The use of VoIP phone systems is on the rise, recent statistic revealed that in the next three years the industry is expected to grow to a whopping $35 billion worldwide making it one of the fastest growing communication solutions in the world. So what’s so great about VoIP phones? The answer is simple tons of savings and tons features! Truly an ideal communication system in today’s fast paced business sector and continuously changing market.

Cost savings – Probably one of the top reasons why VoIP office telephone systems became such a hit is the potential savings it can bring. Cheaper line rentals, cheaper line dial and minimal to no maintenance at all. These are the avenues you can expect to save on. When compared with traditional telephone systems, a VoIP office telephone system can save you by as much as 70% per month with an average return on investment of just 3 to 6 months.

Easy deployment – Since a VoIP office telephone system uses the “cloud” instead of a series of wires and hardware set up is a breeze. Regardless of whether you will be using a soft phone or an IP phone all you need to do is open a web portal that will be provided by your service provider, log in using your credentials and you are good to go. No need for a technician to come site.

Flexible provisioning – Since the system uses cloud technology it offers a level of flexibility that no other business communication can. This means you can start as small as you want and just scale up your capacity as your business grows. The same way features can all be customized to fit in to your requirements. From the way the phones behave down to your ring pattern everything can be programmed according to your specifications.

Remote working opportunities – Want to work at home for a couple of weeks? Or perhaps looking to hire an overseas staff? All of that is possible with VoIP phones. The fact that the system is situated in the cloud all extensions can be located practically anywhere around the world as long as there is an Internet connection and it will work like if it is in on office space.

Rigged with features – Want to sound and appear like the biggest company in your industry? With VoIP you can have easily have a professional greeting message, a well structured menu system, queuing system, on hold messages, out of hours mode, website click to call back, virtual conference room and may more!

Choosing the best possible business phone plan is often a business owner’s nightmare not only because of the impact that it will on the business but also because of the countless options in the market today. With today’s communication industry boom many providers here and there are sprouting almost from nothing. It is beneficial in the sense that the competition will improve prices however the sheer number options to choose from will also increase the risk factor and mistake.

To avoid such mistakes and confusion here four general guidelines that will assist you in choosing the best business phone plans:

Value for money and price – More often than not people think that expensive spells quality. However, that is not entirely true all the time. The most expensive routes and the most expensive business phone plans do not guarantee quality the same way the cheapest does not mean the best either. Remember what’s important is the value that you’ll be getting. Weigh all the aspects with regards to price including the line rentals, dial rates and flag falls and see where you will be really saving and where you will get more for your money.

Contract – If possible it is best to steer away from service providers that will oblige you into a lock in contract. This will prevent you to move out if in case you are not happy with their services. Additionally if they are offering a good business phone plans like what they are advertising a lock in contract is not necessary to keep the customers.

Customer service – getting an outstanding support mechanism is important in telecommunications, businesses are practically run by phones and you cannot afford to have an outage for an extended period. It is necessary for businesses to be able to pick up the phone and ask for help with their telecommunications provider.

Expectations – probably one of the most important aspects of any provider across industries is meeting the customers’ expectations. There are many providers in the market today that just couldn’t deliver. Before making any purchase it pays if you will conduct some sort background research and seeking for feedback from real life users. Utilize the internet and you will see tons of reviews and forums about the industry.

The time of analog phone lines and hardware are now over with the continuous development of the Internet. Today most phone lines are run through the Internet through a solution called VoIP. With the many benefits of the technology it’s no wonder why businesses are worldwide are now turning to it to improve their communication system whilst reducing overhead cost.

The big question on everybody is what is VoIP? It stands for Voice over Internet Protocol that uses a network such the internet to transmit or deliver data. In a traditional office telephone system data are transmitted using copper wires to the PSTN network or the service provider’s main frame. In VoIP office telephone systems data and voice are transmitted over the Internet then through the provider’s network before dislodging to the number prefix you wish to call.

Simply by changing the manner how the call is delivered benefits are pushed off the scale and one common thing associated with VoIP is savings. True indeed, if used correctly businesses can see a savings no less than 50% compared to traditional telephony means. The savings is generally generated by avoiding the use of traditional telephony protocol called PRI, which is expensive and hard maintain leading to high calling charges. The technology uses Voice over Internet protocol, SIP, or asterisk server to deliver the calls. Geeky stuff yet effective in reducing cost.

Furthermore to savings, office phone equipments are often hard to maintain and poses serious downtime problems. VoIP doesn’t need any hardware reducing your maintenance cost and the need for an in house telephone engineer to maintain your phones. Everything is situated in the cloud and everything is maintained by the service provider themselves.

