It’s an acronym that stands for Voice over Internet Protocol, which means that it utilizes your existing internet connection to make and received calls. In other words, as long as you have a broadband internet connection, you can use VoIP. VoIP is especially useful to small businesses that need a cost-effective phone solution but cannot afford traditional long-distance or even cell phone charges.
One of the most important benefits of VoIP is its ability to connect multiple phone lines to one single IP-based call.
This is called SIP trunks. SIP trunks allow each separate line to be used for a variety of purposes, such as phone conferencing and video conference calls. SIP trunks are usually implemented within the private branch exchange (PBX) network, which is a public switched telephone network (PSTN). There are four different types of SIP trunks available: private branch exchange (PBX), unified communications network (UHC), ATM network, and ISDN.
Private Branch Exchange Networks (PBX) are telephone networks that use a central switch and routing tables to control communication between multiple phone lines. For example, during a phone conversation, the call will go through a series of switches in the PBX before being routed to the correct destination. SIP trunks allow a single phone number, unique to the company’s Internet access, to be connected to several calls with different extensions.
A lot of small businesses don’t want to waste money on long distance charges, so away invented an easy alternative. The VoIP Phone Service is basically an enhanced version of the PBX system. The basic difference is that it allows voice calls to be placed directly to email boxes and fax machines. This eliminates long distance charges. An added benefit is that employees can place VoIP calls anywhere in the world for free, whereas with a traditional Pbx system, the call has to be placed within the office or the location that is serviced by the company. SIP servers are responsible for handling the overall routing of the call.
The VoIP Phone Service is often provided by avaya, who also provides telephony services.
Other companies such as Vonage are also offering voice over IP services and the avaya VoIP Phone System is among the most popular amongst small businesses. With this service, companies can not only receive, and make phone calls from anywhere in the world, but can also send faxes, place fax online, and have Internet access directly to their computer. This eliminates the need for additional telephone lines, therefore reducing overhead expenses.
The advantages of avaya VoIP Phone system includes the ability to save money on long distance phone calls, reduced IT costs, no more need to buy extra hardware and software, eliminating the need for hiring new employees, the ability to have voicemail, no more worry about busy signals, no more lost calls and more. The nextiva VoIP Phone service is basically an extension of the avaya VoIP Phone system and is designed to be used along with the same system. It can be integrated to existing networks and can be used to replace existing Pbx systems. This reduces the cost and allows for expanded business communication. When comparing prices between the two systems, nextiva seems to have a slight edge, however, there are other small business communication companies that offer lower prices, so it is really a matter of looking at what the going rate is for the specific type of business that you work with.
The internet connection that is required for avaya VoIP Phone systems to function smoothly is relatively inexpensive compared to some office phone systems. For example, the VoIP adapter from rheem provides a service for less than $40 per month. One of the main disadvantages of the VoIP Phone system from them is that the internet connection is not a high speed internet connection. If your office does not require a high speed internet connection, or if you do not use the internet all the time for your business, then this might be an option that you want to consider.
The call center is also a very important part of the business communication process, and this is where some of the differences in the two systems become apparent. With the traditional PBX phone system, a customer has to dial into the toll-free number, wait for a response and then be transferred to an answering service or a voice-mail box.
- Another drawback to this method of delivering daily details to customers is that it often results in customers phoning the wrong number.
- It can also result in missed calls, or calls that take longer to get through than they should, because of poor reception conditions or busy signals.
- When your call center uses a VoIP Phone system, your customers never have to worry about these sorts of things, because their callers will always receive a response or a live person, no matter what time of day or night they call.