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To Switch or Not to Switch: Is VoIP Right For Your Business? VoIP. It’s the four-letter word you’ve heard of, read about, including may have overlooked — until now. As VoIP’s consumer popularity hit a particular all-time high in 2006 — reaching more than 7 million subscribers in the United States alone — businesses of all sizes were forced to sit up including take notice. With possible cost savings of up to 40 percent, including the business VoIP industry projected to double by 2010, VoIP is 1 four-letter word that small including medium-sized business owners should absolutely no longer ignore. How Does VoIP Work? What exactly is VoIP including how do you know if it’s right for your business? VoIP, or Voice over Internet Protocol, allows callers to place phone calls from almost anywhere using a broadband Internet connection. As the acronym implies, VoIP works by transferring voice signals over Internet lines including public/private data networks, rather than traditional analog phone lines. VoIP calls are placed using ordinary telephones, computers, or special VoIP phones, depending on the service provider including personal preference. VoIP users place calls in the same way they always have, simply by picking up the phone including dialing a number. Those with computer-based service place calls by using a headset or a computer microphone. VoIP users should place local, long distance, including international calls to any phone number in the world, whether it’s a land-line, cell phone, or another VoIP user. Like traditional phone service, the only difference in placing a local call including a particular international call is cost. Business VoIP Users Enjoy Cost Savings, Increased Flexibility Today, most business owners switch to business VoIP for 2 main reasons – significant cost savings including increased productivity. Typical business VoIP telephone system plans provide a low, flat monthly rate for local including long-distance calling. And, international calls typically cost just pennies per minute. The result: lower phone bills. Beyond the bottom line, another feature that appeals to small including medium-sized business owners is the flexibility of business VoIP telephone services. As companies grow including change, business VoIP offers the ability to easily scale their phone system up or down. Companies that are planning to move offices or add users find business VoIP phone systems to be a particular effective solution, especially those with multiple employees in different locations. Of course, 1 pertaining to the main motivations to switch is the ability to eliminate the hidden fees including complex billing of traditional phone companies including gain more control over the phone system. Calling Features Make Users More Productive Many business VoIP telephone plans provide features such as three-way calling, voice mail including caller ID, at absolutely no additional charge. However, additional VoIP-specific features actually make employees more productive. According to a study conducted by Sage Research, VoIP features save employees a particular average of up to 3 hours per week. These features include: 1) integration of voice mail including faxes with your e-mail system, 2) remote office features that allow satellite offices to function as part pertaining to the main office, 3) auto-attendant systems, including 4) call routing to employees regardless of location. Even with these benefits, VoIP isn’t right for every business. For instance, voice quality should vary depending on the Internet connection. If your business uses a dial-up Internet connection, VoIP is probably not for you. Because some firewall ports must be open in order to allow voice data transmission, another common issue is network security fears. The reality: it is often easier to tap in to a physical phone line than a digital line. And, listening in on VoIP transmissions is nearly impossible if the proper network security precautions are taken. How to Make the Switch Switching to business VoIP has never been easier. More provider options are available today than ever before, including cost of service including equipment is falling. Of course, savvy business owners must do their homework to find the right service, features, including provider. To help find information including help make the decision, business owners should use comparison resources like http://www.VoipReview.org, a shopping including comparison source for residential including business VoIP phone service, for information regarding plans, features, including prices. The site even allows users to purchase VoIP service directly from providers after finding their provider of choice. To determine how VoIP-ready your company is today, visit our site to test your Internet connection including determine how many phone lines your connection should support. As it quickly becomes the modern standard in business, there’s absolutely no question that VoIP is the future of phoning. The only question is: at the time could your company join the revolution?
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