What is VoIP Phone Service?

Voice over Internet Protocol (VoIP), voice over IP, or IP telephony all describe the same idea: the use of one high-speed Internet connection to supply your business phone service and Internet access. This combination usually comes with bundled services such as local and long distance service, voicemail, conference calling, call transfer, call forwarding, fax to email, and for an additional charge, toll free numbers. 

From a small business owner’s perspective, VoIP offers immense flexibility and desirable cost savings. Instead of adding new hard-wired phone lines when you add employees, you can hook them into an existing VoIP system with a VoIP-enabled phone (the maximum number of lines depends on the speed and bandwidth of your high speed Internet connection, and you will have to pay for the new phone extensions). 

Right now, you may be asking yourself, “If it’s so good, why isn’t everyone using VoIP?” Well, currently there are some concerns about putting all your business phone and high-speed Internet eggs in one basket. For example, when the line goes down due to, say, a power failure, everything goes down. There are also limits to the amount of data the line can carry. Clog up the line with simultaneous phone calls and Internet usage and e-mail delivery can slow to a crawl and call quality may suffer, among other things.

Still, you’d be doing your small business a disservice by not exploring the VoIP options in your area. To help you understand whether your business is suitable for VoIP or a more traditional business phone and Internet set-up, contact our Community Representative for a 1-to-1 conversation.