Seattle, WA (PRWEB) January 16, 2012
original source

More and more business managers are saying goodbye to traditional landline phones and hello to Voice over Internet Protocol (VoIP) telecommunications systems these days.

Business leaders have realized VoIP service's many benefits, such as much more affordable domestic and international calling and the elimination of the need for in-house PBX hardware and related maintenance required for traditional telephony systems. In fact, 75% of all international calls are being made over the Internet.

The massive transition to this cost-effective technology is more than a trend; it's a glimpse into the future of business telephony. And, it's a money-making opportunity for VoIP service providers ... if they give customers what they want.

WhichVoIP, a company with expertise in VoIP and telecommunications services, recently surveyed current business VoIP customers about their needs and expectations from service providers.

When asked, "What items are the most important to your VoIP business service purchase decision," the responses were as follows:

Nearly 80% of those surveyed said the price of the service was an important consideration in their decisions to select VoIP instead of a traditional telephony system;

Slightly more than 60% of those surveyed said the value-added features and functionality --- offered with VoIP service at no extra charge --- appealed to them when considering VoIP in their business phone service purchasing decision;

Nearly 60% said "knowledge of sales staff";

Slightly more than 30% said "friendliness of the salesperson."

"This is real data from customers telling us what they would like from providers --- not only in terms of service, but also in terms of the sales process," Mike Bragg, CFO of WhichVoIP, said. "Business VoIP service providers who seek business customers can benefit greatly from the information our survey revealed."

For potential customers who are still skeptical about VoIP and its many useful features, service providers and their sales team should have other selling points ready to share in efforts to close the deal. Here is a couple:

Hosted VoIP phone systems involve a substantial cost savings by enabling a company's workers to make and receive calls via the Internet using a headset and microphone.

The VoIP system also enables calls to be directed to mobile devices, so company employees can conduct business while travelling or otherwise away from the office location.

WhichVoIP is a leading VoIP website that educates its viewers on the diverse offerings available in this developing technology, both to residential and business users, through articles, reviews, and blogs.

More About WhichVoIP

WhichVoIP.com is based in Seattle, Washington and the company consists of experts in the VoIP and telecommunications field. The team members utilize their expertise and knowledge to help consumers understand VoIP technology, and provide comprehensive information to enable consumers to make educated decisions that are appropriate to their needs

We would like to welcome Integral|One Network Solutions as a new partnering agent for PriorityOne Networks. We look forward to working together and combining our technology solutions.

About Integral One: Headquartered in Albany, NY, Integral|ONE is the premier Information Technology firm serving upstate New York. From small and medium businesses with a single location to enterprise and government organizations with thousands of users at many locations, clients have turned to us for leadership in designing and implementing solutions to their business objectives for over 20 years.

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By John Moore
original source

Cost savings plus converged network efficiencies make an attractive case for IP telephony, even during a sluggish economy.

The benefits of Voice over Internet Protocol technology have long been known: lower equipment and maintenance costs and, by virtue of combining voice and data over a single network, simplified network management. Nonetheless, large enterprises have been slower to adopt the technology than small businesses.

In 2009, VoIP penetration among U.S. business was 42 percent, according to market research firm In-Stat. Industry experts say there are several reasons for the relatively slow adoption, especially among large businesses.

"Telephony has traditionally been held to a standard of five nines uptime — basically, 10 minutes of downtime per year — as well as having a very high level of voice quality," says Hyoun Park, telecom and unified communications research analyst at Aberdeen Group.

"There have been concerns in telecom departments about the ability to provide both of those metrics through Voice over IP," he says. "In addition, companies also worry about moving from a proprietary voice network that is particular to just carrying voice, to a converged network where voice becomes an application."

Making the Transition to VoIP

Large firms have also succumbed to the misconception that they must totally abandon current phone assets to adopt the new technology. Businesses with large telecom systems have made significant investments, so their turnover rate is likely to be much slower," says Jeff Ridley, director of product management at ShoreTel. And companies typically don't even start looking at VoIP until their circuit-switched Public Branch Exchange (PBX) system becomes cost prohibitive because of repairs and workarounds.

Conducting day-to-day functions and activities within a business is essential to keep things running smoothly. Customers, suppliers, and fellow team members rely on the process of activities to be completed without interruption or stoppage to ensure standards and procedures are met. But what happens when a natural disaster occurs? Can your business continue to function? Are you still able to reach customers and clients who depend on the timely process of normal business activities?

That is where disaster recovery comes in. Having a VoIP phone system over a traditional solution can change the way you react when a natural disaster occurs. With VoIP there is no need to panic when you find yourself out of the office and still need to reach clients, whether that is because of a hurricane in August or snowstorm in January. When power or internet is out at your business that doesn't mean you have to stop working or receiving calls. With a VoIP solution, calls can be set up to ring to alternate phone numbers or cell phones when internet or power is temporarily down. Create a company plan as well as a minor plan to be prepared in case of an emergency, large or small.

