Well, as stated in previous posts, VoIP is much cheaper than traditional phone service. However, some issues to consider if VoIP will be your only home phone line:

-VoIP uses high speed Internet, if your Internet connection goes down, so does your phone service.

-VoIP adpaters and Internet modems or adpaters use electrical power. If the power goes out, so does your phone service.

Now there are some work arounds for these issues mentioned above. The first being the need to have reliable high speed Internet service. If you need a reliable provider you can start by shopping for high speed Internet HERE. If you currently have high speed Internet, but the connectivity is shaky, then so will your VoIP and you may need to look for another high speed Internet provider that will provide the reliability VoIP will need.

The second issue to address is the loss of power. Now if you have a backup generator for your home or residence, this won’t even be a problem. However, most people do not have a backup generator for their residence. What you may want to look into buying is an Uninterruptible Power Supply (UPS). This is basically rechareable battery that you keep your VoIP adapter and high speed Internet modem plugged into. When power is lost, those items will run off the charged battery in the UPS for a specified time that varies based on the type of UPS you purchase. You can find UPS’s here.

Another thing to consider is having a cellphone. If you own a cellphone, then losing your VoIP service for a short period of time due to loss of Internet or power may not be that big of a deal.

Technology has made it possible for the small business enterprise to reach heights, which were unimaginable for other industries in the past decades. VoIP and Small Business utilize technological advancement as the key towards attaining success. With the arrival of VoIP, small business enterprises are now able to communicate with their partners, sitting miles away at a reasonable price.

Initially only the big players in the market could think of gaining from the operations of VoIP, but now the accessibility has increased. Being able to stay in constant contact with customers overseas has really proved as a major boon. VoIP has helped make the small business client base diverse through it’s world wide reach. Provider networks can be setup by geographic regions, assigning different numbers for each region to dial into, providing the customer a local or toll free number. Therefore, new and greater horizons are being opened for the medium and small sized business in respect to the customers they cater to.

Apart from the improved customer base and diverse clientèle, VoIP and Small Business compliment each other on the basis of the impact they have on the cost. A very established fact being that the ‘Cost’ is the most prominent indicator on any project before proceeding, in a company of any size. VoIP allows for the small business to cut costs on voice calls considerably by using a common line for the data and voice transfer. Furthermore, there are many functions and features in a traditional phone service that have extra charges, however on they are existing features in VoIP phone service.

Overall VoIP boosts the the competitive reach of the existing business to a greater extent. Small businesses who use VoIP services can market their products and services and provide customer support around the world at little to no cost. With the use of VoIP small business owners can expand market reach while bringing down costs at the same time. This seems like an oxymoron, but it is not and you will see a cost savings with VoIP.

In addition to the advantages mentioned above, the importance of VoIP, in making the small business a success does not stay restricted to finding the new customers, but also servicing them and further in up selling & cross selling. Small business owners should keep in mind that these are clients from around the world, calling you at little to no cost to them and little to no cost for you.

Another major boon that the VoIP has provided is the bringing in of the Toll free number which utilizes the fact that the benefit of low cost calling can be used at both ends, i.e., even the customers can now call at lower or no rates at all. Only the big players of the industry had access to this privileged service. Hence, the introduction of toll free numbers for a given area provides the small business with a feel of well-networked business, without having to pay high prices. It is a great relief that the provider can be contacted anytime. The trust building element is an important aspect in any form of business to retain and variably increase the customer base. Thus, VoIP and Small Business are essential partners, and the role that VoIP can play in prospering and boosting the growth for the Small Business is almost indescribable.

One important thing that you need to keep in mind while adopting VoIP, is to choose a VoIP service which will allow you to make and receive cheap, but reliable, local and international phone calls. Thus, it becomes essential for you to choose the right type of VoIP service. As we move along in this series, we will explain the advantages and disadvantages of the VoIP, which will better equip you, as a consumer, to make the right choice for your particular requirement.

The list below shows the variety of general VoIP services available and helps you to decide which type suits you the best.

Computer based VoIP service:

The computer based or software based VoIP is the most common and widely used among VoIP users. This type of VoIP can be used for free, especially when it is used to make PC to PC communication over the Internet. In order to use this you only need to download a soft phone or digital phone that the VoIP service provides and install it on your computer, register for free and start talking. You can make free unlimited calls to people using the same VoIP service on their computers. But calls to cell phones and land telephones are charged but that too is also very minimal. The only thing you require in order to start a conversation is a headset.

Mobile VoIP service:

If like everyone else, you are wondering how to reduce your mobile phone bill, a mobile VoIP service might be the solution. Cost reduction is not the only thing about mobile VoIP that is good. It enables you to use all the other “traditional” features offered by VoIP. There are a few mobile VoIP services that are somewhat promising. Mobile VoIP works on a GSM enabled network, which works on IP networks like Wi-Fi, GPRS, EDGE and WiMax. This is the main hurdle in the path of seamless free VoIP communication. Thus, if you want to make free calls you need to find a wireless way of connecting to the Internet

No monthly bill VoIP service:

The no monthly bill VoIP is very much like the residential VoIP service. It works using a hardware imported by the service provider. Then you can make as many free and unlimited calls you want without getting a bill. You just need to pay for the device. It works with any common phone so you can use the service with your existing phone.

Business VoIP service:

Yours might be a network centered business in which you want to deploy VoIP as internal and external communication solution or you might have a small enterprise with a relatively small number of phones. Business VoIP services have solutions and packages tailored to your needs. If you want something simple and covering a small network go for the residential VoIP services or consider a more specific and tailor made business oriented VoIP service. Using VoIP in a small to medium business does not replace the existing phone system but adds prestige, quality and fluidity to the organization. In addition, it also reduces the communication cost.

Essentially there are two major types of VoIP systems. A soft phone or digital phone is nothing but software that functions on your computer. You talk by using a microphone connected to your computer. You listen through a pair of headsets or computer speakers. Then there is the other type of VoIP which is similar to what you are used to while you make phone calls. For this you can use a standard telephone or a special phone called the IP phone. Both these types of VoIP are connected to your broadband connection. The best part is that you don’t even need a computer to take advantage of VoIP.