Saturday, July 14, 2007

How Does The Voip Telephone System Work?

You have heard about VOIP, but you have no idea what it is. Is this just another telephone carrier that has come along since the breakup of AT&T many years ago? Well, that is part of it, but this is another step further along as this system directly relies on the internet.

So, what is VOIP? It is Voice over Internet Protocol, a way of routing voice conversations using the internet or any other IP-based system as you continue using a regular telephone instrument. Okay, but how does it work? Can you be working on your computer and talk at the same time? Is there special equipment you need?

There are several companies that provide VOIP service. There is a cost savings because you have a single network to do everything-it carries both voice and data and on the same internet lines. If you have the right company that can carry both the voice and data lines together, there might be no additional cost to combine these two features.

The VOIP telephone system can help by automatically routing incoming telephone calls to your VOIP phone, regardless of whether or not you are connected to the network. You can take you phone with you on a trip and whenever you connect to the Internet you can accept incoming calls.

You can get free telephone numbers for use in some countries. People using this system can work anywhere as long as there is a sufficiently fast and stable Internet connection available to them. Like your other telephone system, you can usually get 3-way calling, call forwarding, automatic redial, and even caller ID.

So, is this system right for you? There are definitely advantages and as with all systems, some disadvantages. How do you choose? That depends and you should do some extensive research to make sure that the VOIP telephone system will work for you.

Well, you might actually be using a VOIP system at your office and not know it. The VOIP telephone systems have offered businesses high-powered telecommunications capabilities once available only to the largest, most expensive companies’ systems.

Today, advanced VOIP solutions enable all employees, whether they are down the hall or a thousand miles away, to respond rapidly to customers and business opportunities by allowing their phones and computers to integrate into one seamless system.

Check with your telecommunications people in your organization as they can tell you whether or not you are already using the system through work. They will also be very knowledgeable about the positive and negative components of the VOIP system and will probably be able and willing to talk to you extensively about their experiences with it. Remember, they are the people in your organization that must keep the computers and telephones up and operational for the company.

So, what do you think? Do you want to take the plunge and try the VOIP telephone system? Go ahead and take a chance if you think it will work for you. If it does not, you can always change back to a regular telephone.

Saturday, July 7, 2007

VoIP for Small Business Solution

Many small businesses tend to lag behind their larger counterparts in their use of new technology. Those that do may be doomed, not only to remain small and fail to realize the growth that their initial potential may have promised, but also to lag behind their smaller competitors. In fact a VoIP small business solution can not only save small businesses money, but also significantly increase their communications efficiency.

It is a proven fact that technology can contribute a great deal to growth, irrespective of the size of the company involved, and even a single VoIP network can give a small business a competitive edge.

Not only can a small business VoIP solution dramatically reduce the size of a phone bill to the company concerned, it can also help to reduce the phone bills of their customers. A VoIP subscriber can select any area code it wants to use, so that if the majority of their customers operate from New York, the business can offer these customers calls at the local rate, even if that business is located in Los Angeles.

In fact this type of small business solution to communication costs can allow them to offer toll free numbers to their more important customers, a service hitherto only economically feasible to larger companies. How's that for a competitive edge? In many businesses image is everything and this VoIP small business solution to competing with the big boys is a massive incentive to adopting this new technology.

This is not all that a VoIP small business solution offers, however. There is also the advantage that the provision of VoIP telephones to sales personnel allows them to communicate with head office, and every other company employee issued with a VoIP handset, free of charge irrespective of distance.

Because the VoIP small business solution to telecommunications, like all other VoIP applications, involves communication via the internet, such communication can be made using software and hardware suitable for IP use such as PC, laptop, palm computers, PDAs, Bluetooth and any other technology suitable for packetized internet transfer and reception. By use of VoIP small business solution technology, small businesses can at last compete with networked corporate companies in speed and flexibility of communication.

Conference calls integrating other web-based voice and video presentation technologies can be arranged at the click of a button, and customers can be impressed with corporate technology at small business prices.

