Voice over internet protocol (VoIP) is increasing in awareness with most executives at small and medium-sized businesses claiming to have heard of the technology, however, just 6% of businesses surveyed said that they planned to put a VoIP system into operation within 12 months.
According to a new survey by Harris Interactive for Hewlett Packard, VoIP providers have not figured out how to market the technology to service message blocks (SMB), resulting in uptake of VoIP being stifled.
Technology consulting firm Savatar questioned 300 SMB decision makers about their perceptions of VoIP and their plans to use it.
When asked what type of companies they thought of when it came to VoIP, respondents named a variety of providers, with no one type emerging as a clear leader. Non-traditional telcos were named by 25% of SMB respondents, while traditional telcos were cited by 14%, cable companies by 13%, and ISPs by 10%. Another 13% think of “no one” when it comes to VoIP services.
The research identified a number of key factors for VoIP providers wishing to attract SMBs, with 74% of respondents rating lower monthly recurring charges as “very important” or “important”, while fewer felt that the offer of bundling VoIP with other services was an important or very important factor in switching.
Savatar notes that the sales strategy of VoIP providers is preventing them from converting SMBs, with the key to emphasise the lower costs while demonstrating the quality of the core service.
The latest estimates from Point Topic suggest that currently over 11 million people use retail VoIP, marking an increase from just over five million in mid-2004 (see Worldwide VoIP Subscribers More Than Double).
Revenues from residential voice over internet protocol (VoIP) in North America are predicted to expand considerably over the next few years, increasing to over $4 billion by 2010, up from $295.1 million in 2004, according to a new report by Frost & Sullivan (see Residential VoIP Revenues Forecast To Increase To Over $4 Billion By 2010).
The research group estimates the number of residential VoIP lines to increase to about 18 million by 2010, up from just 1.5 million in 2004.
A study by International Data Corporation (IDC) confirms VoIP’s increase in popularity, predicting that 27 million users will have subscribed by 2009, an increase of 24 million from the 3 million who currently use the technology (see Mixed Outlook For US Advertising Market).
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