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The word is out that Voice over Internet Protocol (VoIP) is good for business. It streamlines communications, greatly reduces the cost burden on the organization and allows for the extension of greater capabilities across all users. Still, even with these benefits understood, adoption is not 100 percent among the business community.

One reality that may tip the scale, however, is the reliance on mobile. As key employees need to take to the road to produce desired outcomes, mobile VoIP is proving to be a viable tool. Software Advice recently conducted a survey of more than 350 businesses from 2013-2014 to better understand common pain points and why they elect to purchase a new business phone system.

Three key points stood out in this research, including the fact that half of prospective buyers were making the investment in business VoIP for the first time. Reliability and scalability were the primary concerns for those evaluating new systems. And, the vast majority wanted a hosted solution as no buyers demonstrated an interest in on-premise IP PBX (News - Alert) solutions.

While 31 percent of businesses were still using a landline to support business communications, 13 percent relied on their mobile devices exclusively to stay connected. For those looking or reliability in a new phone system, dropped calls and connectivity issues were often cited as key reasons to identify a better solution.

Support was a primary issue for a number of companies. The fact that internal personnel couldn’t fix or even address problems with their current systems frustrated many. These support concerns, combined with reliability requirements, are driving a number of decision makers to consider Web-based solutions. When mobility is part of the mix, this is especially true.

Mobile VoIP can deliver a number of benefits for the small business, especially those already reliant on mobile devices. It not only extends the capabilities of the desk phone to those in the field, it also enables the mobile employee seamless operation regardless of location. For instance, the employee in Minneapolis can give the customer the same experience on the phone as if they were sitting at their desk in Dallas.

Providing mobile VoIP as an extension of a hosted solution can also significantly streamline costs, allow for deep integration across channels and applications and create a professional brand experience for each and every interaction. It provides the best of all communication options in one channel, supported through one provider and based on a usage payment model.

If you haven’t considered the benefits of mobile VoIP and what it can do for your business, the time to launch the investigation is now.