| VOIP for Small Business |
| Written by Administrator | |
| Saturday, 11 June 2005 | |
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VOIP for Small Business What is VoIP? VoIP is the term used to describe any system which allows voice to be carried over the internet, as opposed to the traditional phone network. Are VoIP setup costs high for a small business? If you were to implement your own VoIP setup you would need to purchase a reliable server to run the VoIP software on, whilst VoIP server software is available to download for free you would probably require a highly trained network engineer / phone technician to set everything up. Whilst this approach is good for large companies it is beyond the reach of most small businesses. There is a less expensive way for small businesses to get a VoIP phone system up and running. By subscribing to a VoIP Service Providers, smaller organisations can have there own VoIP system for the cost of headset that plugs into the back of there PCs. Some VoIP servers will charge a monthly fee, but there are many that offer the service for no more than the cost of the calls to the standard phone system. VoIP can be used by anyone with a access to a broadband connection, software VoIP system require a microphone and speakers which plug into a PC. Standalone VoIP phones are also available which plug directly into your switch or router. For people who wish to use there existing phone systems there is hardware available that allows you to do it. Voice over IP calls are usually much cheaper than standard phone calls - Calls between VoIP phones are free no matter where you are in the world. If you have offices in different regions of the world you will make substantial savings if your calls are routed via the internet. Even if you have offices in different regions of the same company you will save money compared to using a traditional phone company. Can people ring my VoIP phone from a standard phone? Check with your VoIP service provider before you sign up, but most companies will provide you with a non-geographic inbound number for free, and a geographic number for a small monthly charge. Can I transfer calls? This is another thing you need to check with your VoIP service provider before signing up. Many of the cheaper providers only support blind transfers. What happens when I’m not online? If you use a software VoIP system, ie. you don’t have a VoIP phone plugged directly into your router, calls will usually be forwarder to a voicemail box for you to retrieve later. |
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