Deciding between telephone systems has become complicated. Where once small businesses only had to consider various packages within ‘the phone company’, they now first have to decide what kind of phone to choose. The first choice, given today’s telecommunications options, might well be between using the standard phone or using the computer network.
Today it can seem like some new innovation is made every year, and even to mention the days of one black phone and one big phone company is to date oneself. Rather than be overwhelmed by the number of choices available today, the best way to organize business planning on telecommunications might be ask first: What are this company’s specific needs?
Some needs will vary from business to business. One can’t expect a call center, with each desk making a hundred long-distance calls every day, to have the same needs as a suburban chiropractic office – even if they have the same number of phones. However, the times being what they are, one need is common to all: Saving money.
By now many business owners and all office managers are at least somewhat aware of Voice Over Internet Protocol or VoIP. With VoIP, the phone service is through the computer, not any standard phone company. It is much less expensive, possibly even free.
The most familiar type of VoIP is the Analog Telephone Adapter or ATA, in which the telephone jack is simply plugged into the computer. The simplicity and lack of start-up fee are attractive features for many users. Then there is the Internet Protocol (IP) phone, which looks just like a regular telephone except that it’s connected to the computer through the Ethernet. Finally there is computer-to-computer, in which there is no charge whatsoever.
The potential disadvantages of VoIP are in reliability and sound quality. As good as the internet is, almost any user will admit that it isn’t quite as reliable the average centralized phone company. Many companies simply cannot afford to have a half-hour or hour when the phones are down. VoIP might not be able to pass the famous pin-drop sound test that was featured on a phone company commercial some years ago. This sound quality might be crucial to a company that makes numerous highly sensitive calls, or which doesn’t want to give the impression of using a ‘cheap’ phone system.
If it fits your company, the inexpensiveness offered by VoIP is such that it might be worth while to experiment with it for a week or two, at a price not much greater than the price being paid for coffee and doughnuts. Find out if the quality is comparable to a standard phone line, and choose based on the evidence. Experiment with VoIP first, then the standard phone, taking advantage of yet another advantage of computer-to-computer telecommunications: if there is a price at all, it is typically either once-only, or monthly. This means one can experiment with VoIP without any lengthy telephone systems contract being involved.
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