Archive for category: VoIP

10 VoIP Industry Trends

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In VoIP industry trends, we will look at the industries where VoIP is used effectively.

IP telephony or VoIP is now used extensively in organizations for the convenience and efficiency it provides. Apart from the reduction in overall telephone bills, there are other important reasons that are attracting business to VoIP.

The cost and feature advantages of VoIP have attracted a number of businesses to implement and switch over completely from PSTN. Let us see which industries are using VoIP effectively, and have benefited from the technology.

Hotel Industry

In hotels, guests check-in from all over the world. It is natural that they need to make international calls. With PSTN most guests were subject to horrendous bills. With VoIP, the hotels are able to provide much less expensive call rates for international calls. Hotels are generally voice heavy in communication. They can use VoIP extensively for their own calls. Hotels are one of the most effective users of VoIP and comes right top of VoIP industry trends.

Sales and Distribution

In sales and distribution, communication is very important. Especially in logistics where one needs to keep track of what is going on in in real time, VoIP proves very useful. With auto attendant services, while someone is managing one area, they can hold the call from another area. Apart from this, it VoIP has minimized their call costs to nearly half or less enabling more communication.

Education Sector

Good communication is imperative to any institution. With VoIP, the cost to communicate with the various departments has reduced. Also, one does not have to call the PBX system to get to another department. VoIP has made things simpler for the teachers, students, and associates. Now, schools can arrange for exam preparation series over the phone and they will not be costly.

Real Estate

Although they mainly work with engineers and contractors, realtor too need to communicate. They need to be accessible to their clients. When clients need any information, they will want to reach their real estate agent. This is possible with VoIP, and communication has become affordable and cheaper. With ‘Find Me Follow Me’ feature, a client can reach their agent anytime, anywhere. Even the agents can be assured that they will not miss any call.

Legal Services

Legal services are also voice heavy. Lawyers need to talk to their clients to understand the case. By adopting VoIP, legal services have become more flexible as they can call their clients and gather information from different sources. With VoIP, even a small legal firm will be able to manage their communication like big corporate companies. As in other industries, VoIP does lead to costs saving in a big way. Legal Service does need aa lot of voice communication, and leads the pack of VoIP industry trends.

Financial Sector

Financial and banking sector is always in need to call people, either their customers or others in the industry. VoIP has made all these communications, faster, easier, and less expensive.

Healthcare Industries

VoIP comes with different features like virtual receptionist, voicemail transcription, paperless fax, all of which are very useful in Healthcare industries. Whether it’s a big hospital or a small nursing home, VoIP has reduced their telecom costs and made their patient interaction faster. Thus, they can offer better services to their clients.

Insurance Sector

This sector needs calling clients and prospects regularly. Thus, with VoIP, the cost of calling is reduced.

Consulting Services

Consulting services also need regular interaction with customers. VoIP has made this easier as now calling customers will not be an issue. You now have the capability to interact more with your clients and enhance your business.

Information Technology

Finally, this list will be incomplete if it is not mentioned that Information technology has been benefitted by VoIP services. It’s true that VoIP needs IT services, but the reverse holds good as well. One of the largest employers of people, IT services are spread around the world and communication, including video calls are very common. With development spread across multiple office, manager need to be on their toes to meet delivery deadlines. VoIP helps in this through virtual conferences and video conferences. This helps project managers stay on top of their work.

About PhoneAM

At Phone America, we have the knowledge and experience to prepare a blueprint for your shift to VoIP. Call us today and we will guide you through the whole process.

Phone America Corporation is a leading supplier of advanced telecom systems for small and large businesses. We serve as a single point of contact for today’s growing communication needs, offering a wide range of telephone equipment, wiring, surveillance systems, telephone cost accounting systems, and voice processing systems.

Call (800) 836-3601 for a free evaluation of your current system and the system you will need to carry your business into the FUTURE.

SIP Trunking Benefits Business

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SIP TrunkingSession Initiation Protocol (SIP) Trunking helps Internet Telephony Service Providers (ITSPs) to deliver telephone services and several unified communications to customers that are equipped with SIP-based private branch exchange (IP-PBX) and facilities that support Unified Communications.

