Using VOIP Services For Cheaper Business Telephony

Voice over IP telephone services can provide a telephone system for your business that’s both cheaper and more flexible than a standard office PABX. Lifehacker 101 looks at the main approaches you can take.

The same premise

All VoIP (Voice over Internet Protocol) systems work on in substance the same premise: your calls are routed via the Internet to put it more exactly than using the standard telephone network. That allows VoIP (Voice over Internet Protocol) providers to offer services at a lower cost, as then as other handy options. To illustrate, calls to other users of the same VoIP (Voice over Internet Protocol) service are as a rule free, which makes a VoIP (Voice over Internet Protocol) setup particularly useful if your business operates in multiple locations. Calls to Australian numbers usually have a fixed fee regardless of how long you talk. Calls to mobiles aren’t as cheap, nevertheless still competitive with general landlines. Overseas calls are as well often substantially cheaper, although rates vary widely depending on the destination country.

You after all get assigned a regular phone number with a VOIP service, and can have your existing number transferred to it. Nevertheless, you’re not by and large restricted to having to take a number in the physical area code which you have been assigned to. That can be useful if you have a lot of clients or suppliers who contact you from interstate — switching your number can effectively give them local call rates when they ring you.

The most frequent argument heard against VOIP calls is service quality — because calls are being routed over the Internet, which wasn’t inherently designed to provide continuous voice calls, there can be occasional glitches. In practice, nevertheless, it’s very difficult to notice a difference if you have a decent speed Internet connection. The widespread use of mobile phones as well means that many people have changed their expectations of call quality however it be.

The cheapest

The cheapest and simplest VOIP solutions involve not using your handset at all, however having calls directed through software that runs on your computer. The best-known example of this kind of service is Skype. Having a ‘softphone’ client can be useful for travelling staff, yet for in-office use, having the call in fact directed to a phone handset as a rule makes more sense.

For business clients, having a traditional handset which continues to work in the usual way is usually the easiest approach. During most business-oriented VOIP providers will let you continue using your existing handsets, you may want to invest in new equipment to take advantage of facilities just as the ability to host conference calls for multiple participants. Charging for these services typically involves a per-line, per-month fee, plus related call charges.

For larger environments, you may want to end up replacing your standard PABX switchboard with a specific IP solution. This will give you more sophisticated call management features on site, although such an approach is arguably overkill for smaller businesses.

Telstra’s ‘digital business’ product has just been released. check that out as a voip option as then. plenty of high tech integration systems with a HSDPA backup option in case you lose the fixed internet conenction.