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VOIP, standing for Voice over Internet Protocol, is a revolutionary way to make and receive phone calls locally and from all over the world. But I’m not going to tell you about VOIP, chances are you have already heard of it – click here for that information. Instead I will be telling you about the benefits of VOIP with your business.
A VOIP plan is surprisingly easy to setup. You have a variety of different choices, so it is best to pick a solution that works for you. We use several VOIP services, including NodePhone and Skype – both of which are linked to a phone in my office.
It’s cost-effective
If you find a solution that is suitable for your business you could find yourself cutting your phone bills drastically.
- Local calls are around 50% - 70% cheaper
- STD calls are charged at local rates
- International calls are charged at a much lower rate, typically lower than a standard mobile call
If you have clients or customers with the same VOIP service provider, you will often find your calls are free of charge, even if they are international calls. We are able to provide weekly updates with clients from all over the world, simply by calling them over Skype.
It’s functional
Most VOIP providers offer functions that go well being the functionality of a conventional phone line. This includes conference calling (sometimes with an unlimited number of participants), video functionality and even white board features (allowing participants in a conversation to show what they are saying).
It’s flexible
Many small businesses have 1 – 5 employees, all doing a variety of different jobs. This can often mean that they are continuously away from the office or on the road meeting with clients. With a decent VOIP solution your employees can take their number with them. Many mobile phones are now providing VOIP functionality. Meaning your customers only need to know 1 phone number that is accessible by your employees at all times.
It makes sense
Many small business and medium businesses are making the move to VOIP because it saves them money. It’s that simple. The service works the same way any other phone works (and in many cases your employees won’t even know the difference).
But, It does need improvement
When everything is said and done, VOIP still relies on a solid internet connection - If your internet connection goes down, so does your telephone. And there is also a bit of room for improvement. But in most cases you can overcome the limitations of VOIP by redirecting calls to a landline or mobile when there are outages.
How to get it
Depending on your usage requirements, VOIP services come in all different shapes and sizes. The services I recommend are:
NodePhone - http://www.internode.on.net/nodephone/
This is the VOIP service provided by Internode, the Adelaide based ISP. It’s available to anyone in Australia with a decent internet connection. It’s excellent for businesses that make a lot of international or interstate phone calls.
NodePhone requires additional hardware and comes with a setup cost. For more details visit the NodePhone website.
Skype - http://www.skype.com
This is a free VOIP service available to anyone in the world. Skype works in much the same was as MSN Messenger or Yahoo Instant Messenger. However, as well as having text functionality it also allows you to call those on your contact list.
If you want to make calls to fixed lines or mobiles you will need to top up your account with credit. Unlike a conventional phone this is a prepaid service. And strangely, they only accept money in the form of Euros (even if all the necessary conversions are automatically calculated).
There are no setup costs or ongoing monthly costs. You simply pay for the calls you make.
There are plenty of other services available out there. I suggest doing a bit of research and looking into the option that best suits the needs of your business.
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