VoIP is also known for the features and flexible provisioning next to savings. Literally everything an on premise PBX can do is achievable with the system if not better plus a set of features that is only possible with VoIP like multiple locations, multiple businesses, mobile phone integration, website integration and CRM integration. If that is not enough all features can be custom programmed to suit your requirements and preferences giving you enough flexibility to grow your business without having to undergo any upgrade.

However, the system is not all sugar coated. There are also some misconceptions about it because it is a fairly new technology. Some think that it unreliable and unsecure because of the fact that it is on the cloud. For starters, internet connection these days are no longer dial up connections and a mile from what we have 10 years ago. These days we enjoy high speed broadband and fiber connection plus the bonus of wireless solutions. Securing a good connection is easily accessible in any country and region so quality and reliability will never be an issue.

As for security, the system uses a mechanism called encryption. It is somewhat compared to the security imposed by banks in online transactions. It is actually easier to hack into an analog phone than to eavesdrop on an internet call because of this security measure.

Already decided to move to VoIP office phone systems? Don’t go heading out to make purchases yet. Remember communication is very important to any business and you should be very careful in making decisions concerning it. Generally VoIP is a remarkable communication solution however, as sad as it seems not all providers in the market today are able to deliver and meet your expectations.

Before buying any VoIP office phone system make sure that you take into consideration these simple yet important points to avoid costly mistakes.

Know what you’re buying – Before signing up with any VoIP office phone system provider make sure that you know what you are getting into. Read about VoIP, the pros and cons of the technology, how it can help your business and what the considerations you need to take into account. Never decide based on a sales person recommendations and promises as a business owner only you can tell what’s best for your business and it is your call to decide.

Know all the cost involved – At times there are service provider that will tell about the costing whilst deciding but will not let you in on all the cost involved like tax, equipment rentals, line rentals, support service charges and so on. Make sure that you detailed copy of all the cost involved with their services and nothing extra should appear on the bill.

Gather all your options – VoIP office phone system is a very flexible communication platform your service provider should lay down all card to you and let you decide which one is the best for you. Also since the system is very flexible you should also be able to customize various aspect of it. It plain terms never settle for a one size fits all system because it was never really designed to facilitate growth.

Fulfill all the requirements of the technology – the solution is only as good as your internet network, if you are running on low bandwidth and unstable connection then it is inevitable that you will encounter problems with regards to call quality. Make sure that you are able secure a decent internet connection, modem and or router before deploying VoIP.

Gauge your provider’s support services – In any products or services that you purchase you need to gauge the level of customer support the provider is offering and VoIP is no exemption. Make sure you grasp the turnaround time for service requests, upgrades and problem resolution.

If there is one universal guideline across all business niche that would have to be a reliable communication system should be in place. True enough because businesses need to communicate with customers to follow up on possible sales, remind of appointments and offer new products and services. Internally to monitor staffs, to conduct business meetings and so much more. However, traditional phone system sometimes just couldn’t deliver the demand of today’s ever changing market and a phone system overhaul is just inevitable.

Why Consider Switching to VoIP Office Telephone System

Fed up of paying a mind boggling bill every end of the month to your traditional telecommunications provider? Then a VoIP office telephone system is for you. The system can effectively cut down your bills into half at times even more depending on the provider. The savings is achieved through lower calling charges, better line rental fees and minimal maintenance.

Not happy with your current phone system features? VoIP office telephone systems offer tons of exciting features that will only improve how you handle a phone call but also help make calls convenient for you and for your staff. Additionally, almost all the features of a VoIP office telephone system can be custom programmed according to your requirements, so you tell your provider what you want and how you want it and your phones will do it for you.

Need a room to grow? – VoIP solutions are very flexible in terms of features and deployment. This means you can start as small as you want and just increase your capacity as your business grows. The same way if you wish to start big, maybe because of a new promotion or the season, you can and just scale down your phone capacity during lean seasons. By starting with your current needs only you are effectively managing your business funds better and allotting enough funds on other aspects the business may need.

Multiple integration capabilities – Since the system is in the cloud it is compatible to be integrated with similar services like a website and a CRM. You have a call me form on your website, a click to call capability and so on. CRMs on the other hand can also work side by side with the system. You can have your phones dial in a number through your CRM’s interface. If you are running a hotel you can bill the calls directly to your customer’s tab and so on. You can even integrate your smart phones to work as another extension, the possibilities are just endless.

It is not enough for businesses to secure a good and reliable office telephone system but it is also crucial to secure a business phone plans that will deliver the continuity of savings and bring about the return on investment as quickly as possible. There are different plans in the market today indicated for different types of business and phone usage identifying one that suits your needs is important to save money.

Below are some of the most common business phone plans in the market today and a quick rundown of its indications.

