Things You Should Consider When Selecting a VoIP Provider

The following are very important factors to consider when you are selecting a VoIP provider. Educate yourself and be informed before you choose. It will save you time and money in the long run

Monthly costs: A VoIP provider can save you up to 75% on your telephone/long distance expenses. There are many VoIP providers out there so it will benefit you from shopping around. Unlimited calling packages can range from $14.95/month to as high as $54.95/month. Usually the lower priced providers have more customers and are able to offer the service at a lower price due to a lower overhead per subscriber.

VoIP Product Features: Not all VoIP providers are created equal. VoIP offers a great value to the consumers because of the drastically reduced long distance costs as well as inexpensive local phone service with lots of enhanced features. Some providers offer more features than others. Features like Call Waiting, 3 Way Calling, etc. are usually included in the VoIP monthly cost where as the traditional phone companies will charge up to and above $5/month per feature. When shopping for a VoIP provider, be sure to compare VoIP providers by features as well as by monthly price. You can compare the major VoIP providers by Price and Features at… http://www.voipchoices.com/compare.html

Keeping Your Number: Some providers allow you to transfer (port) your current phone number to the VoIP service and some providers do not. It is not recommended to switch your home number to the VoIP service immediately. It is recommended that you try out the service and see if you are satisfied before you request that your current number be switched. Keep in mind that if you have DSL service, you must retain a phone number with the service provider of the DSL because the DSL service is provided over that telephone line. If you want to get rid of your current phone company all together, then we suggest you use a Cable Internet Service Provider.

911 Service: Most of the VoIP carriers offer E911 service, but not all. Be sure to check if the VoIP provider offers E911 because it is not a given. If the VoIP provider does not offer E911, then we suggest that you either have a cell phone or traditional landline to use in case of an emergency. (Note: It is also important to point out that if you take your VoIP phone when traveling, E911 has no way of knowing where you are when you call 911 if you are away from the registered address.)

International Calling: If you make a lot of international calls, you will want to do a lot of research on International Rates as they vary by provider. There are a few carriers that offer unlimited calling to certain countries. To check out a list of the best priced unlimited international calling VoIP plans, goto.. http://www.articles.voipchoices.com/international-voip.html

Money Back Guarantee: Since VoIP is a relatively new product; most all VoIP providers will offer a free money back guarantee. Be sure to check with each provider as we have seen the money back guarantees range from a 14-day to a 30-day money back guarantee. (Note: Be sure to keep the original packaging that your equipment came in just in case you need to send it back)

This is only a short list. In fact, there are many things to consider when choosing a VoIP provider. An educated consumer generally results in a satisfied consumer.

Chris Landry is the foremost authority on residential and small business VoIP providers. Chris is the founder of http://www.VoIPChoices.com. Chris has prequalified several high-quality VoIP providers and compares them by price and features at http://www.VoIPChoices.com. Chris can be reach via email at NewSales@VoIPChoices.com or via telephone at (888) NEED-VOIP.

Author: Chris Landry
Article Source: EzineArticles.com
Provided by: Canada duty rate

• People Should Ask 10 Questions to VoIP Service Provider As availing VoIP phone system is a business investment, it is imperative that you put some searching questions to the service providers in order to make an informed decision. As VoIp technology is relatively recent, it may at least for now, be less reliable than the conventional phone service.The......
• Choosing a Service Provider Offering Cheapest Solution VoIP The shift to voice over IP telephony from public switch telephony network has been a gradual one. In recent years though, it has gained momentum as industry and the residentials alike have started acknowledging its advantages. There was a need in the telecom industry for a technology that would......
• Massively Cut Down on Costs For Your Business Using a VoIP Service Provider As a business owner, you should always be looking to minimize costs. One of they ways many business owners end up spending a lot of money on is long distance telephone calls. And actually, there is a simple way to seriously reduce your telephone bill costs.What you simply need......
• One Great Reason Why You Should Use a VoIP Service Provider The VoIP, an abbreviation for the Voice-over Internet Protocol, is fast gaining respect in the telecommunications industry. The proof of this is that traditional telephone networks too are seeing that advantages of offering a VoIP service. This is mainly because VoIP service providers allow consumers to drastically cut down......
• VOIP Service Providers - The Future Of Telephones If you haven't lived under a rock for the last several years, you've seen the ads for the VOIP Service Provider called Vonage, offering a box that, in addition to an Internet connection, lets you make unlimited long distance calls to the US and Canada for a low, flat......

• VOIP: It’ll Save You Money, I Promise. Big bell companies which have a large share of their income dependent on land-line phones will soon be a thing of yesteryear. Instead consumers will be relying on cell-phones and inexpensive internet based phone technologies to make all of their calls. In many younger households, there’s no land-line to be......
• Money Mistake Monday - I Waited Too Long To Get VOIP Syndrome. VOIP, or Voice Over Internet Protocol, has been around for several years. But yet I just got it within the last year, costing me hundreds, if not thousands of dollars. That was pretty dumb, if you ask me...why throw away perfectly good money just because you were wary of your......
• Keeping In Touch is Expensive, but Getting Cheaper Have you ever stopped to consider how much money you're paying to keep in touch? I'm betting that a good percentage of you haven't. Not yet anyway! If you actually take the time to add up the amount of money you dish out every month to pay for the Holy......
• Getting Out of Debt Quickly pt 3 This is part 3 of a 4 part series on getting out of debt quickly. Make sure that you read all four parts in order to get the most out of this sequence of hints on getting yourself or your family out of the debt trap. Make sure that you......
• Tired of paying for directory assistance? One of the little things that can really add up are calls to directory assistance. Typically they range anywhere from 50 cents to $1.95 per call, depending on your phone service. But there's a cheaper way: when you want to call 411/information, you can call 1-800-FREE-411 (1-800-373-3411) for free (except......

Related posts:

1. Outstanding VoIP Voicemail Features Makes Getting VoIP Voicemail Extremely Convenient
2. How Much Bandwidth is Required for VoIP Phones?
3. Dialing In On Selecting a VoIP Service Provider
4. Five Tips for Selecting a VoIP Provider
5. Simple Guidelines For Selecting Best Business VoIP Provider