Of late, all the major as well as medium scale business houses are vying for SIP Trunking as this new technology is a major trendsetter in the world of telecommunication and easily affordable. Here are 6 ways in which this new technology benefits today’s business fraternity. First let us look at three main reasons for the success of SIP.

  • SIP Trunking makes it much easier for the businesses to deliver as well as manage cloud communications services, and migrate from the conventional PSTN to VoIP technology.
  • SIP Trunking require negligible CAPEX requirement. This means, businesses can continue using the same features that they receive with their local PBX.
  • SIP Trunks are delivered over IP and hence, they are available wherever there is broadband service. With the more and more availability of broadband, an increasing number of are coming up to enjoy the privileges of SIP Trunking.

Now let us discuss the 6 ways in which SIP Trunking can help a business.

(1) Faster Growth:

By using effective networking to combine data and voice, SIP Trunk is unparalleled when it comes to connecting distantly located businesses to expand and help a company to expand its geographic voice and the core data system. Most importantly, in doing so, the technology can dramatically curtail the cost of making and taking overseas calls.

(2) Almost Infinite Scalability

Be it a single shop business or a larger SMB, SIP Trunking technology represents absolute freedom from expensive infrastructure and the so called ‘buying for the future’ capital expenditure. Businesses can come up with a minimal setup depending upon the requirement and then expand it as and when the business grows, to match the needs – and the entire process is extremely simple.

(3) Save 40% On ISDN or Other Systems

As per experts, the average savings that companies around the world have enjoyed because of using SIP Trunking technology is whopping 30%-60%. This figure is really awe-inspiring, so far as PBX investment by a company is concerned, for the purpose of maintaining its IP infrastructure and acquiring the least equipment required to convert the existing system to SIP Trunking. It is here, where the real cost savings start.

(4) Get Rid of Missed Calls

This helps companies to get rid of issues of missed calls, especially when an employee is in a meeting, on move, or is working in a remote place. In these situations, their calls are automatically diverted or routed to their mobile phones. The same can be done with a call that has landed in a line that is busy or in an office that has closed for the day. This ensures that businesses never miss any customer simply because they were unable to receive a call, whatever be the reason behind that.

(5) More Efficiency in Communications

This new technology not only streamlines all the communication channels, it opens up a lot of communication options, even when an employee is working remotely or is on the move. For instance, even when an employee is working remotely, the individual has the option of using voice calls, instant messaging, video conferencing, and the likes to get in touch with a customer, irrespective of his location and regardless of the time of day or night. So virtually, businesses can be in touch with their customers 24×7, if they feel like.

(6) Quick ROI

The Return on Investment is almost instantaneous. Businesses generally start seeing the change within 6 months of installing SIP Trunking. Once the technology is installed, there is no need to make a recurrent payment for the equipment or service that is futuristic at present. It becomes possible for businesses to maximize existing Internet bandwidth by simply adding voice traffic to the existing service. Last but not the least; they can significantly reduce your monthly telephone bills.

About PhoneAM

At PhoneAM, we have the knowledge and experience to prepare a blueprint for your shift to VoIP. Call us today and we will guide you through the whole process.

PhoneAmerica Corporation is a leading supplier of advanced telecommunication systems for small and large business environments. A total service company, PhoneAmerica serves as a single point of contact for today’s growing communication needs, offering a wide range of telephone equipment, wiring, surveillance systems, telephone cost accounting systems, and voice processing systems.

Please call (800) 836-3601 for a free evaluation of your current system and the system you will need to carry your business into the FUTURE.

Unified Communications And VoIP

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Unified CommunicationsPrior to learning about the role of Unified Communication in an effective VoIP set up, let us get acquainted with the term UC or Unified Communications.

Unified Communications (UC), which is also at times referred to as Unified Messaging (UM), is a technology that integrates different types of communication networks like voice mails, emails, instant messaging, faxes, video conferencing, etc. into a common interface and repository.

