Switching to a business VOIP provider from landline service requires some thought. Here are some of the key elements to consider.
Fast Enough Internet Connection
VOIP service depends on a reliable and speedy Internet connection, the type referred to as broadband or high-speed . In addition, your network needs to be capable of handling the increased data flow when you add your phone service to the load generated by computer use. Depending on the set-up you currently have, this may require a system upgrade.
Which Type of VoIP Phone?
VoIP can work through softphones as well as hardware phones. Softphones have increased in reliability and are combined by some businesses with hardware phones, each being used for the purposes for which they are best suited. Examples of softphones are iChat by Apple, Google Talk, and Skype.
Hardware VoIP phones can often be the same phones-corded or cordless-that are used with landlines (sometimes called PSTN or Public Switched Telephone Network phone), allowing a business to convert equipment for continued use in many cases.
Another alternative is phones made for VoIP, which often can not be adapted for analog systems. Dual-modality VoIP phones are made for use with VoIP, and so can be used in any appropriate quickly hotspot, and also with cell towers, as standard cell phones can.
What About the PBX?
It is possible to combine VoIP phones with a local Private Branch Exchange (PBX), if it is compatible, with the VoIP connection being used for the routing of phone calls outside of the internal network. If you are considering this type of service, it is recommended that you seek a VoIP provider who specializes in serving businesses.
New Possibilities
VoIP allows you to do things you might not have been able to previously. One example is using a single phone for all your phone numbers so that you never unintentionally miss a call. In fact, the very term "all your phone numbers" can take on new meaning because VoIP makes it possible to have local numbers in the US and local international numbers, as well as vanity numbers.
Another possibility is routing incoming calls so that they are redirected to a live person if the intended recipient is unavailable to avoid having your customers getting busy signals.
At least one VoIP service has an ATA (Analog Telephone Adapter) that allows a single phone line to be split so that a second call can be received on the line even when a prior call is still in progress, and a second call can be made on the line, even when another call is already in progress.
Because VoIP providers offer businesses a range of new opportunities in addition to the cost saving that usually companies switching to VoIP, it is worth investigating a variety of VoIP service providers before choosing one.