Sort the VoIP Confusion – Choose the Right VoIP System for You

You might have heard about VOIP and how it has totally revolutionized the world of telecommunications. You may have also heard how it can save companies a great deal of money owing to the fact that it is a whole deal of a lot cheaper than POTS (Plain Old Telephone Services). The potential VOIP offers has conventional telecommunication companies quaking in their boots – not to mention scrambling to get into the VOIP bandwagon before it’s too late.

If you are considering if VOIP is for your company, here are a few things to consider when considering a VOIP system.

1. Consider Your Business Needs – The system you choose for your business depends on your needs. If you own a small business, or even a small store, often enough, a plain telephone service will do. However, for larger companies, with more complicated needs, VOIP makes sense.

The beauty of VOIP is that it costs a lot less than plain telephones. VOIP or Voice over Internet Protocol uses the internet as the medium through which voice travels. It costs up to about 0 percent less than traditional telephone lines and can save a whole deal especially on long distance phone calls. In fact VOIP would practically cost nothing more in addition to your internet service fees if it didn’t have to go through traditional phone carriers when connecting to conventional phone subscribers. If you were to connect to fellow VOIP users, it wouldn’t cost anything at all.

This makes VOIP attractive to companies that make tons of overseas calls – companies such as customer service centers and such. Although VOIP requires special equipment, in the long run, the savings from the decreased costs of calling will prove to be huge.

2. Look for extra features – VOIP systems offer differing features. You will want to consider these when choosing a VOIP system. Create a matrix of your needs and the features you are looking for. Then list down a comprehensive list of VOIP systems to choose from. Jot down how these systems live up to your needs and expectations.

3. Consider the Long Term - Remember that no two VOIP systems are alike. Although it is a relatively new technology, there are tons of companies trying to cash in on the increased interest in this technology. As with most new technologies, many will flounder and gradually disappear.

So when choosing a system to install, think of the long term consequences of your actions. Some of the systems around today won’t be around tomorrow. Try to consider the systems that will be supported in the future. A good bet would be to invest in stable and proven providers. Installing such systems, especially in large companies, costs not a mere pittance, so you will want to get the most bang for the buck.

4. Prices may fluctuate – Today, prices for VOIP lines from established carriers such as Vonage and Speakeasy will charge almost $50 per line per month for unlimited calls. If your company does not have a great need for phone calls, you may want to keep with normal carriers.

The future seems bright for VOIP; however, it may be that the charges from carrier to carrier will decrease as VOIP increases in subscribers and popularity. Even given this, jumping into the VOIP bandwagon doesn’t seem like such a bad idea already.