The growth of VoIP calling has been the sort of thing that a lot of businesses have picked up on, and have been looking into establishing VoIP and different breeds of calling services as a means to keep costs down. But when the workers go home—or in some cases just stop working for the day because mobility tools like VoIP allow it—many of them start wondering if maybe VoIP could mean cost savings at home as well. For these people, the answer that's increasingly found is yes, it can.
What many grew to discover was that the savings were not only present, but in some cases, pronounced as well. Reports suggest that customers switching to VoIP over a traditional phone bill can save as much as 70 percent depending on circumstances in the area. There are several different providers in the field, and each offers a little something different depending on what customers are using. For instance, a firm called Phone (News - Alert) Power offers unlimited calling, on landline or mobile devices, and the ability to retain a current phone number for $3.95 for the first three months. Prices noted here, meanwhile, don't reflect things like E911 surcharges and the like, so be sure to check all the applicable terms and conditions before signing up.
Meanwhile, MagicJack offers service for $59.95 a year, including free caller ID and the ability to call anywhere in the United States and Canada for that price from phone, mobile device or computer. ITP offers a free adaptor with its services, and plans starting at $9.99 and up with no cancellation fees. AxVoice offers free activation, the current phone number, and unlimited calling to the U.S. and Canada for $8.25 a month, and VoIPo will offer its service at $6.21 a month, throwing in three-way calling and a telemarketer block.
What's more is that there will be further additional options available for those interested to choose from, ranging from things like specific ringtones, so users can tell the difference between, say, a personal call and a call from the office. Call waiting and forwarding systems are also available, and even virtual phone numbers can be had so friends and family without VoIP can make a call to a user as if that user were a local call, which is priced much, much lower—often pennies per call regardless of length—than a full long-distance call.
The good news—and bad news, oddly—is that there are a lot of firms to choose from in the residential VoIP market space. It's good news because it means low prices and lots of extras as firms compete for users. It's also bad news because it means quite a bit of work to determine just which provider is best for each user's individual circumstances; just looking at that listing previous should spell it out: firms in this space have a lot to offer and are willing to offer all that for comparatively—and objectively—low prices. But figuring out which offering is best takes consideration. Do I even know anyone in Canada to make that attractive? Should I pay once for the year or pay monthly? Options abound, and so too do decisions to be made.
The key takeaway, though, is that indeed there's plenty of value to be had for those who turn to VoIP calling services. It's not always easy, but making those decisions may result in big savings annually.
Edited by Alisen Downey