Now this technology can be implemented in a number of ways in a particular business organization. In its rudimentary form, the technology provides a feasible way of accessing various modes of communication. Each of these communication modes is unique in its own way, with a number of features that come to the aide of the users. However, more sophisticated communication technology provides more advanced and value added features that only improve the functionality in a number of ways.

When it comes to implementing Unified Communication, it does not ask for VoIP. A regular telephone system can be used, as VoIP by default comes up with mechanisms that include FMFW or Find Me Follow Me functionality, and a number of other features that are used in a typical Unified Communication system.

Using Unified Communications in a Business Environment

Unified Communications has made a valiant headway into the world of enterprise fraternity. Its effects are more visible in the enterprise business community, though SMBs have also started using it. This is because it not only simplifies the life of the end users, it also comes in handy when it comes to reducing the cost of running a small scale business. Also, it makes the issue of communication less cumbersome, thus affecting the use of VoIP in a great way. Moreover, with more and more availability of the technology, the cost if its implementation is getting lesser and lesser, making the VoIP based UC more acceptable to the small scale businesses.

Some of the fundamental features of Unified Communications system are that it can increase productivity, especially when it comes to businesses that depend on constant communication with customers, partners and vendors 24×7, thus increasing the efficacy of the VoIP by many folds.

Unified Communications Features that help VoIP

  • Use of the same interface as well as device for accessing emails and faxes, voice mails and the likes.
  • Option that helps to set priorities on messages and callers, so that the end users are able to retrieve high priority messages and take actions promptly and accordingly.
  • Help to response to a particular message quickly without having the exit the messaging system. It also helps to forward a particular message to another recipient within a single call.
  • Send single or multiple voice messages in the form of email attachments to a single or multiple users. There is also the option of setting up an automatic call or message forwarding options so that a designated person will always get a copy of the message or mail of the recipient by default.
  • Sending messages to more than one person by making a single call.
  • Use of text-to-speech translation to help end users read the email messages over phone.
  • Answering to email messages from by dictating over phone.
  • Use of text-to-speech translation to enable reading of email messages over phone.
  • Access fax messages over phone and forward the same to others by attaching them with emails.
  • Another very effective feature of a typical Unified Communications system that helps VoIP is its ability to track and trace the location of a user wherever the individual is available at a particular phone number.

Hence, the growing use and adoption of VoIP technology has brought in a revolution in the world of telecommunication in the business fraternity and the Unified Collaboration or UC is a substantial force, which helps to drive this adoption of VoIP in the business fraternity.

About PhoneAM

At PhoneAM, we have the knowledge and experience to prepare a blueprint for your shift to VoIP. Call us today and we will guide you through the whole process.

PhoneAmerica Corporation is a leading supplier of advanced telecommunication systems for small and large business environments. A total service company, PhoneAmerica serves as a single point of contact for today’s growing communication needs, offering a wide range of telephone equipment, wiring, surveillance systems, telephone cost accounting systems, and voice processing systems.

Please call (800) 836-3601 for a free evaluation of your current system and the system you will need to carry your business into the FUTURE.

Prevent VoIP Systems Hacking

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VoIP Systems HackingHacking of your VoIP systems can spell doom for the business because either you will end up paying thousands of dollars as telephone bills or incur business loss through leakage of sensitive business information. Hacking incidents are on the rise, especially for the Internet based communication systems like VoIP. Over the last few years, researchers have been trying to secure VoIP systems by using various types of hardware and software enhancements; however, full-proof protection still not been achieved. In the wake of recent developments, you will have to use a combination of hardware and software enhancements along with a rigid VoIP policy to protect the communication system of your organization against hackers. In this article we are going to look at some of the ways to prevent your VoIP systems from getting hacked.

 

The Dangers of Hacking

Once your VoIP systems get hacked, the hackers are going to make unlimited calls to expensive international numbers. This phenomenon is not going to stop till they have bled your entire credit limit or till the time the phone company stops their services to your company. There have been numerous instances of companies having to pay huge telephone bills for the calls that were never made by the owner or employees of the organization.

