by Orita | January 15th, 2008
Voice over Internet Protocol (“VoIP”) is not a new technology, but it is gaining a lot of popularity through international service providers such as Skype and Vonage. Locally the players are Cable & Wireless with Netspeak, 888 from Caribbean Phone, and the recently launched Freedom Phone Service from The Cable.
How Can VoIP Benefit Your Organization?
VoIP allows a multi-site business to be linked via the Internet and to place calls between locations as an internal call regardless of their distance. All that is required is that the two sites each have broadband Internet and an internal network.
VoIP also enables businesses who have remote workers or persons who work from home to remain in contact with the office without placing an external call.
IP Phone Systems (IP-PBX)
Many businesses with 2 or more phone lines will have a Phone System or PBX, perhaps from Nortel, Mitel or some other manufacturer. You may also have several extensions attached to the PBX and an engineer will run lines to these extensions in your office.
With an IP (Internet Protocol) based PBX, the system is connected to your network just like a server, and phones plug into the PBX just as you would plug a PC onto your network. Because phones plug into the network you don’t need to run additional cables. Wherever there’s a PC or network point you can connect a phone. This is significant for new businesses setting up an office, because you do not need to run separate cables for the phones and network.
Feature Rich Capability
Many IP-based PBX systems will offer SMEs features that are usually the preserve of larger corporations. Features such as Voice Mail, Music on Hold, Phone Directory, Call Accounting, and Call Attendant are usually standard. Voice Mail, usually an optional extra, is standard with the system and can be configured so that messages are forwarded as an e-mail attachment, and can be played on a laptop or smart phone.
Immediately, your business can benefit from an improved professional image. A single or two-line business can now have calls routed to particular extensions based on the options chosen by the caller, the caller ID or even the time of day.
Freedom and Flexibility/Improved Communications
With an IP-based system, the boundaries of the office are extended. Workers are not restricted to the physical office, but can receive and place calls from any location where they have access to the Internet. These are just some of the benefits of an IP-based phone system, but there are other significant benefits such as reduced costs and increased productivity.
As call accounting is included with some systems, one can see peak phone activity and schedule staff accordingly or detect abuse quickly.
Since calls between locations are internal calls, there is no cost for those calls regardless of whether it is a local, regional or international call! This alone may be a compelling reason to consider switching to an IP-based PBX.
For more Information contact The IT Facility on (869)-466-7025 or solutions@theitfacility.com
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