Top VoIP Trends for 2020 for Business VoIP

It’s a new year, and 2020 may be the year that we see the most advancements in VoIP technology and usage. Starting in 2019 and ramping up into 2020, VoIP is seeing a rapid evolution rooted in disruptive digital transformation. While this technological disruption of the industry may cause some providers to be concerned for their market share, 2020 will be a great time to be a VoIP consumer as business VoIP options become more plentiful.

2020 Trends for VoIP Technology are Being Driven by a Combination of the Following Factors

• The Widespread Acceptance of Messaging Apps
• The Advance of Mobile Technologies
• The Expectations of Consumers
• The Acceptance of Communications Value Over Cheap Communications
• The Need for Cybersecurity and Compliance

Over the years, VoIP has moved from an option used by entrepreneurs and small businesses that were trying to cut costs and were willing to take a risk on newer technology to being used by multinational corporations.  Over that timeframe, the public has become accustomed to business VoIP. At the same time, VoIP technology has improved to the point that customers calling into a business with VoIP systems have an experience that is equal to or better than their experience with businesses using older landline technologies.

But these advances are just the beginning. Because of the positive trends that businesses are seeing in VoIP technology, the market is expected to grow to 55 billion by 2025.

In this article, we’re going to explore ten 2020 trends that VoIP providers like RingCentral, GoToConnect, and Intermedia are observing closely and improving their offerings on pace with the advancement of these trends.

Our Top Ten 2020 Trend Picks for Business VoIP Are:

1. Greater Expectations and Advancements Surrounding Cybersecurity and Compliance Concerns

As VoIP providers work diligently to connect businesses and consumers in new and innovative ways, concerns rise about security and data privacy. Even though VoIP phones are more easily secured than their landline counterparts, it’s only natural that business leaders view VoIP advances with some skepticism. However, that skepticism can easily be overcome when companies take a look at the lengths that VoIP providers such as Grasshopper and Aircall go to in order to bring their systems into compliance with all the various industry and legislative compliance requirements.

2. 5G Implementation

The fifth-generation (5G) of mobile technology is slowly rolling out in cities throughout the country. It’s only a matter of time before the public that was so excited about the emergence of 4G becomes enamored with the greater advantages of 5G technology. A few of the benefits of 5G are likely to be: more options for wearables, 4K and 8K high definition video, fewer dropped calls, more connectivity, and higher speeds.

3. AI

Artificial Intelligence (AI) is going to experience a boost in 2020 when the speed of 5G is combined with the broader acceptance of internet phones. By leveraging AI in conjunction with VoIP technology, companies can improve the automation of processes, upgrade threat prevention, predict consumer behavior, harness the power of analytics, and use customer service auto attendants to serve their clientele better.

4. VoIP Assistants

As we have previously mentioned, the public is slowly getting used to internet-based technologies. Virtual assistants such as Siri, Hey Google, and Alexa are making it easier for consumers to access information and communicate over the internet hands-free. The acceptance of these internet-based assistants has paved the way for VoIP Assistants that will streamline the caller experience whether internally in a business or on the call-in consumer side of the equation.

5. VoIP Providers

With all of the advancements and disruption in the VoIP marketplace, it is inevitable that more VoIP providers will appear on the scene and that others will merge to try to maintain market share or to gain new ground in the marketplace.

6. Adoption of Hosted VoIP

Companies have gotten used to the SaaS (Software as a Service) model. Many, if not the majority, of the line of business and business productivity software packages in use today are hosted in data centers and delivered within a subscription model. Hosted VoIP is no exception. Business leaders see Hosted VoIP as a way to scale up or down easily and to facilitate the communications side of their business continuity strategy. Buying into a Hosted VoIP scenario allows companies to use the latest hardware and software advancements without the up-front costs associated with on-site hosting of their own VoIP hardware.

7. Merger of WebRTC (Web Real Time Communications) with VoIP

Before the advent of WebRTC, plugins had to be used to utilize a web browser such as Firefox or Google Chrome for voice and video communication. Those plugins had to be constantly updated for IT security. WebRTC allows a developer to use HTML 5 and Javascript to connect to the webcam and microphone on the computer, turning the web browser into a communications endpoint. While there was some thought that WebRTC would become a competitor to VoIP technology, it has become apparent that the two will complement each other and likely eventually merge. WebRTC allows VoIP users to harness the power of live video support, file swap peer-to-peer, and avoid the plugins and widgets that used to be necessary for instant calls.

8. Greater Competition with Video Chat Platforms

As the recognition of the security risks surrounding consumer-grade video chat platforms like Facetime and Facebook Messenger become more apparent, businesses will begin to look for more protected options in 2020. This search for a higher level of communications security will lead those business leaders to encrypted VoIP communications and will put VoIP providers in direct competition with consumer video chat platforms.

9. IoT (Internet of Things)

While a smartphone or computer can be leveraged as a stand-alone VoIP communications device, it’s impractical for a group of people to gather around one device. The Internet of Things makes it possible for other internet-enabled endpoints such as smart TVs, speakers, and microphones to be leveraged alongside VoIP telephones in a business environment. This connection of IoT to VoIP presents an infinite number of possibilities going into 2020.

10. Adoption of UCaaS (Unified Communications as a Service)

The term “Unified Communications” came on the scene as VoIP providers realized that there was much more that they could do with Internet Protocol technology. Although voice transmission over the internet was the replacement for the telephone, there were many other communications “modes” that could be moved over to the internet for greater cost savings and flexibility. Curtis Peterson, Senior VP of Cloud Operations at Ring Central, explained the difference between UCaaS and VoIP to PCMag this way. “UCaaS is basically looking at all business communications and putting them over IP or Internet Protocol. VoIP is a single mode. UCaaS is multimodal: texting, chatting, video conferencing, screen sharing, video meetings. But it uses VoIP to power the voice part."

 As we conclude this roundup of the top 10 VoIP Trends for 2020, we’d like to take the opportunity to wish you and yours the very best of the new year.