Stop Misuse of VoIP Systems

You can take some simple steps to stop the misuse of your company’s telephone system and it can all begin by writing a letter to your VoIP service provider. You will need to inform your VoIP service provider about the daily or monthly expenditure limit that you want to authorize. You will also have to make it extremely clear that you are taking this step as a security measure and that any violation of this policy will lead to severing of business ties with the provider. Now, this letter can be produced in the court in case any kind of dispute arises because of a misuse of your VoIP service by any hacker. Once your phone company comes to acknowledging your letter, they would implement the credit limit and if the company lines are misused by anyone at any point in time, the service provider will be able to cut the lines once the credit limit (mentioned by you in the letter) is reached.

Change Your Service Provider?

Change your service provider if you receive any fraudulent bill as the illegal use of the company’s VoIP system will make it extremely vulnerable to other security breaches in the future. VoIP service providers might compel you to pay the bill in the end but you always have the option of protecting the company’s interest in the near future.

You need to be careful about the dealings with telephone companies as they have numerous departments with experienced personnel who are experts at manipulating and compelling customers into paying their bills. They are not bothered whether your VoIP systems were hacked or some rouge employee misused it – they only need the money against the usage. Surveys have pointed out that several organizations across the globe have been victims of VoIP system hacks.

Watch Your Telephone Bills

It is imperative to keep a watch on your telephone bills as that would give you a clue of any kind of misuse. You will have to note any kind of anomalies you find in the telephone bills and inform your service provider immediately. This would certainly stop the misuse of communication systems at your office. You can also use SIP proxy to control the calls in a better manner and offer additional layers of security to your VoIP systems.

Firewalls need to be installed and updated on a regular basis as that would help you to keep any kind of Trojans or malware at bay. The more layers of protection you can add to your communication network, the tougher will it become for the hackers to break into the system.

About PhoneAM

At PhoneAM, we have the knowledge and experience to prepare a blueprint for your shift to VoIP. Call us today and we will guide you through the whole process.

PhoneAmerica Corporation is a leading supplier of advanced telecommunication systems for small and large business environments. A total service company, PhoneAmerica serves as a single point of contact for today’s growing communication needs, offering a wide range of telephone equipment, wiring, surveillance systems, telephone cost accounting systems, and voice processing systems.

Please call (800) 836-3601 for a free evaluation of your current system and the system you will need to carry your business into the FUTURE.

 

Small Business Should Use VoIP

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VoIP Telephone Wilmington DECompetition in the market is compelling several businesses into trying out several innovative business processes making changes to the existing ones. This has led to the use of latest communication systems like VoIP.

Voice over Internet Protocol is the a technology that holds the potential of bringing a sea change in enterprise communication. In order to stay in the market and compete with the giants, smaller businesses can leverage the communication power of VoIP to at level the playing ground. Investments on the appropriate business phone systems can help smaller companies reap huge dividends in the coming years.

Businesses across the globe are switching to VoIP as it is definitely the future of enterprise communication. One of the recent surveys revealed that about 41% of the smaller businesses across the world are migrating to the VoIP systems as that facilitates faster and effective communications. The businesses that have not yet shifted to VoIP are in the process of shifting and the day is not far when the traditional phone lines will be completely replaced by VoIP. So what special features or advantages are being offered by VoIP that companies are queuing up for adopting it?

Here are some of the most compelling reasons behind making a switch to VoIP.

VoIP Has Unbeatable Features

Smaller companies often face the problem of projecting a very professional image in front of their customers. The reason behind this is the lack of capital investments on getting swanky commercial spaces for office or hiring adequate workforce for handling customers. Now, a switch to VoIP helps them to establish a state-of-the-art communication system at their offices. This automatically presents a very professional image to the customers who call up the office. Thus, even the smallest business in the city can project a very professional image to its customers. There are several features like automatic call routing, call attendant, music on hold etc. that creates the best possible process to handle calls. Besides this you can even integrate the VoIP with existing CRM and email systems that enable effective and efficient call handling.

