Define Features You Need With Your VOIP Service

It seems as if you can barely turn around these days without another company hyping their VOIP service at you, claiming how it does everything imaginable, plus it gets whites whiter and colors brighter. How do you wade through all that hype to find at, at its core, what features it has that you need at the right price?

The very first thing you need before you consider VOIP service for your home is a reliable high-speed Internet connection. If you don’t have that, if it hiccups or goes down a lot, then your VOIP service is going to be a nightmare. You see, the VOIP service you get already assumes that you have high-speed reliable Internet service, and this is NOT something they provide with VOIP. If your only option for high-speed Internet access is satellite Internet, then you are also not a candidate for a successful VOIP implementation, since satellite does not play well in that arena with today’s technology.

The next thing to consider is whether or not you can get a LOCAL number from your VOIP provider. If you live in a major city or even a semi-major city with a population of more than about 50,000 then chances are pretty good that the VOIP provider can give you a local number for your VOIP phone. But if you are way off the beaten track, then chances are good that you cannot get a local number for your VOIP phone. So if you live in West Fleatick Iowa, you may have to get a Des Moines phone number.

Is that a big deal? That is up to you. If your next door neighbor wants to call you on your VOIP phone, they will have to make a long distance call to Des Moines to have your VOIP phone ring, even though they live right next door. But if your primary interest is in making long distance calls, then this aspect may not matter at all, although it is still an aspect to be aware of.

Actually, you can get a local number for almost anywhere you want. Even if you live in West Fleatick, you can get a Houston or Seattle or Los Angeles phone number for your phone, just by requesting it from your VOIP provider. Many VOIP providers can also provide a “virtual number”; i.e., even if you have a Des Moines phone number for your VOIP phone, you can ALSO get a Seattle or Denver or Miami local number, all of which will ring on your VOIP phone in West Fleatick.

Other standard features include unlimited local calling and unlimited calling in the continental United States. Some carriers also include Canada in that, and some also include Puerto Rico and the islands. Your VOIP service typically includes voice mail, call waiting, caller ID, and call blocking. What else do you need?

There are other features that some VOIP providers make available at additional cost, which you need to look at carefully. Like the ability to do conference calling if they are going to charge extra for that, how often will you use it and is it worth the extra cost? Do you need additional voicemail boxes? If there is an additional cost, look at how often you would use multiple voicemail boxes and if it is worth the extra cost? Is there an extra cost to retrieve your voicemail from another phone elsewhere? If so, again, how much extra is it and how often would you use it?

Keep in mind that you are trying to save money here. If you add in all the bells and whistles that are available, you are spending MORE money than you did before, which kind of defeats the goal. Determine what features are needed, what is useful, how often you will use those features, then make an informed financial decision so you can get your best overall value.

Author: Jon Arnold
Article Source: EzineArticles.com
Provided by: US Dollar credit card

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