Home Business: VoIP Phone System

Software for Getting Your Home Office Running
(Part 3 of 5)

Another key component to setting up your home office, after your accounting system is in place, is the phone system. You've likely heard about VoIP, which has been growing in popularity, and with good cause. As an entrepreneur the important thing to know is that VoIP can save you a lot of money on phone bills.

VoIP stands for Voice over Internet Protocol, and what that means is that the call information travels over the Internet instead of through traditional telephone landlines. Essentially, the only cost for sending information over the Internet is the Internet connection; the transmission itself costs nothing. That means calls between VoIP users will frequently be free.

The only cost associated with VoIP calls come from connecting to other telephone networks that service cell phones and landlines. Even in this case, there are significant cost savings because the VoIP phone providers can use the Internet to travel long distance, and then switch the call to a standard phone line in the local area of the destination, and you pay only for the local call, eliminating long-distance charges. The benefit to this is that you can increase the reach of your business, because you won’t be worried about your long-distance phone call budget.You business can potentially be more functional—providing new opportunities to increase your productivity and responsiveness.

With that in mind, here’s an example of the cost savings. For your home office, the telephone line and long-distance charges using a traditional landline phone system can cost upward of $100 per month. Compare that to the cost of using a VoIP system, where the total cost can be as low as $3.25 to $4.30 per month, a savings of more than 90%! With those savings, the initial cost of a business-oriented softphone will be paid for in less than a month.

A VoIP phone, or softphone like the Express Talk softphone only takes a few minutes to set up and will work with any VoIP provider. Express Talk is designed for professionals and has all the features you expect from a business telephone including do not disturb, conference calling, and even the ability to record conversations. It can be used with a USB phone to give the feel of a traditional phone, or with a headset, or microphone and speaker setup—which you may already have—making the cost of setting up your office with VoIP only a matter of buying the software.

Next: Phone System Enhancements

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How VoIP Works

VoIP stands for Voice over Internet Protocol, indicating the ability to carry vocals over the internet. Many businesses and homes are switching to VoIP softphones because the price is significantly lower. These lower costs are great, and just knowing that VoIP really can help you save might be enough, but for those inquiring minds out there here is brief introduction to how VoIP works.

VoIP technology takes advantage of existing data networks to transfer calls letting the Internet do most or all of the work. So by paying for your Internet connection you are already paying for the networking capabilities needed to have a VoIP telephone call. This means that many providers will offer completely free phone calls for calls made from one VoIP caller to another, or PC-to-PC calls, because they are handled entirely "on-line." When you want to call someone on a land-line phone, SIP gateway providers can connect you to a local phone service. The SIP provider uses the web to get your phone call as close to the other caller as possible before connecting to a standard phone line. This virtually eliminates long-distance charges altogether, which is why the rates are so much lower.

Advantages of VoIP

• VoIP is very scalable, letting you transmit more than one telephone call on the same broadband-connected telephone line, making it easy to add extra telephone lines
  
• Because VoIP is location independent, you can take your VoIP phone with you wherever you go, provided you are connected to the Internet
  
• VoIP reduces the need for dedicated phone wiring and some of the expensive hardware needed for a complete traditional telephony system
  

Tip: When choosing a provider, it is usually better to pick one who offers service specifically in your area. If you are calling a particular country a significant amount, choosing a provider from that country can potentially further reduce your costs further.

To learn more about the technical side of VoIP you might to check out the VoIP Demystified Video where the good people at HowStuffWorks.com give some more details about how VoIP works and voice information is transferred.

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Video Call Support Added to Mac Express Talk Softphone

There are times when picking up the phone is better than writing an email, and a meeting in person is betters till. Video calls and video conferencing are good alternatives to meeting face-to-face when you are separated by long distances. And with webcams and VoIP technology being as readily available as they are today, video conferencing often saves companies money when they previously would have taken a business trip to meet in person.

That’s why we are pleased to announce that video call support has been added to Express Talk for Mac, so that just like the Windows Express Talk, you can make video calls in addition to VoIP phone calls over your computer.

The benefits of having a video phone extend beyond professional use, too. Use video calls to stay in touch with out-of-state friends and family, and to show off those cute kids of yours or your stylish new haircut. It’s easy; simply set up Express Talk with a USB video phone, or use a webcam with your headset or speakers and mic, and start making video phone calls in minutes.

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Not sure if VoIP is right for You or Your Business?

With the latest release of Axon, a virtual PBX, we have made it even easier for you to try and test a VoIP system. We have teamed up with InPhonex, so you now have the option to set up a free 14-day trial VoIP account when you are setting up Axon on your machine. So now you have two full weeks to test not only all of the call management features and benefits that this virtual PBX can provide you, but you can trial a VoIP DID phone number as well. So if you have been sitting on the fence trying to decide if you should take the plunge into the world of we hope that this will be the stepping stone you need to try it out and experience all of the benefits that VoIP can provide.

Axon is a fully featured telephone switch that can be used either VoIP telephone lines or traditional analog landlines (PSTN) with the use of hardware adapters such as FXO adapters or telephony boards, or a combination of the two. But in this economy the cost saving benefits of VoIP due to reduced hardware costs and lower phone bills make a strong case for considering the switch, and how better to learn than by testing this easy to use software for yourself. Within minutes you will be able to setup the software and start making phone calls.

Learn more about Axon and Download at http://www.nch.com.au/pbx/index.html

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