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SMBs Should Give Voice Over IP a Second Look

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February 25, 2010

SMBs Should Give Voice Over IP a Second Look

By David Sims, TMCnet Contributing Editor


'The needs of small business are not those of big business.' This would seem self-evident, would it not? It would. Yet you'd be amazed.

Small business don't budget like big corporations do. They don't plan in time frames out to the horizon. Granted they don't have the tech headaches, usually, but they do have their issues. And VoIP providers have begun to address small business needs – down to the micro-business, sole proprietors, and even individual consultants level.


Generally thought of as something for the big boys, today Voice over IP is something small businesses should at least seriously consider.

According to a study referenced on VendorSeek.com, 'on a per-employee basis, very small businesses pay four times more per employee for phone services than larger firms.'

Are you still reading? We thought so. But besides cost, the study finds, 'other advantages of VoIP services include scalability, ease of management, and reliability.'

TMC (News - Alert) reported that for small companies that are just getting started with a full-featured phone system, 'hosted VoIP is often the best option. With hosted VoIP, the entire phone system (the exception being actual phones) is taken off-site and hosted by a provider in a secure facility. Administrative functions are performed using a browser-based portal on the Web.'

A business can start with one or two phones and add more as needed, the VendorSeek.com article says: 'The client doesn't have to wait for a new phone number or a new line installation. As the business grows, the phone system can grow at the same rate.'

VoIP providers traditionally offer short term or month-to-month contracts. Sign-up expenses vary, but they can be expected to be reasonable.

And with many VoIP systems, you get the big business features you might have thought you couldn't afford. 'Auto attendants offer extensions to the caller, even if there's a single employee. Call queues and the ability to transfer calls or call conference rooms are features that can make the operation sound more established to the caller. Toll-free numbers are obviously useful, and a VoIP phone system can allow the client to receive voice mail and faxes by e-mail.'

VoIP services can give a detailed set of metrics, if understanding the numbers that run your business is important to you, if you'd like to track the time of calls, the incoming numbers, receiving extensions, and more on a detailed spreadsheet.

There are concerns – what if you lose your Internet connection? There goes your phone line. Most companies allay this concern by getting a hosted public branch exchange, a box connecting your phone to the carriers line. With one, a caller can always reach voicemail and auto attendant because they're hosted at the data center, not the office. 'Moreover, some dial plans allow calls to ring on cell phones,' VendorSeek says.

David Sims is a contributing editor for TMCnet. To read more of David’s articles, please visit his columnist page. He also blogs for TMCnet here.

Edited by Stefania Viscusi


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