VoIP Provides Substantial Savings

VoIP can help the smaller companies save thousands of dollars annually that they otherwise would spend on paying hefty telephone bills. Instead they can invest the money on core business areas like marketing and production. This would help the companies to pull in the right amount of fund for core business activities and not spend unnecessarily on communication systems. Organizations will never have to pay for multiple lines and they can even make free calls within the network.

VoIP Enables Enhanced Productivity

The smaller organizations will be better placed by cutting down the losses they usually incurred for maintaining the legacy systems. VoIP telephony solution will free up the resources (both monetary as well as human) to be used for more productive business purpose. Enhanced productivity will lead to greater profits, which would immensely help in the organization’s growth.

Enables Improvement In Service

The switch to VoIP will definitely make it easier for you to provide customer support. You will able to use the latest telephony features like Find Me/Follow Me and video conferencing to provide real time support and service to your customers. This will give rise to a huge number of satisfied customers.

There are several other benefits which can be realized after switching to VoIP and SMBs will be able to create an efficient communication solution to handle all types of business communication with ease.

About PhoneAM

At PhoneAM, we have the knowledge and experience to prepare a blueprint for your shift to VoIP. Call us today and we will guide you through the whole process.

PhoneAmerica Corporation is a leading supplier of advanced telecommunication systems for small and large business environments. A total service company, PhoneAmerica serves as a single point of contact for today’s growing communication needs, offering a wide range of telephone equipment, wiring, surveillance systems, telephone cost accounting systems, and voice processing systems.

Please call (800) 836-3601 for a free evaluation of your current system and the system you will need to carry your business into the FUTURE.

5 Reasons Why Your Business Should Be Transitioned to VoIP

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Business CommunicationVoIP has completely changed the way we communicate as it not only saves a lot of money but even improve the performance of businesses. The cloud based telephone system is a winner all the way because it comes with loads of benefits and features. If you are still apprehensive about the idea of making a switch to the VoIP then here is a list of 5 compelling reasons to do so:

VoIP Cuts Communication Costs

This is probably the most debated benefit of VoIP communication systems. The patrons of VoIP believe that it can help businesses save a great amount of money. Telephone bills often go over the roof in case your business is expanding and your office employees are making numerous long distance or overseas calls. In a conventional PSTN telephone network, the calls are transmitted over the conventional telecommunication lines whereas VoIP just uses the existing internet connection to transmit the calls. This implies that you only pay for the internet usage and the calls are almost free. People using the same VoIP application like Gtalk or Skype can even make free calls (both national and international), which can helps companies save a lot of money.

VoIP Delivers Rich Media Service

The old telephone systems that we use offers only voice calls and fax service, which is quite limited when compared to the rich media services offered by VoIP. Some of the advanced media services that employees often demand are instant messaging, video/voice calls, image transfer and presence. VoIP is a technology that facilitates the integration of rich media services with different applications and protocols. The modern communication needs of businesses make it mandatory to use media services and only VoIP offers the option to users. Thus, in order to stay connected and enjoy smooth communication, it is imperative that businesses migrate to VoIP.

Mobility Is In-Built in VoIP

The phone number portability feature offered by VoIP gives mobility a huge boost. The users need not use their deskphones only and they can set up ringing of multiple phones before moving to the voicemail. Thus, callers will never really miss out and you too would be able to attend to all customer queries with ease. The best thing about the VoIP is that the numbers are portable and you can use your phone from anywhere as long as you can connect to your IP network. This offers a huge amount of flexibility to the workers who can make or receive calls even when they are not present at their desks.

VoIP is Scalable

The primary concern of every growing business is the scalability feature of their communication systems in order to accommodate more lines or users. VoIP is a highly scalable communication technology wherein you will be easily able to upgrade or downgrade the system as per your requirement. This is completely missing from the legacy business telephone systems as you will need to add more equipment and lines in order to accommodate more users. On the other hand when you are using VoIP, this can be achieved by simply subscribing for a higher package and using the administrative controls to add more numbers to the network.