Call us to discuss how VoIP can help your business in an emergency situation and also save up to 50% on your current solution. 866-578-5355.

Savings, Savings, Savings One of the key factors in today's world and everyone wants to cut expenses where they can. The good news is, by switching to VoIP, companies can save up to 50% on their phone bills compared with traditional carriers and there is no up front expenditure. With VoIP, data is sent over the internet, which eliminates the need for a phone closet. You know the one, with all the different colored wires that you can't seem to make sense of. Without a phone closet, there are no longer maintenance fees, "phone guys," or the need to upgrade costly software. To top it off, PriorityOne includes free phones for businesses ready to make the switch. Already have phones? We have a solution for that too. Our BuyBack Program allows businesses to trade in current qualified hardware and receive a check in return.

Unified Messaging Unified messaging means with VoIP you now have one-stop access to voice mail and e-mail. E-mails can be translated to voice messages, and voice messages can be turned into e-mails. PriorityOne also offers compatible applications and add-ons for work-groups, call centers and receptionists that includes simple instant messaging, call forwarding and employee status.

Conferencing VoIP takes the traditional audio conference to the next level, injecting collaboration capabilities so participants can exchange files, sync calendars and communicate via video.

Find Me/Follow Me Never miss a call again. Find me/Follow me is a single-number forwarding function that lets callers find you whether you're at your desks, in a hotel, working from home or on a job site. Can't get into the office because of weather or a sick kid? No problem. Stay connected with these features by routing calls anywhere with a click of a button.

Auto Attendant This feature answers incoming calls, plays music or prerecorded messages to callers on hold and supports a voice-mail tree that can route calls by employee. In other words, it can give your small business a big business feel and presence.

Expandability and Flexibility If your business has multiple locations VoIP can work wonders. Unified communications will connect remote locations seamlessly and calls between them are free. Phone changes and additions are now easy with our web interface that allows you to do everything yourself. Your VoIP business phone system can be as big or as small as needed.

Reliability PriorityOne's data platform is built upon the most trustworthy softswitch in the world - Broadsoft - guaranteeing clear calls and connectivity.

Support Our skilled local technicians are available to help clients with questions and troubleshooting by phone or on-site if needed.

Ready to get started? Have additional questions? Call us! 866-578-5355

By Steven Ray
article source

Communication channels have long been employed as a means of conveying one's thoughts to others be it as a sound, a picture, writing ,or more recently as multimedia. No one can deny the importance of communications in the advancement of mankind - it is the extent of the capability of man to communicate his feelings, emotions, thoughts and more importantly knowledge to others that has allowed man to advance and stand out above all others. The rate of advancement and the rate of change are accelerating. In the current market economy, where business companies are in cut-throat competition with each other, it is the ability of a company to communicate its products and services effectively and efficiently that makes the difference between success and failure, and for some, life and death. For example, if a business company fails to represent its business model or services that it is offering to its customers, it can be easily surpassed by its competitors.

But the plethora of different communications channels comes at a heavy price - people are expected to be always "on", and to be able to juggle emails, phone calls from multiple sources, calendars, presentations, support documents and much more. The convergence of these communication channels onto integrated platforms has become the mantra of well-connected corporate - and this is being managed through digital platforms that integrate these various channels and other support systems that a company may use. The integration of voice into this converged platform is being managed using latest generation VoIP systems - Voice over Internet, or more specifically Voice over Internet Protocol, which now allows companies to provide enhanced and intelligent voice systems, and to channel their email, voice and documents over the same systems and the same channels.

By Dan O'Shea
Entrepeneur Magazine - July 2011 Issue
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Many small-business owners want the flexibility of hosted voice-over-IP but not the lack of reliability and call quality. We asked a tech geek: Is there a way to get both?

Sarah Holtrup, owner of Sarah Holtrup Insurance Agency in Indianapolis, told us she loves the flexibility of hosted voice-over-IP but can't live with the lack of reliability and call quality. So we asked a geek: How can small-business owners get better hosted VoIP services?

By Nathan Eddy
June 24, 2011
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Reduce expenses and enhance call features with Unified Communications

Unified Communications and VOIP solutions were cited as important tools to help SMBs achieve greater levels of customer service.

On average, customers of midmarket companies would pay a 20 percent maximum premium for exceptional service. In contrast, larger companies could only charge a maximum premium of 15 percent, according to the "2011 Report on the Impact of UC on SMB Customer Service," conducted by Webtorials. Additionally, 58 percent of the respondents prefer to do business with an SMB versus only 16 percent who prefer to do business with larger enterprises.