VoIP phone systems are commonplace in most business settings these days, offering lower cost, more convenience, and helpful guest features that hotels and other businesses value. Among the most useful features of a VoIP-based communication system like Voiceware from Phonesuite is the ability to make changes to features and functionality through software updates. Here’s how a digital system can help your hotel.

New Features

In the early days of VoIP phone systems, they behaved roughly the same as analog systems — only the underlying infrastructure set these systems apart. In the decades since, however, many extremely useful features have been added to VoIP systems, including:

  • Advanced call management: allows you to determine how incoming calls are handled based on where they’re coming from, the time of day, the number they dialed, or other criteria
  • Anonymous call rejection: blocks calls from numbers with anonymous or concealed Caller ID
  • Business text messaging: allows your business to send and receive text messages and alerts
  • Call barging: allows a supervisor to listen in on a call and provide prompt assistance if needed
  • Call recording: allows you to listen back to calls at a later time for training purposes or to confirm information that isn’t in written form
  • Virtual local numbers: creates virtual phone numbers in a hotel guest’s local area code without having a physical office in that location

Many of these voice communication features are now staples of modern hotels, but they wouldn’t exist without the ability to update phone software and add new features on the fly. As phone software continues to develop, we’ll see new advanced features like voicemail transcription, find-me follow-me, and remote office that will need to be added to existing phone systems.

With a unified digital communications solution, you don’t need to worry about your phone system becoming obsolete. As new features arise, you can instantly add them to your system and educate your staff about their use, making your hotel more efficient and better equipped to provide an even better  guest experience.

Compliance With New Regulations

The most significant recent change to the way phones in large buildings function is the passage of Kari’s Law and RAY BAUM’S Act in 2019, which significantly changed the way that 911 calls are handled through the front desk in multi-line telephone systems (MLTS). In hotels with analog phones, these call handling protocols are all but impossible to implement without drastic hardware changes. In hotels equipped with digital VoIP systems, updates were almost instantaneous.

We don’t know what future regulatory changes may bring, but we can be sure that there will be new laws and requirements which will affect hotels, businesses and the telephony systems they depend on. For example, we might see new regulations around “work” numbers that are answered from employees’ homes as remote work becomes more popular. Whatever the future may bring,  digital VoIP systems with compliance management software, like those designed and installed by Phonesuite, will be best equipped to handle these changes.

Better Security for Guest and Hotel Data

It’s common knowledge that computers need to be updated frequently to keep their security protocols up to date, but phone systems and their voice communications software are often overlooked. With new VoIP systems that are directly integrated into your other networks and computer systems, an out-of-date phone system might present a security vulnerability that could compromise the security of your hotel and the security of your guests.

You need a phone system that can be updated to the latest version frequently and easily to reduce risk, deal with new threats, or patch any security vulnerabilities that might be discovered. A digital system can check for updates nearly instantaneously and automatically to keep your business secure.

Talk to Phonesuite Today

If you’re ready to switch or upgrade your system to the latest, most secure hotel telephony technology, talk to Phonesuite. We’ve been designing and implementing hotel VoIP solutions for more than 30 years in thousands of hotels across the world. We can examine your properties, your guest needs, and your priorities to design the perfect system for you. Curious about the cost? Get in touch!