VoIP Offer Advanced Telephony Features

VoIP communication systems come loaded with unbeatable advanced telephony features, which you will never find on the legacy telephone systems. Some of the advanced telephony features that you can expect to avail while using VoIP systems are Find me/Follow me Call Routing, Voicemail to Email transcription, Music on Hold, analytic reports on bandwidth utilization and call details (inbound and outbound), Call screening, Coaching tools, Auto Attendant, Conferencing, Do not Disturb etc.

It is really unwise to ignore all the benefits offered VoIP so every intelligent business owner will definitely move to the latest VoIP communication systems.

About PhoneAM

At PhoneAM, we have the knowledge and experience to prepare a blueprint for your shift to VoIP. Call us today and we will guide you through the whole process.

PhoneAmerica Corporation is a leading supplier of advanced telecommunication systems for small and large business environments. A total service company, PhoneAmerica serves as a single point of contact for today’s growing communication needs, offering a wide range of telephone equipment, wiring, surveillance systems, telephone cost accounting systems, and voice processing systems.

Please call (800) 836-3601 for a free evaluation of your current system and the system you will need to carry your business into the FUTURE.

Privacy vs Security in the Cloud

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Security vs PrivacyThe rising popularity of cloud in the last few years has also thrown up some uncomfortable questions, both for the service providers as well as users. The primary concern of cloud service providers as well as users has been privacy and security in the cloud. It would be an understatement to say that it was predicted in the early days of the cloud that it could be easily abused by any of the cybercriminals around the world.

Today, the growing cases of cloud hacks have just made those prophecies true. Things are not going to get any better in the coming years because popular services like Dropbox and Sendspace have been abused by many people to host their illegitimate payload.

The Need for Privacy

People nowadays are more concerned about data privacy and they do not want to see their personal data being scrutinized by government agencies or monetized by the cloud data providers. For instance, when we upload our files on cloud storage, we do not want the service providers to search each and every file. We want such a system where customer’s data would be completely encoded and incomprehensible to the service provider. The primary clash is between privacy and security – we want to have the cake as well as eat it!

The Additional Cost of Privacy

In order to put things in perspective we will take up a very popular scenario:  There is a service provider who wants to ensure that their service is not being used by perpetrators for hosting malware. Thus, the service provider would have to use solutions like sandbox testing, file scanning etc. in order to test all the files that were uploaded. The provider will have to incur extra costs for this but at the same time, users can complain about the breach in data privacy, which can pretty much spoil goodwill and reputation of the company.

Where to Encrypt

On the other hand, if the service provider opts for private storage where the encryption is carried out on user devices, no one at the service provider’s end will have any idea about the data being stored.  Now, such a service is highly vulnerable for being used for malicious purposes by cybercriminals. Thus, both the legitimate users as well as the illegitimate users will be shielded from any type of data scrutiny. Both the approaches have their own advantages and disadvantages.

In such a precarious environment, service providers will have to strike a balance between data privacy and security and offer a solution that suits both their business model as well as security. Thus, no matter how hard a service provider tries a certain level of abuse will still remain and this can be termed as an inevitable cost which has to be incurred for doing business.

Your Options

What options does the user have? Well, I would have to reiterate that abuse cannot be completely stopped; however, precautions can be taken by both the users as well as their service providers.  Users will have to take up the responsibility of data security and they cannot shrug it off just because the vendor chose to do otherwise. Users will have to strategize and find solutions for the safekeeping of data on the cloud and this can’t be completely handed over to the cloud service providers. There are pros and cons of using cloud storage and related services – you are the best person to judge because there is no one better than you who knows the importance of security for your business.

About PhoneAM

At PhoneAM, we have the knowledge and experience to prepare a blueprint for your shift to VoIP. Call us today and we will guide you through the whole process.

PhoneAmerica Corporation is a leading supplier of advanced telecommunication systems for small and large business environments. A total service company, PhoneAmerica serves as a single point of contact for today’s growing communication needs, offering a wide range of telephone equipment, wiring, surveillance systems, telephone cost accounting systems, and voice processing systems.

Please call (800) 836-3601 for a free evaluation of your current system and the system you will need to carry your business into the FUTURE

 

New Unified Communications Solutions From Toshiba

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UCedge - Unified CommunicationsOne of the greatest utility of a VoIP or IP based business phone system is Unified Communication. UC allows you to use computer applications, data files, video, and other resources as part of your voice call. Till now, using Unified Communications required multiple resources on hand such a phone system, a computer, and log-in to servers and other databases.

