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A Brief Introduction to Small Business VoIP Service

Voice over Internet Protocol (VoIP) for small businesses provides data and video bundles into one unified service so that small businesses can do much more. With VoIP, you can enjoy the flexibility, speed, and security of unified communications on your business network. There are many VoIP providers for a small business that is suitable for every type of small business. VoIP is a Significant Part of Unified communication Before we go into details of the VoIP services for small businesses you have to know some of the main terms: ‘Voice over Internet Protocol’ (VoIP) is used to make calls over an IP data connection ‘Unified communication’ takes VoIP small business to another level and it can help you combine every type of communication including data, voice and video into is secure, affordable and simple to manage solution along with a lot of good features. VoIP Solution for Small Business to Keep Everything Working Smoothly If you own a small business then you should stay flexible and that is why VoIP solution for small business is the way to go. If you switch to an Internet-based telephone system for your business then you can stay connected at work as well as at home. You will have much better security. Further, you will have easy access to all the information that you need whenever you want it. Further with the VoIP service, you can get the following: Save expenses. Decrease your travel cost with the help of web conferences, video calling and other such Collaborative tools. Communicate a lot better with your staff and your customers. Unified communication makes it easy for you to work from home or anywhere with an active Internet connection. The VoIP technology enables you to keep an eye on your employees and see who is available and how to contact them. Add additional phone lines easily so that you can send more than one phone call across the same network. You can enjoy a variety of features with no hidden cost. Voicemail Caller ID Conference call Call forwarding a lot of different ways for you and your staff to stay connected Benefits of VoIP Small Business The majority of the hosted VoIP service for business provides a rich feature package of functions which include hunt groups, Voicemail, auto-attendant and call transfer etc without needing you to buy expensive telecommunication equipment. With the VoIP phone service, you can create a multi-location system video which is no different than adding a phone to your existing office phone system. The VoIP phone service simplifies the adding process of geographical locations such as home-based workers. You can also add the new location of your offices. VoIP phone technology has matured a lot with time so now the call quality and its reliability is comparable to the conventional phone services. The biggest advantage for small businesses is the VoIP business solutions and PBX features which VoIP can deliver. The hosted VoIP services enable businesses to not only pay for the PBX services that you actually use. You can upgrade it with a simple process from me technical viewpoint and usually, it doesn’t require any extra communication equipment. Small business VoIP service makes it easy for you to include a geographically distributed group of workers even for those employees who work from their homes can be included in your business unit. With the hosted services the only equipment that your business requires is the IP phone and a VoIP router.

What is a Hosted VoIP Solution?

What is a hosted VoIP solution? The hosted VoIP business phone system is a virtual office system. This new advancement has a lot of other names in the telecommunication world. Essentially a hosted VoIP phone service is similar to a high-end on-site PBX but it just has the infrastructure and the equipment which makes it work are handled by the hosted VoIP phone service provider such as MITEL. Who uses Hosted VoIP Solution? In order to understand the hosted VoIP phone service, you need to understand the cloud system. You might have already heard about the cloud before, it is a thing that exists in a distant galaxy just accessible by IT geniuses. In fact, it is not. Cloud services are only a network of servers that are designated to carry out a particular function or a set of functions. If you have ever used social media or email then it means you have used cloud services. Whenever information is stored anywhere but a physical device it is actually stored in the cloud. What does hosted VoIP phone system work? Cloud Technology also offers online services. In any application of a cloud-based telephone system, the day-today business communication is managed remotely by a secure server. This means that you do not need to worry about any type of physical hardware or equipment. The hosted VoIP telephone services offer you the ability and facility to expand your own space. Since the hosted VoIP vendor takes care of the infrastructure and your business is free to utilise as much or as little according to your business needs. How the hosted VoIP solution works? In simple words, the hosted PBX solution works just like a dream. Only if you have dreamt about a business telephone system which has a full range of scalability, requires no maintenance and has advanced facilities and everything is at cheap monthly charges. In particular, it works by changing analogue voice signals into digital data packets so that the voice traffic runs on a similar high-speed connection as your existing data and the internet traffic. Nowadays cloud servers are extremely fast, extremely redundant, and utilize advanced encryption the voice and data traffic is reliable secure and crystal clear. A hosted VoIP solution might be what you need for your business. Advantages of hosted VoIP service There are a lot of advantages in using the most advanced solutions instead of the traditional phone services or an onsite VoIP phone system. The biggest advantage is the cost. A hosted VoIP phone system cost you a lot less for setup compared to the onsite PBX. In the majority of the cases, there is no setup fee for a hosted VoIP phone system. The hosted VoIP solutions fall under the operational expenses instead of the capital expense. Therefore hosted VoIP solutions are more impressive to businesses. Furthermore, the advantage of hosted VoIP solutions compared to the onsite PBX is that hosted VoIP vendors can take care of all the setup and installation which means that you don’t have to be a Telecom or a VoIP expert to get the hosted VoIP. Facilities and features You get a lot of different functions and features with the hosted VoIP phone system. The capability which previously was unimaginable and unavailable to the traditional telephone services. With hosted technology is your business, the system can even go for them. Meaning it can take your business to another level. Nowadays telecommunication does not only refer to VoIP. A hosted phone service provides you a whole communication integration which means that you get every powerful tool which every modern business requires. The services could include video conferencing receiving Voicemail read emails voice to take technology and web conferencing just to name a few. Read more: How Team managing works with VoIP?