Calling Bundles – there are some service providers in the market today that offer their services in bundles, for example a internet connection, a dial plan and at times a CRM. These promos are indeed tempting however, business owners should be very picky on these types of plans because more often than this plans are designed to be profitable for the provider. It is advisable that you check every nuts and bolts of these bundles before deciding whether it will work for you or not.

Unlimited calling plans – Another tempting business phone plans in the market today are unlimited calling plans. However did you know that most of the time businesses are better off paying for the callings they make? Why? Because most of the unlimited calling plans have limited channels on it meaning you can only make or receive a certain number of phone calls. This means that you really cannot maximize this type of plan. Additionally, this is a fixed monthly charge so whether you use it or not you will pay for it.

Dial plans with free calls – In reality there is such thing as a free phone call. Service providers are basing these plans on some clever calculations and averages. Whilst you get some free calls it is likely that you will be paying a higher rate once your free calls are all used up. It is then better to actually pay for the calls that you make and just find the best rates you can.

Untimed calls or Small Increments – Both plans are beneficial in their own ways, if your calls average 4 minutes and above then you are better off with the untimed rate because you will just be paying a fixed amount regardless how long you talk. On the other hand if you calls usually last under 3 minutes or often times last 30 seconds especially to mobiles then you are better off paying a per minute rate charge in the smallest increments as possible.

In today’s business world it is not enough for an office telephone system to just make and receive calls for us. We expect it to do more than just calls and be a holistic communication solution for us that will help in improving our business processes and become a tool that will facilitate growth and development of the business. Fortunately, office telephone systems today are offering more than just calls and are living up to the demand.

With the continued development of office telephone systems and increase in demand it is no wonder that more and more providers are opening here and there. Sadly, not all providers are able to deliver. Thus, it is a must for business owners to be extra careful these days to avoid costly mistakes and to acquire a solution that will truly fulfill their requirements. Below are the 5 most important deciding factors you need to take into account before purchasing an office telephone system for your business.

Costs – Before heading out to search for an office telephone system it is best that you set a realistic budget that will not hurt your business and as well give you enough room to shop around. It is also advisable to grab as many quotes as possible from different providers and tabulate it in checklist form. This will allow you to review all the aspect concerning money like the initial cost, dial rates, line rentals, maintenance if any and upkeep cost.

Room to grow – The last thing you want is a phone system that will not allow you to expand without additional costs. Be sure that your PBX and provider will give you enough flexibility to expand easily without having to overhaul or upgrade the system.

Return on investment – A PBX is a business investment you should be able to recover your cost in time. It might be through cheaper dial rates and lines rentals or streamlined communication leading to better sales conversion. Regardless how, return on investment should be present.

Feature rich – Obviously the features is another important aspect that you need to look into. Does it offer all the features you need or might need in the future? Will it help you tender your products and services better? Meeting all your requirements is sometimes not enough, it should also be able to exceed it at some aspect and offer you a better mechanism of doing things.

Quality of service – We’ve heard it several times but what do you really consider a quality service? Well, for an office telephone system obviously the quality of calls is at the top of the list. Remember you are running a business you cannot afford to have a bad call line or breaking up voices.

Next is the quality of customer service, it is inevitable that you will face a problem with the lines, the handset or other components of the system what’s important is how it is dealt with. You should be able to call your provider and report the problem without having to wait in queue for 30 minutes and so on. Lastly, your provider should meet your expectation and live up to their words. If they say repairs will be completed in two hours then it should be in two hours, not 3, not 4 not 10.

Traditional phone systems are designed to carry incoming and outgoing calls nothing more and nothing less. However, the demand and competition in today’s market is more complex that what it used to be 20 years ago. Luckily, modern day office telephone systems are now offering smart features that will not only improve the way businesses communicate with customers but also aid in the ever changing demand of today’s fast paced environment.

Modern day office telephone systems still perform the most basic yet most important function of a phone and that is to transmit calls. Today’s office telephone system can either use traditional analog lines, an ISDN circuit and even the internet to deliver calls. The method of transmission may differ that of 20 years ago but still the overall function is the same and that is to offer business grade quality every time you place or receive a call.

So what’s so different in today’s solutions? Office telephone systems today offer more features that will allow businesses to tender their products and services more effectively. Here are some of the features that nobody thought possible years ago.

Better call forwarding options – Today office telephone system are capable of transferring calls between extensions, to a mobile or to a landline with just a press of button. You can also do it automatically by tweaking the settings so that the PBX will automatically forward calls to a mobile or another landline number when your business is out of hours, on holidays or if everyone is busy to pick up.

