Over the past several years, the way that companies have maintained their infrastructures and internal operations has been changing. One area that has seen a lot of technological improvements and changes is the office phone system. I personally know how complicated it was 10 years ago, as in two of my previous lives I not only set up network systems but also phone systems and all of the wiring that was associated with the packages.
Voice over IP (VoIP) almost sounds like it’s a magical solution. The hype makes it sound more flexible, more full-featured and best of all, significantly cheaper than placing your calls through traditional telephone service providers. The questions to ask are: Is VoIP really all it's cracked up to be? And are the potential pitfalls worth the potential monetary payoffs? If you had asked me those two questions when I was setting up systems and was first introduced to VoIP, the answer would have been a resounding no.
However, as I stated above, this is a technology that has made great strides. As VoIP continues to mature and as high-speed Internet becomes cheaper and ubiquitous, an increasing number of businesses are discovering the benefits allowing them to discard conventional landlines and switching to VoIP.
Small business VoIP is getting a lot of attention these days. In essence, small business VoIP combines voice and data together on a single, secure network foundation. VoIP allows you to have your phone system running on an IP network, which can either be your own or through the Internet. A small business VoIP system gives your business a cost-effective, easy-to-use, full-featured communications solution.
There is something else to consider, in these days of BYOD and being able to work from just about anywhere, home offices have become very popular. Thanks to something as simple as an Internet connection, your location is no longer a real factor in accepting an employment opportunity. Setting up a VoIP system for a Small Office and Home Office (SOHO) offers a full set of robust features comparable to those used by large corporations. The best part of the package is that you can do so much but at just a fraction of the cost.
By switching to a small business VoIP system, a SOHO can increase productivity because it will be combining and simplifying its communication tools. Voice and data networks will be more secure, not to mention the fact that employees can have easy access to the company network, whether they are in the office or working from home. Something else that comes into play is the fact that since all calls go through the same system, there are no long distance charges a VoIP call to your neighbor is the same as calling someone across the country.
On the other end of the spectrum, customers and clients will have an easier way of getting in touch with the person they need to speak to. Setting up a VoIP system correctly will allow both desktop phones and mobile phones to be connected to the same features. Clients will not be getting frustrated by lengthy phone system menus or by being sent to voicemail. Of course if the employee doesn’t answer the phone, well that has nothing to do with the phone system!
ZYCOO is one of the leading developers of IP telephony devices and related systems. This is a company that has devoted the past seven years to researching and developing powerful and scalable VoIP solutions, specifically for SMBs and SOHOs. ZYCOO's products and solutions are currently being used in more than 85 countries and regions around the world.
The company’s latest product, the UC520 has been specially designed as IP Office for SOHOs. In addition to offering what you would expect, such as a Wi-Fi router that supports 3G/LTE (News - Alert) data access, ADSL, VPN Client/Server, VLAN one box is also a fully featured IP PBX that can host up to 10 extensions. That is not all of what the UC520 can do, it has two analog ports supporting FXS and FXO lines, which are the name of the ports used by analog phone lines also known as POTS, or Plain Old Telephone Service.
FXS, which stands for Foreign eXchange Subscriber interface, is the port that actually delivers the analog line to the subscriber. In other words it is the “plug on the wall” that delivers a dial tone, battery current and ring voltage. FXO, which stand for Foreign eXchange Office interface, is the port that receives the analog line. It is the plug on the phone or fax machine, or the plug(s) on your analog phone system. It delivers an on-hook/off-hook indication (loop closure). Since the FXO port is attached to a device, such as a phone, the device is often called the FXO device.
Zycoo’s UC520 also supports call forwarding, call recording, conference calls, as well as both blind and attended call transfers. All of this is delivered in a package that can be configured and managed through a single Web graphical user interface. This method can significantly reduce not only the time, but also the effort that is required to install and set up the system. All of this also leads to substantial cost savings for SOHOs.
As the deployment of LTE networks continues on a worldwide basis, more companies will be able to take advantage of VoIP solutions. When effectively configured, this can have benefits for the company, its employees, as well as its customers and clients, all delivered in a cost saving solution.
Edited by Alisen Downey