A lot of small businesses are starting to look into VoIP technology. Many companies are finding that switching over to a new technology is cost effective and offers them a chance to compete with bigger businesses that can afford the more advanced technologies. But what is the best option for small business Voip?
The lowest cost small business VoIP solution will most likely be either a managed VoIP solution or a metered VoIP solution. These service solution offerings represent two of the least expensive choices for small businesses wishing to switch over to VoIP technology. However, they have one inherent drawback that many small businesses don’t need to worry about until they reach a certain size – call routing limitations. Call routing is the process in which an individual on the other end of a phone call chooses the best possible route that will deliver the call to the intended destination without interrupting others on the line.
Many small business phone systems feature routing rules that limit the number of calls that can be placed at the same time. This can be limiting, especially if there are several callers trying to call at the same time. An individual on the other end of a call could end up receiving two different calls each of which could result in long hangs that can cause the individual to become annoyed and frustrated. Even worse, some businesses may be able to maximize this problem by using anonymous numbers that cannot be traced back to them. An anonymous number is just as good as a free anonymous number because no one can trace back an anonymous call. But even this is better than having to pay for long distance calls that can be extremely expensive.
Another issue that business voip service providers typically face is the fact that they have to spend money on expensive equipment in order to make their phone system to work properly. Voice over Internet Protocol does not use traditional telephones lines, instead it utilizes Internet protocols, also known as IP telephones. When these phone systems are not properly installed or serviced, they can create many different problems that businesses have to contend with. Some of the more common problems that people experience with an IP phone system are the inability to make local, long distance and international calls, poor Customer Support, disconnection of the internet connection, and poor reliability.
Poor Customer Support is perhaps one of the biggest problems that small business voip systems have faced. Most small business VOIP plans offer a free 30 day trial period where the customer can try out the product and see if it meets their needs. However, many times, there is no customer support available, and the telephone provider simply does not have enough of a presence in the marketplace to provide adequate customer service. If the customer has any questions or concerns about the small business voip service, they may wish to look into using a separate small business phone provider.
IP telephony is made possible by voice over IP, which enables small companies and even individual offices to utilize voice and data communication at significantly reduced rates. Voice over IP can be accessed through an IP based phone system or through a computer network. There are three different options for voice over IP. These options include stand alone units, which can be used in a data center, small office plans, and small business bundles that provide features such as crm and call management. An office plan typically offers a wide variety of small call center features at low prices.
One of the issues small business owners have with traditional telephone services is that they are often outdated technology makes it nearly impossible for small offices to utilize them effectively. Many small businesses, especially small restaurants and stores have very limited counter space. This means that each employee must be able to stand in front of their computer and access the phone using a keyboard and mouse. The other issue is that many businesses want their employees to be able to use a cell phone while they are on the clock instead of their office phone. Finally, most small businesses don’t want to pay extra money to have traditional phone lines installed in their building.
With a small business VoIP and small business phone system, businesses will no longer have to deal with the hassle-free system that regular phone lines provide. Employees will be able to input customer information into a web form or have sales representatives enter basic information into a web form through a web enabled phone system. Calls will automatically be routed to the appropriate line and all staff members will have access to voicemail boxes or directly to email. This hassle-free system will ensure that small business owners can concentrate on running their businesses rather than dealing with annoying telecommunications.