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Voip Small Business/home Business Advantage
By Joel G. Walsh
Small businesses, home-based businesses, and self-employed individuals have been turning to internet telephone service (also called broadband phone or VOIP) in droves. What is the attraction? As a self-employed, telecommuting, small-business-owning freelance writer, I can provide some insight.

I switched my business to internet phones early in 2005. Despite a few hiccups, I'm not going back to landlines. Internet phone service has too many advantages, which I'll describe for you. I also have some tips for avoiding possible rough patches.

VOIP Internet Phone Small Business and SOHO Advantages

VOIP Advantage No. 1: Look bigger.

• If your small business has to seem large, a virtual PBX with a dial-by-name directory might help. These systems cost thousands to install. But many companies let you rent this service for less than a hundred dollars a month.



• Give each member of your team their own outside line. With most companies, each line costs around $10.



• Get one or more 1-800 numbers at around $10/month.

• Freedom to travel. When I went to Sacramento to visit a friend, I ended up extending my stay to a whole month. I couldn't have done that without regular phone access. With VOIP, my Massachusetts number follows me wherever I go.



• Tropical adventures. I regularly work with a virtual assistant company that takes phone calls on their Quebec phone number everyday. That wouldn't be so strange except they're in the Philippines. They're using the same small business phone service sold right here in North America. True, companies don't generally guarantee their services will work outside the country of purchase. But the internet is the internet, whether in Fargo or the South Pacific. With the growth of broadband to virtually every non-pariah nation on earth, your second office really could be in a tropical paradise--or year-round ski resort. Isn't that the freedom you hoped being your own boss would bring?



• Telecommuting. Feel a cold coming? Work from home! With VOIP, even the receptionist may be able to telecommute!



• Voicemail by email. You don't have to be by the phone to get voicemail. This is the perfect service for busy people and email addicts. Bonus: the message (in a file similar those used on MP3 players) can be stored indefinitely.

• Make lots of calls? Many providers' unlimited-calling plans cost just $20 to $80 a month.



• Features such as call waiting, caller ID, hold, call forwarding, and multiple ring-to numbers are usually costly extras with landline service. With most services, those are built-in features.

in ordinary web browsing and file downloading. Go with a service that has a 30-day money-back guarantee. Try out where you live and work. Make sure to try inbound and outbound calls.

Small Business Internet Phone Tip 2. Phoning from a laptop.

With telephones, you don't need a computer. But you can use your computer as a phone. A piece of software called a "softphone" uses your computer's speakers and microphone. If your laptop is running too many programs at once, calls will deteriorate. Higher-end laptops shouldn't have this problem.

SOHO Internet Phones Tip 3. Go with an established company.

You don't want to lose your telephone service and possibly your number. Yet only a few companies have roots before 2000. Choose a service with deep enough roots to survive a industry shake-out.

Small Biz Internet Phoning Tip 4. Choose a provider carefully before putting the number on your business cards.

Switching companies is at least as much of a pain as switching landline phone companies. In fact, there is typically no outward number-portability. You can bring a number in, but good luck taking it with you. Researching in early 2005, I found no nationwide services officially offering outward number portability.

Choose a provider with a 30-day money-back guarantee. Test the service out thoroughly. One thing is likely: you may want to switch providers, but you won't want to go back to landline.

Article Source: http://articles-galore.com

About the author: Joel Walsh, freelance writer and small business owner, recommends you check out Packet8, an established provider of: voip solutions: www.packet8.net

Products and Services mentioned in this article are available Here

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