The headlines are that VoIP uses the internet to make calls rather than copper wires. And because the internet can also be used to transmit data, calls and data use the same system. SIP is simply an important protocol for implementing VoIP.

 

Although promises of cost savings may initially be sufficient for firms to justify VoIP for business, it can also change the way you operate through increasing employee productivity and efficiency and improved customer service.

 

In a nutshell, VoIP allows you to network your business (and people) regardless of location. If the seamless connection and transfer of calls would enhance your business then VoIP may be for you.

 

The power of VoIP for business is best illustrated with examples.

 

Without some VOIP capability, your employees working at different locations all have different phone numbers. If a client calls in for an employee working at home, they will be given the employee’s mobile or home number. With a VOIP system the caller can be seamlessly transferred to the employee with the caller being none the wiser. This is because VoIP allows the employee’s extension to be seamlessly forwarded to their mobile when they’re out of the office. This can be a very important capability for professionals, part-time employees, maintenance and sales staff.

 

Using VoIP and SIP, disparate phone numbers from different locations can be integrated into the same call plan. So even if your head office is in Leeds and your branch in Manchester, the Manchester branch can have a four digit extension. But there is more to VoIP than that: the call savings. With VoIP, inter-office calls become free. Yes, free. And numbers are portable. Based in Sheffield but want a London phone number? That’s no problem if you are using VoIP-enabled telecoms.

 

It is also possible to provide automated telephone answering services using VoIP. Utility companies are prominent users of this kind of function, but it can also suit small businesses who can’t justify staffing a reception function.

 

And when it comes to data, again all users have access to the same functions and services.

 

In the past pure VoIP for business phones may have felt like a bridge too far because businesses with TDM equipment were faced with the prospect of throwing everything out and starting again. This meant high costs and disruption – not least switching from CAT3 cabling to CAT5.

 

With new hybrid PBX systems such as the Aastra IntelliGate® range, this is no longer a barrier as these systems connect to your LAN/WAN. A hybrid PBX system can effectively ease your transition to VoIP. It works by turning a traditional TDM PBX system into a hybrid by adding a VoIP gateway thus avoiding the cost of a full replacement.