Not any more. If you are using Toshiba’s IP, VIPedge, or the Strata CIX phone systems, your are truly mobile for all aspects of the modern IP based phone systems. Toshiba has introduced UCedge applications for Windows, iOS, and Android operating environments. Once installed, UCedge present a single and uniform user interface for you to access and use all the applications that reside on your Toshiba phone server – whether on-premise or on the cloud.

For more details on UCedge, please click here.

 

About PhoneAM

At PhoneAM, we have the knowledge and experience to prepare a blueprint for your shift to VoIP. Call us today and we will guide you through the whole process.

PhoneAmerica Corporation is a leading supplier of advanced telecommunication systems for small and large business environments. A total service company, PhoneAmerica serves as a single point of contact for today’s growing communication needs, offering a wide range of telephone equipment, wiring, surveillance systems, telephone cost accounting systems, and voice processing systems.

Please call (800) 836-3601 for a free evaluation of your current system and the system you will need to carry your business into the FUTURE

Considering A New Phone System? Do Your Homework First.

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Communication system is a vital aspect for maintaining smooth business operations. An efficient communication system can really improve your business and boost profits. The world is moving away from the old PSTN system. Internet based VoIP is the new paradigm in office communications.

Prior to choosing a phone system, several factors need to be considered like technology, telephony features, security etc. Now, this implies that you have to do your homework before buying a new phone system which fulfils all the communication needs of your company.

IP telephony systems are gaining popularity among business organizations as it offers amazing telephony features, uses the latest Internet based telecommunication technology and robust security. Let us look at some of the features that are being used by this latest telephony system.

Type of phone system that suits your business:

VoIP, or Voice over Internet Protocol, is the technology that is put to use by an IP telephone system. Depending on the number of users in your organization, you can either opt for the on-premise VoIP system or a hosted VoIP system. It has been proven that it is economical and convenient for companies with more than 25 users to choose an on-premise VoIP system that involves the installation of an IP-PBX such as IPedge, or Strata CIX  from Toshiba. If you have less than 25 users, a cloud based or hosted VoIP such as VIPedge is ideal. You start with a small number and keep on adding users as you gain confidence.

Now, you have to decide the IP telephone system that suits your business communication needs and budget.

Reason for looking a new phone system:

Other than dialling and receiving calls, modern day phone systems are expected to cater to several other communication needs of a company. You have to have good reasons to replace your old telephone systems and more often than not it would be the inability of your old phone system to offer advanced telephony features like voicemail, auto-attendant, find-me-follow me, voicemail-to-email etc. There are several companies that are offering VoIP services and you will have to make a list of all your communication needs before you subscribe with any one of them.

Phone system should integrate with other business systems:

It is known that a VoIP phone system has the ability to integrate with business applications such as ERP, MIS, CRM platform. Some VoIP systems also offer API’s for integration with software of your choice.

At the outset, you have to understand what integration is and what pieces of your software and/or application you want to integrate. Instead of worrying about technology, look at it from usage point of view – you want to show your accounts receivable to your clients? You need to integrate your accounting or ERP system. You want your and your colleague’s schedules to be integrated? Simple. Integrate your Outlook or similar Time Management software.

Deploy, maintain and support for phone system:

It is important to decide upon whether to go for deployment, maintenance and support or to outsource the operations and maintenance to a service providing company. If the company has a skilled IT team then it can deploy as well as maintain the system without any hassles. If not, it is better to consider a hosted VoIP service provider that provides all the necessary support.

Service provider:

If one opts for outsourcing the VoIP support it is essential to figure out who is going to provide support to the phone system. It is to be ensured that the VoIP provider understands the communication needs of the company. Again if the organization is planning to go for both VoIP and PSTN service, the phone system vendor must know this so that they can offer a proper solution and integrate the two.

