIP software.

References:

1. Allot. (2020). Allot: Network Intelligence & Security Solutions – Know it. Control it. Secure it. Allot.
2. eMarketer. (2021). 5G wireless will see years of explosive user growth. Insider Intelligence. eMarketer.
3. Lifesize. (2020). 50 video conferencing statistics: 2020. Lifesize.
4. Research and Markets. (2021). Mobile VoIP – Global market trajectory & analytics. Research and Market.
5. Salesforce. (2020). State of the Connected Customer. Salesforce.
6. Servion. (2021, June 14). The next big thing in VoIP: Artificial intelligence integration. Servion.
7. Startupanz. (2020, August 31). Infographic: How the pandemic will boost worldwide VoIP market – startupanz.com. Startupanz.com.
8. SuperOffice. (2021, June 24). 37 powerful customer experience statistics to know in 2021. SuperOffice CRM: Customer Relationships Matter. SuperOffice.
9. Zdnet. (2020, November 5). Hackers are exploiting unpatched VoIP flaws to compromise business accounts. Zdnet.

By Nestor Gilbert

Nestor Gilbert is a senior B2B and SaaS analyst and a core contributor at FinancesOnline for over 5 years. With his experience in software development and extensive knowledge of SaaS management, he writes mostly about emerging B2B technologies and their impact on the current business landscape. However, he also provides in-depth reviews on a wide range of software solutions to help businesses find suitable options for them. Through his work, he aims to help companies develop a more tech-forward approach to their operations and overcome their SaaS-related challenges.