What is VoIP business? VoIP Phone Service

Generally, business VoIP refers to a VoIP-based phones services or phone system which can deliver the calls to workers over the office IP data network. Until the 1980s the conventional telephone calls were made through the PSTN (Public Switched Telephone Network) using copper wires and switches. However, with the creation of VoIP, it became possible to make phone calls over the same IP data network which is used on your computers tablets and Smartphones which leverages for email, web browsing etc. A Business VoIP phone system has advanced a lot over the past decade. Now usually VoIP does not even need much in the department of hardware. There are a lot of business VoIP options available in the market. Therefore any executive and IT, managers have to do research before they make any decision regarding the phone system for their business. You have to make sure that the VoIP provider which you have selected provides the feature and the reliability that your business needs in order to run seamlessly. What type of phones do you need for the business VoIP system? The business VoIP system works with IP phones which are connected through Ethernet instead of the traditional phone cables. There are a lot of IP phones available in the market and you can read their reviews online to know how the customers feel about using them. The most important suggestion that we can give you regarding the business VoIP phone system is that you should select the phone which works best with every business VoIP phone service. If a business VoIP service vendor tells you that their services need a particular type of phone which cannot be used with any other service provider then you should be cautious, because it is a common lockdown scheme. VoIP business users also have the facility of using VoIP apps that provide you free on-the-go-phone along with voicemail management applications. Further, there are VoIP desktop apps available for Windows and Mac computers, along with a mobile app for Android and iOS devices, and an app also available for browsers such as Chrome, Opera and Firefox web browsers. VoIP apps allow you to make voice and video call in real-time along with allowing you to review all your past calls voicemails and messages. Top features of a business VoIP system A business VoIP service provider nowadays combines features of the enterprise phone system and the integration which boosts productivity with famous business applications. We have mentioned some of the examples in the table below. Features Integrations & extras Auto attendants Mobile integration Voicemail Click-to-call Dial-by-name directory Unified communications application (available on desktop and mobile apps) Ring groups High-rise CRM integration Music on hold Developer APIs Announcements Video conferencing Read more: Why your business needs VoIP in 2020?