A VoIP small business solution is available for any medium to small company structure, and simple networked systems can easily be incorporated due to the intrinsic internet and web-related technologies involved. This makes facilities available to small businesses which previously had been the domain only of the large corporations that could afford them.

With a customized VoIP small business solution, companies of any size can tick off communication as one more step towards not only competing with large corporations, but getting ahead of their peers with respect to communications efficiency, image and speed of response to requests and enquiries.

After all, if you can communicate with a colleague in Japan quicker and at lower cost than your competitor can with Boston, what chance does he have? A VoIP small business solution designed specifically for you can achieve this as standard – it is not an expensive option!

Tuesday, June 12, 2007

5 Top Reasons Why You Should Consider A Voip Service

The VoIP (Voice over Internet Protocol) phone service is gaining some serious ground with more and more companies offering this cutting-edge technology to customers. From cable companies to regular phone service providers, VoIP service is offered by big and little names in the industry. As it proves to be much more than a trend, many potential customers find themselves asking why they should consider VoIP.

There are a lot of compelling reasons that customers choose to give VoIP a go in their homes or offices. From budgeting and options, VoIP has fast enabled itself to stack up well against regular phone services in comparisons. Here are five of the biggest reasons to entertain the idea of getting a VoIP service:

1 Freedom: VoIP service companies tend to offer clients a lot of freedom in regards to the perks, benefits and pricing. It's even possible in some cases to choose the type of phone used. This means expensive regular telephones aren't necessarily deemed useless when VoIP is introduced into a home or business. Plus, many companies are able to cater to not only residential clients, but also businesses themselves. With multi-line options and more, VoIP offers customers the freedom of choice.

2 Clarity: The VoIP service has come a long way since it first began. As the Internet becomes higher-tech through broadband connections, VoIP is also becoming more reliable and clear. Where customers used to report problems with dropped calls, inaudible calls and other issues, this is just no longer the case.

3 Perks: VoIP service providers are now able to give their customers just about everything a regular phone company can. From Caller ID to call block, the options are matched almost perfectly.

4 Unlimited calls: Many VoIP service companies give their clients unlimited calling within their plans. This may or may not include unlimited national and international long distance, as well. This particular feature is one that has a lot of people taking VoIP more seriously.

5 Pricing plans: Most VoIP service providers offer their customers a flat-fee for use on a monthly basis. This flat-fee rate tends to be a great deal lower than a regular phone service, which makes it great for budgeting in these times of rising prices.

Offering reliable phone service in a new and different way, VoIP service companies are making a name for themselves. With reliability on the rise and pricing that's lower than the rest, these companies have put the VoIP service on the map.

Wednesday, June 6, 2007

Benefits Of Voip That Will Blow Your Mind

You would probably have heard of VoIP, unless you've been living on some other planet. Even if you've never really understood what the hype was all about, VoIP (which by the way, stands for Voice over Internet Protocol) will change the way you think about long distance telephone calls.

VoIP actually means that all that sounds you hear on the regular telephone (analog audio signals) are turned into a digital signal, which is then transmitted through the Internet.

So again you ask, why is this VoIP changing the industry? It means that you can totally go around your telephone company and start making long distance calls at no charge. All you have to do is get some of the free software that's available all over the Internet right now.

And here's the best part: this new technology can revolutionize the telephone system in the whole world. You might have seen the tv commercials from one of the forerunners of VoIP called Vonage. Vonage calls itself the 'broadband telephone company' and provides attractive services to its customers. These include low-cost 800 numbers and very low international rates. Fees from the US to Canada are also waived.

However, Vonage isn't the only company who is the game. AT&T is providing VoIP calling in some places in the US. There are also other major companies, including Skype, which is going all out with its viral advertising.

At the moment, most VoIP service providers offer plans somewhat similar to cell phone companies called 'minute-rate' plans for as low as $30 a month. And just like the cell phone plans, you can also opt for unlimited plans for around $79 a month. Without ever having to pay for long distance charges, unregulated charges and all the free services that come standard with your VoIP service, you can save a great amount of money.

