Voice over Internet Protocol (VoIP) is nothing new to cyberspace. It’s not even new for phone use, having arrived on the scene in the 1990’s for personal use. Did you realize that the recent trend is with VoIP for business?

The use of hi-def codecs and cloud-hosted VoIP not only provides you with quality sound but also savings , IT support, and equipment installation and maintenance. If you’re considering a new phone system installation or an upgrade to existing office phone equipment, you might want to consider VoIP for your next communications package. Landline users need not worry – you’ll still have the features you used to enjoy.

Even Businesses Are Doing It But Why?

Most popular with small businesses, VoIP has three great reasons for you to select it for your telecom needs – savings, simplicity and flexibility.

The low cost is the most attractive aspect of VoIP. The lesser space requirements to equip a VoIP system would be the most appealing feature next to monetary savings. The shamefully small amount of equipment required would be a huge third on the list of reasons to go with VoIP. Now the walk-in closet used to house the wiring and equipment for your current wired phone service can be used to provide a small snack bar for your employees.

Remember when you moved one employee at extension 04311 to the room next to where she had been sitting for over five years? Remember all the rewiring that had to be done? With VoIP, that won’t be an issue. A move is just picking up the phone and setting it on the new desk. Or, you can reprogram the phone sitting on the desk that she is moving to.

If your business requires that some employees be present locally and some two cities over, many VoIP services allow for free calls between colleagues that are here and there.

Here are some of the features you can expect with VoIP:

• Caller ID
• Real-time transfer of calls between phones
• Calling to the United States and Canada, Unlimited
• Virtual receptionist
• Optional custom prerecorded greetings
• Advanced call forwarding, screening, and recording rules
• Mobile apps
• Voicemail
• Three-way calling

Statistics from 2012 show that 79 percent of all businesses use VoIP, the greater majority being small businesses. The 1990’s saw only 42 percent of VoIP use. The numbers accelerated from then onward for residential use but also have grown more slowly in business use. VoIP should be your next major business expenditure with more benefit realized than actual cost and outlay.