What is the Best Phone Service for a Small Business

What is the best phone service for a small business? One of the mistakes that a lot of small businesses make is not thinking about of the system as the first priority. Most of them stick with the cheapest alternative that they know so that they can cut the cost because the thought is that who even calls anymore. You might be amazed to know that whenever a customer face is an issue with your service or has a complex enquiry for you then they still choose to make a phone call. A Phone system for small business needs to incorporate multiple phones the VoIP phone technology and several accessible features to enhance the efficiency these kinds of phone systems are also known as the main system. In this article, we are going to talk about a number of the best phone systems for small businesses in the market so that you can save your time and your money. What Small Business Phone System do you require? VoIP vs. traditional PBX system: what is so different? It is an obvious fact that the best phone system for any business will depend on the type and size of the business. If your business is expected to have and make a lot of goals and have an employee office based during the day, then you should not buy the highest Technology phone system because it will just be a waste of your time in money. Moreover, it is also important that you should think about the long term. Even though your business may be small at present but what about the next coming years? You might just need an office-based system at the moment but what will you need if some of your employees wish to work from home or another remote location. You will need a business phone system which can facilitate this kind of flexibility instead of hindering these advances. That is where the VoIP phone system comes in. VoIP phone services allow businesses to move away from the traditional onsite business phone lines. Employing VoIP phone services allow your employees to communicate with each other and with customers in a better way by using their Smartphone. It is a fact that if you have the right phone system and a strong internet connection then your business can lower the cost and gain from every feature of the traditional phone systems. Before making a decision you may want to know the difference between VoIP and the traditional office phone system. Traditional phone system PBX If you are opting to buy a traditional business point system then you should know that all of your employees will need an individual phone line. If you own a small business setup then you will have just a handful of employees so you might be able to use the home phone system. If you want a lot of extensions for your office then you will have to look at the private branch exchange. It can coordinate all of the incoming and outgoing calls which helps in transferring the calls and managing the voice mail of different extensions. If we used an on-site PBX system that is mounted on the wall then every phone line will be plugged into that mounted box. These days the PBX can be virtual too, providing the same functionality as the traditional hardware did. VoIP Contrary to the on-site business phone systems the voice phone services work by transmitting the phone call audio over the internet it is essential to ensure that all of your voice phones don’t utilize the identical connection for the internet. Because if several employees are online at the same time then you could experience garbled are dropped phone calls. For instance, if you have a 2 person business then you will probably just need 2 phone lines. Instead, if you have gotten 10 employees business then you will most probably need 5 to 7 lines and if you have a company of 100 employees then you will most likely need 20 or more phone lines. It is also worth knowing that VoIP phone systems also provide hosted cloud-based and non-hosted versions Read more: Team Managing and Video Conferencing with VoIP Phone services So what is actually the difference between VoIP and business IP phone systems? The IP phone systems use of private data network to carry all the conversations over the distance. Whereas, VoIP users use public data network. In case you don’t have a private network then you will need to go for VoIP. you will not notice any difference in the quality if the system is installed properly. How can you find the correct match for your business? As we have described the difference between traditional and VoIP systems. We hope that you have now a more clear understanding of how different they are. When you are searching for a phone system you should always ask yourself the following 11 questions: How many four lines are you going to need? How many extensions are you going to need? What type of features do you want on your phone system? How many and provider sockets are you going to need? Does your phone system have the capability to expand with your business? Are you going to need call forwarding and feature integration into your system? Will you need call redirection for employees who work from the remote location? Do you want to have a high speed that a network which can run on wireless Technology? Do you need your business to integrate with the phone system with it used? Do you want to recognise customer details and then dial number from the computers it is called computer telephony integration (CTI)? How much can you pay for the line rental? You must have all the answers to these questions when you go out to look for the best provider. Now we are going to discuss some of the best or top of their game phone systems which are best for small businesses. Small business phone providers in the UK 4com 8×8 British Telecommunications BT Mitel Networks LILY comms Cisco Systems 1. 8×8 Selecting a business phone system is a hard task but it can be harder to find a provider more innovative than 8×8. The company has won several high profile awards because of their industry leading and cost-effective technology. The company also has high clients like NetSuite and McDonalds. Supplier Rating: Ratings Customer Service Features Reliability Price What benefits 8×8 can provide your small business: Work from anywhere: with feature-rich desktop and mobile apps you can work remotely. Highly responsive customer service team: you get setup aid and resolve issues as they arise. Go global: you get virtual office editions which support call to and from up to 45 countries. 