Total cost of ownership:

Everyone is aware of the fact that switching to VoIP can save a good amount of money. However, it is important to look at the total cost involved for owning a VoIP phone system. The price factor has to be analyzed in a proper manner so that the company stays within the allocated budget. One needs to know what savings will be realized in the long run if the company opts to migrate to a VoIP system. As the business grows, the organization will tend to add users to the system, upgrade the system with new features and at that particular time, the savings may have to be recalculated.

About PhoneAM

At PhoneAM, we have the knowledge and experience to prepare a blueprint for your shift to VoIP. Call us today and we will guide you through the whole process.

PhoneAmerica Corporation is a leading supplier of advanced telecommunication systems for small and large business environments. A total service company, PhoneAmerica serves as a single point of contact for today’s growing communication needs, offering a wide range of telephone equipment, wiring, surveillance systems, telephone cost accounting systems, and voice processing systems.

Please call (800) 836-3601 for a free evaluation of your current system and the system you will need to carry your business into the FUTURE.

IP vs Digital Phones

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A communication system is the heart of success for any business, no matter the type or size of the company. Telephones are the essential bridges for communication between you and your clients. The company has to make sure that their executives are easily available or accessible to the customers whenever required.

Today, there are normally two communication choices available to choose from. One is the IP phone system and the other is digital phones.

IP Business Phones

IP phones are phones that send voice data over the Internet. IP phones are also referred to as VoIP system (Voice over Internet Protocol). It is basically a combination of hardware and software that enables voice communication to take place over the Internet network. The voice is transmitted in the form of data packets using IP rather than traditional transmission techniques that use PSTN circuits.

Digital Business Phones

Digital business phones are the traditional type of phone system that makes calls through the phone line or PSTN. PSTN is the wired phone system over which telephone calls are made. This type of phone relies on circuit switching. To make a call from one phone to another, the call is routed through a number of switches operating at various locations.

Comparison Between IP Phones and Digital Phones

Cost Factors

Initial installation cost of IP phones might be higher compared to digital phones. But, in the long run, IP phones save a good amount of money. Because the communication medium is the Internet, the call rates are generally lower or sometimes free – as decided by the data plan you choose. To switch to IP phone network, some additional hardware is required.

Installation cost of digital phones is lower compared to IP phones but the call rates are on the higher side. The call rates in digital phones are roughly 40% higher for local and long distance calls and up to 90% more on international calls. Again, in terms of running costs, digital end devices consume a little more power. IP phones end devices mostly get power from the Ethernet connection. Although some costs are incurred for installation, network and other functionalities, IP phones save a lot in running costs and thus have a better return on investment.

Portability Option

IP phones are more portable compared to digital phones. IP phones can be moved from one table to another without affecting the connection or the extension number. Even if the office is shifted to a different place, simply plugging the power and Ethernet cable will start up the system with same number and extensions. All you need an Internet connection. In case of digital phone system, shifting is not possible without the help of the phone service provider.

Management and Maintenance

Remote access is possible in IP-based phones and hence technical issues can be solved without the service provider being physically present at the site. With digital phones, it is mandatory for the service personnel to visit the site first and then rectify the issues that have occurred.

Bandwidth

In case of IP phones, the bandwidth is shared between phones and computers in the office. As a result, the system may get slow and affect the performance. So, if the Internet connectivity fails, the phones will not work. Digital phones have advantage over IP phones as separate lines are provided for them and therefore remain unaffected with problems in the Internet. However, precautions are available for IP phone systems such as back-up Internet connections.

Choosing between IP and Digital Business Phone System

Choosing your business phone system depends on the need and specification of the company. If a large number of phone calls are made and you have a well-equipped network infrastructure, it is beneficial to go for the IP phone system.

About PhoneAM

PhoneAmerica Corporation is a leading supplier of advanced telecommunication systems for small and large business environments. A total service company, PhoneAmerica serves as a single point of contact for today’s growing communication needs, offering a wide range of telephone equipment, wiring, surveillance systems, telephone cost accounting systems, and voice processing systems.

Please call (800) 836-3601 for a free evaluation of your current system and the system you will need to carry your business into the FUTURE.