VoIP Phone Systems

Understanding Voice Over IP in a Business Environment

What is VoIP?

Many businesses are faced with spiraling phone bills and simply don’t know that huge savings can be achieved. One way of reducing your bills is to use your IT Network for phone calls between branches and use the Internet for external calls. This is known as Voice over Internet Protocol (VoIP). This technology allows you to make telephone calls using a broadband Internet connection instead of a regular (analogue) phone line. In addition you can route inbound calls as well.

The big benefit here, is that you can significantly reduce the number of phone lines you need, saving around £45.00 per line, per quarter, year on year.

It is not uncommon to hear of seven year line rental contracts! While these seem to save the customer money, the real reason these packages are being sold is to lock the customer in, so that when the same customer realises they can have 8+ calls on one broadband line, there’s nothing they can do about it. Do you really know where your business will be in two years, never mind seven?

Benefits of VoIP:

Reducing your business phone bills and line rental is only one benefit of VoIP, although an important one. VoIP can also dramatically improve the way you work. By switching your phone calls to your IT Network you can merge voice and data, boosting staff productivity and enhancing customer service.

As voice is converted into data, only one link between two sites is required. This is because the voice and data can be sent together. This provides multi-site businesses the advantage of saving money on leased line rental.

The anywhere phone system – One of the implicit capabilities of VoIP is that your employees’ physical location is no longer an issue. Provided you have Internet access, the phone will register with the system, and it will treat it as a standard extension. For instance, home workers simply plug the phone into their home broadband, and it’s as if they were in your office sat at a desk.

For those who work in a number of locations, or are mobile, there is find me, follow me functionality. This is where the system will ring numerous designated phones, be they office phones or mobiles. Which ever one you answer, will have the call transferred seamlessly.

Just because you are reducing costs doesn’t mean you have to give anything up, in fact you gain in many significant ways. You can control your data network from your servers, now you can do the same with your voice.

Who will benefit from VoIP?

Does your company:

Make and receive a lot of calls?
Strive to increase productivity?
Put customer care as a top priority?
Lose potentially important calls?
Have a desire to achieve cost savings?

If you can answer yes to at least one of these questions, it could be the right time for you to be considering VoIP. Whether a ‘Hosted’ or ‘System’ solution, with the price of high speed Internet connections coming down, its well worth taking a fresh look at your long term plans for your phone and IT Network.

The Technical Bit! – How does it work?

The telephone call is compressed and converted into data (similar to what an MP3 players does, only it’s optimised for voice) and then sent along a piece of wire (commonly a kilostream) connecting two sites. The call is then reconnected at the other end and changed back into a voice call and the two persons can talk to one another. The sites can also be connected using the Internet using a broadband connection, instead of a fixed link such as a kilostream. In addition PSTN termination services are available that let people dial a regular phone number to call you, and of course you can dial other PSTN numbers.

How does VoIP Work?

Need more technical information? Contact us on 0800 0470214

Geographical & International numbering:

Do you currently rent or wish you had numbers in another part of the country or even world? We can provide you with any area code without having a physical line or office in that location. At minimal cost you can appear local to millions more customers, also giving you the ability to advertise in local Yellow Pages and other directories. We can also provide inbound numbers in the following countries, so now you can have a local number in the countries below, and zero call cost to you!

The Americas

Argentina – Brazil – Canada – Chile – Guatemala – Mexico – Peru – USA

Asia Pacific

Australia – Japan – New Zealand – Pakistan

EMEA

Austria – Belgium – Bulgaria – Cyprus – Czech Republic – Denmark – Estonia – Finland – France – Germany – Hungary – Ireland – Israel – Italy – Latvia – Lithuania – Luxembourg – Netherlands – Norway – Poland – Portugal – Romania – Slovakia – Slovenia – Spain – Sweden – Switzerland

Worried about losing your business number(s)?

When moving offices its often very difficult, costly and sometimes impossible to take your much cherished business number(s) with you. Its stressful enough up heaving your staff, stock, IT and furniture, then having to think how to move your phone, fax and DDi’s with you as well. Often when moving to a different post code you will be faced with having to source new numbers and changing your headed paper, business cards and informing all your existing clients and customers.

With a VoIP solution you are able to Port your existing numbers at a nominal cost, which then become yours to take where ever you choose – even abroad! You can even take your fax number with you and benefit from fax-to-e-mail capabilities.

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