.: How To Maximize Use Of VoIP For Your Home Business
Category:Home / Technology / VOIP
If you are running a home business, you can use VoIP (Voice over Internet Protocol) services to provide many benefits. VoIP is known to be significantly less expensive than the traditional telephone long distance packages, but this is only one advantage of using VoIP.
While there are other options, you can choose to use your regular home phone to take advantage of VoIP technology. This can be done by using a VoIP telephone adapter to connect your phone to the internet via a high speed modem. VoIP technology allows internet users with high speed (broadband) access to place telephone calls over the internet.
There are many VoIP service providers with whom one can sign up for a calling plan.
As VoIP rides on the internet technology, there are many features that are now possible as compared to the traditional phone. Many traditional phone features that come at an extra charge are also provided free with the basic calling plan.
1. Cheaper Than Traditional Phones
Using VoIP is a cheaper option if you make a lot of long distance and international calls. This is possible as the call uses the same internet facility as you do for your web access and email.
Upon signing up for a calling plan with a service provider, the VoIP telephone adapter will typically be provided free.
All calls between people using the same service provider are free regardless of location. This alone can provide significant savings if your business associates use the same service providers.
There are many features that come free with the calling plan. Some of these features are:
- call waiting
- caller ID
- three-way calling
- call forwarding
- last number redial
- speed dial
- voicemail
2. Allows Mobility
When traveling, you can take the VoIP adapter with you and instantly turn a phone anywhere in the world into your local phone. This will require a high speed internet connection.
This is possible as the VoIP adapter is specially coded with your VoIP phone number.
With the VoIP Physical Portability feature, you can still receive your customers' phone calls while traveling on business matters, on holiday or moving home.
3. Establishing Business Offices At Multiple Locations
VoIP Virtual Numbers allow multiple inbound telephone access numbers in different cities. With this feature, it is possible to establish your business in multiple locations by creating a "Virtual Presence" using virtual numbers.
These virtual numbers can be routed to any number that you specify. If you lived in Chicago, you can have access numbers in New York, Houston and San Francisco all routing through to your number in Chicago.
With this feature, business addresses can be established in different cities and even countries. You can set up these virtual numbers based on the locations from where you expect to receive many phone calls. This could be your existent customers or your prospects.
Besides enhancing the image of your business, customers get the benefit of calling a local number which is less costly for them.
Most service providers who offer this feature charge about $5 per month for each additional access number. This makes it possible to establish business offices at multiple locations at a low cost.
4. Enhanced Voice Mail
Some service providers offer you the ability to receive voice mail messages as an email attachment. You can play them back as a sound file through your computer.
As a home business owner, you can also save these voice mails to your computer's hard drive for future reference. You can also forward this to another person if follow up action is required.
5. Selecting A VoIP Service Provider
Your choice of the VoIP service provider and the calling plan depends on your unique needs.
Depending on your business needs, you can select calling plans for local/long distance or international calls. International calls can be made with local/long distance plans but at an additional per minute rate. International plans typically include USA local and long distance coverage.
First decide on the features you require to manage your home business. Then match these against the features available. Resist buying based on the number of features provided by the service provider.
Independent surveys show that most of the established VoIP carriers are about the same in terms of voice quality. Good customer service is also an important criteria for selecting your service provider. Read customer reviews on these aspects to help you choose the service provider.
There are service providers that include a "Money Back Guarantee". Check against your service quality criteria, once you have initiated the service. Cancel the service and request for your money back if you are not happy with the results. Make sure you do this within the "trial" period allocated.
For a month-to-month plan, your service is automatically renewable each month, until you cancel the service. So, you have the option of canceling. Some annual plans allow you to cancel on a month-to-month basis, but watch out for the extra charges you may incur if you cancel. Check out all these details before you sign up.
Article keywords: VoIP, home business
Article Source: http://www.articles32.com
Regina Maniam shares information on how you can exploit VoIP for your home business. You can find more information at http://www.voipsolutionforyou.com.
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2). Top 10 Reasons You Should Switch To VoIP
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3). 7 Good Reasons Not To Switch To Voice Over IP Technology
For every positive there is a negative when it comes to voice over ip technology. Here are 7 good reasons not to switch in spite of the savings you may realize.
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5). Residential VoIP: Things to Consider Before Switching
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6). Advantages of IP Telephony for the Residential Consumer
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7). VoIP Communication Technology
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.: Top VOIP Articles
1). VoIP Problems?
Well of course there's VoIP problems, although I think problems is too strong of a word. Instead I would call this VoIP issues. (Just semantics? maybe, read on!)
Some may be old enough to remember making long distance calls where there was static or crackling on the phone line connection. Maybe you remember having to speak LOUDER in order to be heard on the line.
2). How To Set Up A Business VoIP System
To set up a business VoIP system, you need several components. A central device to manage the calls, the way a private branch exchange (PBX) or key system unit (KSU) does in traditional phone systems is one of them.
This can be a dedicated piece of hardware such as an IP PBX, a regular PBX that has been IP-enabled, or a server running specialized software.
3). VoIP Information: Benefits & Drawbacks
Once upon a time, a telephone was just a telephone. You set the base in your home and it featured either a corded or cordless handset for talking to family and friends. Even though that same telephone remains the standard, VoIP, which stands for Voice over Internet Protocol, is increasing in popularity and gradually beginning to change the way that the world sends and receives telephone calls.
4). Skype versus Yahoo
With the influx of complaints regarding Skype’s fall from grace, Danny Wirken measures up the top competitor and internet giant Yahoo!’s news internet telephony service.
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5). Voice Over Ip – What Is It And What Are The Choices?
Voice over Internet Protocol. First was the telephone. Alexander Graham Bell had a vision. He saw people communicating over long distances with their own voice, not trough beeps and squeaks. Then came the Internet. A few students and the US military had a vision, somewhat similar to Bell’s. They saw people communicating over long distances, but this time in writing.
6). Why VOIP?
Voice Over Internet Protocol delivers the service of converting the analog line into a digital signal so that voice could be transferred through the internet and this proves to be a lot cheaper than the PSTN (public switched telephone network). Voip is the best for making long distance calls in, inexpensive rates.
Voip and IP telephony are fields which have seen extensive growth and they continue to develop efficiently.
7). Advanced VoIP Gateway Technology
Increased demand for video-based applications in the mobile network drive the deployment of 3G networks. Inherent complexities in traditional video gateways cause performance bottlenecks and inflate costs. If the industry expects to absorb the impending explosion in demand, these proposed cost-saving and complexity-reducing changes are needed.
Unrelenting market demand for video-based applications over mobile networks is driving the increased deployment of 3G networks.