VOIP Small Business/Home Business Advantage

Small businesses, home-based businesses, and self-employed individuals have been turning to internet telephone service (also called broadband phone or VOIP) in droves. What is the attraction? As a self-employed, telecommuting, small-business-owning freelance writer, I can provide some insight.

I switched my business to internet phones early in 2005. Despite a few hiccups, I’m not going back to landlines. Internet phone service has too many advantages, which I’ll describe for you. I also have some tips for avoiding possible rough patches.

VOIP Internet Phone Small Business and SOHO Advantages

VOIP Advantage No. 1: Look bigger.

• If your small business has to seem large, a virtual PBX with a dial-by-name directory might help. These systems cost thousands to install. But many VOIP companies let you rent this service for less than a hundred dollars a month.
• Give each member of your team their own outside line. With most VOIP companies, each line costs around $10.
• Get one or more 1-800 numbers at around $10/month.

VOIP Advantage No 2. Freedom of movement.

• Freedom to travel. When I went to Sacramento to visit a friend, I ended up extending my stay to a whole month. I couldn’t have done that without regular phone access. With VOIP, my Massachusetts number follows me wherever I go.
• Tropical adventures. I regularly work with a virtual assistant company that takes phone calls on their Quebec phone number everyday. That wouldn’t be so strange except they’re in the Philippines. They’re using the same small business VOIP phone service sold right here in North America. True, VOIP companies don’t generally guarantee their services will work outside the country of purchase. But the internet is the internet, whether in Fargo or the South Pacific. With the growth of broadband to virtually every non-pariah nation on earth, your second office really could be in a tropical paradise–or year-round ski resort. Isn’t that the freedom you hoped being your own boss would bring?
• Telecommuting. Feel a cold coming? Work from home! With VOIP, even the receptionist may be able to telecommute!
• Voicemail by email. You don’t have to be by the phone to get voicemail. This is the perfect service for busy people and email addicts. Bonus: the message (in a file similar those used on MP3 players) can be stored indefinitely.

Internet Phone Advantage 3. Cost

• Make lots of calls? Many VOIP providers’ unlimited-calling plans cost just $20 to $80 a month.
• Features such as call waiting, caller ID, hold, call forwarding, and multiple ring-to numbers are usually costly extras with landline service. With most VOIP services, those are built-in features.

SOHO VOIP: Tips for Making it Work for Your Business

SOHO VOIP Tip 1. Test internet phoning out before committing.

Yes, some VOIP connections are so scratchy and patchy they sound like cell phones. That’s usually because of a problem in the internet connection. Such problems may not be apparent in ordinary web browsing and file downloading. Go with a service that has a 30-day money-back guarantee. Try VOIP out where you live and work. Make sure to try inbound and outbound calls.

Small Business Internet Phone Tip 2. Phoning from a laptop.

With VOIP telephones, you don’t need a computer. But you can use your computer as a phone. A piece of software called a “softphone” uses your computer’s speakers and microphone. If your laptop is running too many programs at once, calls will deteriorate. Higher-end laptops shouldn’t have this problem.

SOHO Internet Phones Tip 3. Go with an established VOIP company.

You don’t want to lose your telephone service and possibly your number. Yet only a few VOIP companies have roots before 2000. Choose a service with deep enough roots to survive a VOIP industry shake-out.

Small Biz Internet Phoning Tip 4. Choose a provider carefully before putting the number on your business cards.

Switching VOIP companies is at least as much of a pain as switching landline phone companies. In fact, there is typically no outward number-portability. You can bring a number in, but good luck taking it with you. Researching in early 2005, I found no nationwide VOIP services officially offering outward number portability.

Choose a VOIP provider with a 30-day money-back guarantee. Test the service out thoroughly. One thing is likely: you may want to switch VOIP providers, but you won’t want to go back to landline.

Author: Joel Walsh
Article Source: EzineArticles.com
Provided by: Programmable Pressure Cooker

• Voice over Internet Protocal VoIP for Business VoIP consists of 2 major technologies....Making Calls Over the Internet--ResidentialThis is the most common use of VoIP. It is also called VoIP lines or trunks. If you have a high speed internet connection, like cable modem, DSL, or T1, you can use your high speed connection to make phone......
• VoIP Phone Systems VoIP phone systems are used with Voice over Internet Protocol technology. VoIP is the technology used to transmit audio as data or Packets over the Internet to either a computer user or to a landline telephone. VoIP is increasing in popularity, as it is highly valued for its great quality,......
• Top 7 Benefits - VoIP Phones For Home Or a Business Benefits of VoIP Phones Today there are numerous benefits and advantages for anyone who is switching from a standard phone line (Public Switched Telephone Network) to a VoIP solution. VoIP technology is growing by leaps and bounds daily. Large corporations are transferring their business desires over to VoIP solutions and......
• Promotional VoIP Phones There are now more options than ever when it comes to your phone service. Spending large amounts of money every month on long distance telephone calls is a thing of the past- or at least, it should be. New technology of today can make all of your phone calls......
• VoIP Phone Systems For Small Businesses Proper and clear communication between the company representatives and customers is the key to the success of any business organization. Earlier, small businesses were left with limited options as regards affordable office communication devices available on the market. But, now with the advent of state-of-the-art IP technology, the situation has......

• Save Money on Your Landline Phone [/caption]There was a time when I paid $40 a month for a phone in my home. That didn't include features like long distance, caller ID, voice mail, and call waiting. They were all extra charges. Millions of people are still paying traditional phone companies $40 or more. In these tough......
• Switched To VOIP And Ditched Our Phone Company, Saved $500. As I mentioned in a previous post, we were thinking of getting rid of our phone company for our DSL and phone service. Well, this past weekend we went ahead and took the chance and so far all is going great. We signed up for cable internet service from Time......
• Comparisons of Top VOIP Service Plans With the recent disappearance from internet telephony provider, Sunrocket, there’s a major gap in the phone market for people who used to have Sunrocket’s service. Many will be migrated to other services on a seamless basis, but it still might be a good time to take a look at some......
• Should You Start A Business During The Recession? Due to some pressing issues here on the homefront, I will be running a few guest posts this week. The following is a post by DebtKid, who writes about his journey to get out of debt, and achieve financial stability. He runs a small software development company in Seattle and......
• Went With The Comcast Triple Play; Hope They Don't Let Me Down. If you do a search for Comcast on the internet, you come across some complaints...actually, a LOT of complaints. (Really, all cable/communication conmpanies have a ton of complaints) And I am not happy that they limit the amount of bandwidth you can use per month, especially since I work from......

Related posts:

1. Top 7 Benefits – Wireless VoIP Phones For Home Or Business
2. Checklist – How to Choose a VoIP Provider For Your Small Office, Home Office Business (SOHO)
3. Bored of Your Phone Bills? Try VoIP at Home or Business
4. Office Telephony – Get The VoIP And PBX Advantage
5. Taking Advantage of VoIP Technology