Smarter IVR options – Interactive Voice Response or IVR is probably one of the most flexible features you can have. You can use for a greeting message, a menu system, an on hold message and even for an automated booking system. Not only that it will assist you in streamlining your processes but it will create a sense of trust in customers. Phones are the doorway to customers and it is just a must to impress them during the initial contact as it will reflect on the way the business is managed.

Multiple locations – Did you know that extensions or handsets can be placed across the globe and work as if all are under one roof? Thanks to VoIP technologies distance is no longer a problem. By using the internet instead of traditional copper lines extensions can be situated anywhere in the world. This means that your support staff in the Philippines can answer calls coming in from your Australian number the same way your sales agent in New York can answer sales related calls.

Not only that this feature will allow you to work from home to give you and your staff a flexible working environment, this will also open your doors to outsourcing options.

CRM Integration – Tired of having to scribble a customer’s number on a piece of paper only to find out you forgot where you put it? Then worry no more. Today’s telephone systems are capable of integrating with a client management software that will let you store vital information such as number, address, email address and even invoices. You can even have your CRM engineers to program it for you so can directly dial from the software or even load all the numbers you need to call out using an automated dialer.

The possibilities are endless with today’s communication solutions be sure to discuss with your chosen provider all the nuts and bolts of your requirements and what they can do for you to ensure that you acquire a solution is best suited for your business.

In today’s business world it is quite common for businesses to establish a virtual office rather than a physical rental. It is fairly logical though because of the many benefits that it brings. A virtual office would eliminate the costly monthly rentals of an office, infrastructure cost like electric bills, internet and so on. Additionally this will allow you and your staff to work at the comfort of your own home and spend more time with your family.

However, like any good business solution there are also some difficulties that you will encounter before you can fully wield its benefits. Having to work away from each other will pose a communication breakdown, in an office you can just easily talk to your staff or even observe them whilst they are working. In a virtual office that will be quite impossible. Your communication will now boil down to the office telephone system that you’ve got, so it is a must for your virtual business to acquire an office telephone system that will breach the gaps between you and your staff to effectively carry out all your business procedures.

Fortunately, today’s PBX’s are no longer confined in a closed enterprise. A cloud PBX office telephone system allows businesses to practically situate any extension or handset in any part of the world and will work as if all are under one roof. The system uses the internet to connect your phones to a central server, pretty much how websites work, and from there calls will be diverted accordingly. This will give you the capability to call between extensions for free, transfer calls and even put the system on queue. Generally everything that an on premise based PBX can do is achievable in a cloud PBX system.

Cost wise, the system will save you an average of 50% on your phone bills compared to traditional systems and since the system is comparable to a website or an open source programming system you can literally customized every aspect of it based on your preferences and needs. This will give you enough flexibility to run your business the way you want.

Just take a look at this simple diagram how the system works.

Choosing the best business phone plans and office telephone system is crucial for any business because communication is vital for any enterprise to succeed. Whether you are a starting business or switching providers it is important to be very careful in choosing the appropriate solution for your business to avoid costly mistakes.

Choosing the Best Office Telephone System

There are several considerations in choosing the proper office telephone system for your business however it can be broken down to what you require and what your customers require. Below is a handy breakdown of the merits of a good office telephone system.

Capacity – You should have enough capacity to accommodate all incoming and outgoing calls.

Feature set – Your phones should be a tool that helps streamline your business processes and as such a set of features like a greeting message, voice mail, menu system, on hold messages, out of hours features and many more should be supported otherwise you cannot consider it to be a real solution.

Top end quality lines – Remember you are running a business and you can’t afford to have a call that is breaking up or worst get disconnected after a few minutes. The quality of phone call especially the initial one contact is very important to build rapport with customers.

Flexibility – We know that nothing is constant in this world except change, so you should be able to modify your office telephone system without any hardware upgrade or replacement to accommodate new requirements and or to suit your new processes.

Choosing the Best Business Phone Plans

Like the actual system that you will the business phone plans is equally important because it will dictate your ongoing monthly cost. There are several options in the market today and one way or other you will be able to find a business phone plans that suit your needs and budget.

Pre paid plans – it is ideal to use a pre paid plan for VoIP users for security reasons, it will also help you monitor your expenditures fairly better than post paid and will you give full control on how much you can spend in a month for your calls. Probably the only consideration you need to bear in mind is the credit alarm and the reloading process. You should be informed about your credits when it hits a certain amount to avoid a complete halt of your calls and the reloading process should be as easy as one, two and three.

Dial rates – The dial rates should also be competitive, today it is common to find free calls for certain amount, unlimited calling plans and bundles. However, the reality is it is better if you just a provider with a competitive rate and just pay for the actual calls you put up. Just make some quick calculations and you’ll see. Also the downside of fixed plans is that you will still pay that amount regardless of whether you use it or not, a waste of money during holiday and lean seasons.