VoIP
• voip
As the use of online faxing gains wider acceptance, the type of technology related to the sending and receiving faxes over the Internet is being further developed and online faxing service providers are beginning to offer online faxing bundled with enterprise-wide Internet-based phone services in the form of VoIP.
Sending faxes or making a phone call over the Internet requires an entirely different approach from faxing or calling over a conventional telephone network, which sets up a dedicated circuit for the duration of a phone call.
VoIP uses a technology called packet-switched telephony in which voice data goes to its destination by way of innumerable packets across the Internet. Today VoIP services can offer quality and reliability on a level that rivals land lines and cell phones.
Companies that choose to use online faxing may also consider a VoIP phone system as they streamline their communications. Solutions for both faxing and enterprise-wide, Internet-based phone systems are available through companies such as RingCentral, Nextiva, and 8 x 8, for example.
Benefits of VoIP
Besides the streamlining aspect of being able to migrate all of your work activities to the Internet, VoIP and the means of using the technology for telephony online–Internet Protocol (IP) small business phone systems—offers several benefits that will encourage a person to drop the traditional land-line service.
Cost savings. At the top of anyone’s list of considerations is cost, and VoIP rates will in that respect because it enables less-expensive external calls and free internal calls. In fact, external calls can be up to nearly 90 percent cheaper with VoIP. Internally the calls are free because everyone is using the same network. If a company has a Virtual Private Network, or VPN, in which network access can be gained by “tunneling in,” employees can talk from their desks or the road with people at different company sites free of charge.
The cost of the IP PBX system vs. the traditional PBX is usually less while offering the same functionality by way of a more efficient technology that doesn’t require prefix numbers or complicated routing that can effect service reliability.
Interconnectivity. If a company is still in the midst of a long-term contract with a traditional PBX provider, an IP PBX can still be incorporated because it will work with the traditional system. This interconnectivity will allow the company to begin to experience the benefits of the new technology in preparation for making the changeover when the contract with the traditional provider ends.
Convenience. Since VoIP IP PBX systems use the Internet, if a user can access the network, he or she can log onto any Internet phone; this makes the traditional extension or phone socket unnecessary. Employees can roam, working from the office, the road, or home.
Positive perception. Business prospects in, say, Knoxville, Tennessee, can call a number with the local area code, but the call may actually go to a call center in another city. This reduces the perception that the company is far away.
Fewer staff members. Because telephone capabilities are integrated with the computer network in IP PBX systems, the requirement for switch-board staff is reduced.
Computer-telephony integration. Since IP PBX systems connect to the computer network and as part of the relationship, they also integrate with applications and can be synchronized with them. Case in point: voicemail messages can be attached to Outlook email client messages; when you listen to and delete the voicemail messages, they are likewise deleted from email message. In addition, the deletion process works in the other direction.
The integration also allows for a great deal of flexibility in terms of being able to set up call rerouting. The user can program the system to direct calls to a cell phone, voicemail, or home phone during specified time periods, for example.
Instant messaging can also easily be used in conjunction with phone calls conducted over IP PBX systems.
While reaping the benefits, companies are experiencing success with VoIP PBX systems [link to: Corporate-VoIP-Success-Stories].
Related Posts via Categories