2. Mitel Mitel is one of the leading business phone service providers with almost 2 billion connections each day. The company caters for businesses that have one to 2500+ employees, in a wide range of industries from hospitality to healthcare. The company can identify the requirements of office phone systems which can make life simpler and technologies which can adapt to the changing dynamics of the businesses. Categories Ratings Customer Service Features Reliability Price Supplier Rating: What benefits Mitel can provide your small business: Everything in one place: this means that your desk and mobile phones, voicemail, web conferencing, instant messaging etc together in one integrated system. Facilitate mobility: remote working and host desking will not have an impact on your staff’s performance. The company takes all this into account. Specialists in call centre solutions: you will not have to risk the aggravating potential and existing customers with a frustrating call. The company works to provide your customers with the best experience possible. 3. 4Com The company is proud on offering tailored services to every individual business. The company is an expert when it comes to the small businesses, it knows that the one size fits all approach cannot work or everyone. 4comm works closely with their customers to reduce their business cost and enhance their business efficiency. Therefore, the company has earned a lot of recognition and is among the top 1000 companies to inspire the Britain. Categories Ratings Customer Service Features Reliability Price What benefits 4Com can provide your small business: Computer telephony integration (CTI): this means that your phone system and business computers can work alongside each other. For example, CTI enables you to see incoming caller’s information and hence offer a more personal customer service experience. Call reporting: with this, you can analyze how the customers can transfer through your phone system and to know when there are ‘blockages’. Call recording: this makes it easy for you to provide staff training and monitor your employees’ performances. 4. BT BT offers you a great collection of phone systems including cloud based VoIP and on-site PBX for small businesses. Particularly businesses that move often also can get the BT one phone office. This option gives customers the best of both landline and mobile, all in one phone. BT has a lot of industry experience and knowledge making the extremely reliable choice. Categories Ratings Customer Service Features Reliability Price Supplier Rating: What benefits BT can provide your small business: Plug ‘n’ play options available: with this, you can set up and have the services running in no time. Dedicated project manager: a person who will know your business from inside out, and will even visit your office space to make recommendations. Access to 4G and more than five million BT Wi-Fi hotspots: with this, you can work outside the office easily. 5. Lily Comms Lily Comms is an expert in providing customers with affordable and effective small business phone services. According to a recent survey almost 86% of customers saved capital when they switched to Lily. They have worked alongside high profile customers including Lidle, Specsavers, Citroen and NHS. Categories Ratings Customer Service Features Reliability Price Supplier Rating: What benefits Lily Comms can provide your small business: They promise the most up-to-date technology: company’s partner firm Ericsson-LG, have reported spend almost four times as much on the development and research than their closest competitor. You can ensure that each solution has the cutting-edge. Dedicated account manager: the company is proud to provide customers with ‘friendly expert’. Further, your dedicated account manager works with you to choose the best option. Save Money: the company has a track record of save their customer’s money. 6. Reach Digital Telecoms Even though the company is relatively new, it has still made a lot of name of itself by fulfilling its commitment of making life easier for the business customers. The company offers all-inclusive packages along with top quality services. Reach Digital Telecoms has you covered whether you want a new, nothing extra system or the full works including call on-hold, call transfer/divert and auto-attendant etc). Their every solution is tailored so that you are just paying for what you require. Supplier Rating: Categories Ratings Customer Service Features Reliability Price What benefits Reach Digital Telecoms can provide your small business: All-inclusive packages: you have the free consultation, installation and maintenance. There are no hidden charges or malicious surprises. Improved business telephone systems for all: the business of every size can boost their productivity and enhance customer service through the advanced and user-friendly telephony. Top customer services: one of the company’s proudest achievements is the proactive aftercare service. 7. Cisco Even though the company was established in the US it provides services in the UK and Ireland as well. The company has been in business for more than 30 years. It offers tailored phone systems for small businesses. They stay ahead of their competitors with the latest communication solutions such as cloud-hosted software. Categories Ratings Customer Service Features Reliability Price Supplier Rating: What benefits Cisco can provide your small business: Simplicity: the company unifies your communications instead of making the system more complicated. Build relationships: the company provides high-class video links that enable you to connect with customers and providers like never before. No phone? No problem: the Cisco software enables you to make and receive calls from multiple devices such as computers or tablets. Try free signup now with Business VoIP UK.