Previously, you might be paying for services such as call waiting, three way calling, call forwarding, caller ID, repeat dial and last call return. With VoIP, you no longer need to pay as these come standard with your service. Plus, there are some advanced features that would make VoIP worth looking into. With some providers, you can opt for call filtering options and even have control over how calls are handled according to their numbers. For example, you could forward your call to a certain number, send the call to voicemail, give a busy signal, play a 'not in service' message, or even send the caller to a funny rejection hotline.

Some VoIP services also allow you to check your voicemail on the Internet or even attach messages to an email that is sent to you. Remember though, not all plans and features are the same for all VoIP providers. You should look around for one that best suits your needs.

The other benefit that makes VoIP a very attractive alternative for home and business users is its flexibility. With VoIP, you can make calls from any location that you can get broadband connectivity. As ATAs (Analog Telephone Adaptor) and IP phones transmit information over the Internet, they can be done by any provider. For travelers on business trips, this means that they never miss a home phone call, since they can take their ATA with them wherever their destination might be. Also, by using a 'softphone' or a software which enables you to load your VoIP service onto your laptop or even desktop, you can easily make calls anywhere, provided you have broadband services, a headset and a microphone.

IP telephony is the way of the future. It makes sense in terms of ROI, from both the infrastructure and economic point of view. It will not be overnight, but in time all of the current circuit switched networks in place today will be taken over by packet switching technology, in other word, VoIP. A majority of businesses are already using VoIP, and as the technology makes a presence into our lives, it will become more popular. Forrester Research predicts that by the end of 2006, nearly 5 million US households will have VoIP phone service.

In a nutshell, VoIP is just a better phone service, but it's one that's here to stay.

Friday, May 25, 2007

8 Reasons To Consider Voip Phone Services

VOIP is an abbreviated form of Voice Over Internet Protocol. It has proved to be a gift of technology in which by paying less you can easily get maximum services by using internet. It has been becoming a very popular mode of communication because of its unique features. There are many companies that have come up to provide VOIP services. It is an efficient telephone service as compared to that of regular phone service.

Why To Consider VOIP Phone Services -

Because of the increasing popularity of VOIP phones, people have got perplexed between VOIP telephone services and regular telephone services that is whether to go for the former one or for the later one. The below-mentioned reasons can easily help the customer in opting for a VOIP system.

1 - There are many VOIP service providers that proffer liberty to the clients in the form of perks, benefits, and pricing. They even give them a choice to select the phone according to them.
2 - The VOIP phone service has proved to be more reliable and clear because of the use of highly advanced broadband connections. Therefore, there are no problems of call drop, inaudible calls, and other related issues while using VOIP services.

3 - VOIP service providers offer each and every type of service as provided by the regular telephone service providers. For e.g. caller ID, call block, security lock, call diversion, voice mail, last number dialed calling, call transfers, call waiting, voice mail, etc.

4 - There are many VOIP phone services providers that are attracting the customers towards themselves by alluring them with the attractive and cheap plans that are saving the dollars of the customers. For e.g. they are offering the plans of unlimited local and international calling.

5 - There are many companies that proffer flat-fee plan to the customers, which has helped a lot in having a control over the budget thus helping in cost reduction. Such plans have proved to be very much successful as compared to the plans of regular phone services.

6 - There are many companies that are offering numerous value added services free of cost in their basic service plan. It has also been compared that these value added services are chargeable in the basic plans of regular telephone services.

7 - There are many additional VOIP services that offer flexibility to change the settings on VOIP phones so that you can use any computer possessing internet to access your account and you can use any of the features like call forwarding, call diversion, etc. Therefore, the use of internet in VOIP phones has helped in having an eye over the business from any corner of the globe.

8 - There are many service providers that offer the facility of accessing your voice mail box by using your account online or even they can forward your messages of voice mail box to your email address on request. Therefore, this feature of VOIP telephone service helps in having a proper touch with the person even if you are far from the place.

Therefore, the extraordinary and stupendous services of VOIP telephones have proved to be very much helpful in having a constant contact with the family and office even if you are out of town.