Whether you own a café or manage one, staying connected with your customers is so important. Missing a call could mean missed income for you, not to mention annoyance for them.
VoIP digital phone systems can bring a range of benefits for cafes in particular. From cost savings to better customer service, they can even give your café a more professional, polished look. Let’s see what it’s all about.
What Is VoIP?
VoIP (which stands for Voice over Internet Protocol) is just a fancy way of saying your phone calls are sent via the internet rather than through traditional copper phone lines. All you need is a Wi-Fi connection, 4G, or 5G and you can make and receive calls from anywhere. While it’s not exactly new technology, VoIP is quickly gaining popularity because it’s incredibly flexible, packed with handy business-friendly features, and will likely save you money too.
What Are The Benefits of VoIP for Cafes?
Here are some more advantages for owners of cafe owners and managers:
The Landline Shutdown Won’t Affect You
From the end of 2026 UK landlines will be turned off for good. It will affect everyone, including businesses and households. But if you switch to VoIP now, you won’t have to worry about the landline shutdown or any last minute hassle.
We’ve included lots of information about this on our landline shutdown page.
The Opportunity to Cut Costs
A huge advantage of VoIP digital phones is the chance to save some big money on call costs. This is especially the case if you call abroad a lot and have roaming charges to consider too. That’s because you tend to pay a fixed monthly price that often includes unlimited calls – and with bOnline you can add an unlimited international calls bolt-on for just £6 a month!
Business-Friendly Features
VoIP systems come packed with advanced features (over 45 of them with bOnline!) that can really make a difference to your communications. These include call forwarding, voicemail, access to call analytics data, hold music and plenty more.
Working Remotely
VoIP phones are cloud-based which means that unlike landlines they’re not tied to one geographical location. So if you have several cafes, you can easily manage communications across all of them from one system. If you’re out and about, you can also take calls on your mobile phone or tablet too, meaning you never miss an important call, whether you’re in the cafe or out on errands.
Scalability
Perhaps you want to expand your business, taking on more staff or additional sites. This is where a VoIP system can be worth its weight in gold, because you don’t need to worry about purchasing extra phone lines or numbers. It’s simply a case of adding a new user to your online dashboard and off you go.
Integration with Other Systems
VoIP can integrate with other systems you’re using for your cafe business, like point of sale (POS) software or security systems. This integration can make everything more streamlined, particularly around customer interactions.
Improved Customer Service
With features like call forwarding and setting holiday opening hours, you can give your customers a better service. Instead of missing calls out of hours or when you’re busy or on holiday, you can route them to another member of staff or take messages to follow up when you can. The extra responsiveness will definitely be appreciated by your customers!
How Do I Get A VoIP Digital Phone For My Cafe?
Setting up a VoIP phone system for your café is a doddle – especially with bOnline!
A good place to start is by understanding how many people will need access and which features would be most useful, like setting holiday menus or unlimited calls. Then, find a reliable VoIP provider that fits both your budget and needs (why not contact us for a chat about your requirements).
Make sure your internet connection is reliable, as VoIP depends on it. Once you’ve chosen your provider, setting up is usually a breeze, and you can always get help if needed. With us, the whole thing takes just 2 minutes online – no engineer visits or techie know-how required!
Finally, give your staff a quick rundown on how to use your new VoIP system so you’re all set to enjoy a professional new look and fewer missed calls.
Looking For A Free VoIP Trial?
Picking a new digital phone system isn’t always easy, which is why at bOnline we do the hard work for you.
Why not sign up for a totally free 7-day trial so you can try out all of the 45+ VoIP features that can help you run your cafe better. There’s no pressure to carry on once your trial has ended and we don’t ask for your credit card details either. There’s nothing to lose and potentially some big money, time and customer service gains to be made!
