(Long Island, NY) As technology has progressed at a fast and faster pace over the years, the world in many ways has become a smaller and smaller place; advances in communication have put resources half a planet away within the palm of your hand, and this phenomenon only growing more effective and efficient with the advent of VoIP.
VoIP stands for Voice over Internet Protocol. In layman’s terms, this basically means that you are placing a call over the internet as opposed to the call going over copper wires. Coming to prominence in the mid-2000’s with the widespread use of broadband Internet access, VoIP technology struggled initially but has quickly matured into a major boon to the wireless communication market, according to Eric Goodstein, Director of Sales for VoIPX International, Inc., a leading firm in the field.
Eric Goodstein. Photo Credit: VoIPX International, Inc.
“In its infancy VoIP did not have the best call quality. Like every new technology there was an adjustment period where bugs and kinks were worked out,” he said. “Now call quality on VoIP tends to be very clear. In fact most people don’t know it but almost every call they make in the United States is VoIP at one point or another. Calls don’t always go from Eric to Dan, they might go from Eric to John’s Switch board to Joe’s switchboard to Dan. At some point along the way the call will be converted to VoIP.”
As far as its business applications go, Goodstein noted that VoIP has a number of advantages over TDM (Time Division Multiplexing), an aging phone technology used primarily by corporate phone networks, and these advantages can be summed up with one very clear word.
“Features! Features! Features!” he said. “You can do so much more with VoIP services than you can do with your traditional phone system. “
VoIPX International has laid out six specific areas where VoIP services leapfrogs over the abilities of current TDM systems to provide a cutting-edge communication experience for businesses the world over:
- Click To Call: The ability to click any phone number on a web browser and have the phone dial that number
- CRM Integration: The ability to integrate Customer Relationship Management (CRM)software functions into the phone system; users can automatically record when calls are made and received, save recordings to the CRM, and much more.
- E-Fax: Many services include or offer E-Fax as a solution; send faxes straight from your email browser, and receive faxes in your email as opposed to having to use that pesky fax machine.
- Call Accounting: The ability to create an on-demand report about the amount of time that you were on the phone with certain customers based on an account or case number; great for lawyers, accountants or anyone else who bills based on time.
- No need for costly roll over numbers: VoIP lets you use one phone number, and there can be unlimited calls in bound or outbound; the customer will never get a busy tone again.
- Multi-location capabilities: The ability to interconnect multiple offices cheaply and easily. Dial extension to extension between offices…you can even take a phone home with you, plug it into your internet router, and it will just work.
PBX, or Private Branch Exchange, is a private telephone network used within a company. Users of the PBX phone system share a number of outside lines for making external phone calls. According to Goodstein, there are two types – hosted or cloud PBX, and on-premises PBX – and each holds distinct differences, and business owners should weigh the pros and cons of each to see which works best for their situation.
“On-premises PBX is when the PBX physically resides on the customer’s site. Basically the customer has a PBX in a server room / closet. This is in addition to the phones on their desks,” he said. “Hosted or cloud PBX is when the PBX and the telephone service that operates it is hosted in the cloud; basically, there is no equipment required on-site. The customer simply has a phone on their desk. It is then plugged into power and the internet (cable coming from their router). There is no need for a server room or equipment on site; the equipment is hosted in the provider’s data center.”
Goodstein notes that, with so many communication options out there these days, it can be difficult for a company to nail down just which one is the best overall fit for their varied and complex needs; he notes that a number of factors must go into making any such decision, but there should be one unifying thread binding those factors together – the power and versatility that only VoIP services can offer.
“The best option for a modern company is something that is VoIP enabled for sure; it is usually cheaper and increases functionalities. But that said, there are premise-based options and cloud/hosted options. Which option is better really depends upon the company?” he said. “Premise based options are a much bigger investment up front. Typically this is a cap-ex expense. Hosted options are usually an op-ex expense with a monthly recurring fee. For larger companies with an in-house IT staff, a premise-based solution might make sense.”
“For companies without an IT staff, cloud-based is probably more economical as if they had an on-premise system they would have to hire an IT consultant to help them with it, if they need to make advanced changes or updates,” Goodstein continued. “Hosted Cloud options also often provide disaster recovery because even if you lose power in a storm, a good hosted provider won’t and calls can still be answered and sent to alternative phones if you have a power outage in your office.”
Staying at the forefront of technological developments can make or break any company attempting to secure a foothold in today’s highly competitive worldwide business market; a reliable, versatile, and effective communications network can be a key factor for any business – large or small – looking to succeed; VoIP, by all accounts, is the mean to that end for discerning professionals looking to take their companies to the next level.
VoIPX International, Inc. is a 100% U.S. based company established in 2009, and dedicated to small, medium and enterprise businesses that are focused on cost savings and time management when it comes to their telecom needs. VoIPX has at its fingertips a conglomerate of engineers, developers and entrepreneurs to support the needs and growth of its enterprise customers. Fanatical about the customer experience and led by industry veterans, VoIPX International, Inc. is changing the way businesses communicate by combining the best voice and video communications technologies, while integrating applications that companies need and use every day.
