We all have the same problem; we're paying too much for our phone service! I mean everyone is telling us we should be using Voice over IP (VoIP) and an internet phone line to save money. So the big question is how? Who to use? How does internet phone service really save money?
Kinda' hard to save money if you don't know how it does this - right?
So here we go, hold on and let's take a dive into the deep end of the VoIP pool for money savings shall we?
OK, so VoIP phone service is simply turning your phone calls (voice) into a stream of data (computer language) that can then be squirted over your internet connection - presto we have an internet phone line!
Problem is not all internet phone service is created equally. You might have even heard of people that had quality problems when talking over a VoIP connection. So to dispel these issues here ('cause it works really well when you have the correct components) let's review what we'll need.
The three requirements for good VoIP phone service
The three things we need here to have a good voice conversation over our internet phone line are:
1. A good clean internet connection 2. A quality Internet Telephony Service Provider (ITSP) 3. A quality handset or business PBX
Let's take a look at some of these quickly, shall we?
Clean internet connection
OK, so a quality internet connection is required because not all internet is created equally. Internet phone lines require a robust, clean connection that is not going to allow for breaks in the conversation, echo on the line or worse yet completely unintelligible conversations.
The way we assure we have a good connection for residential or small business usage is using a cable modem internet connection. We'll need a T1 type connection for larger business applications. Stay away from ADSL and satellite connections to the internet, they simply don't work well. Oh, and stay away from Magic Jack if you are in need of business service. Do the research, you don't need these headaches.
We will also be testing our internet connection FIRST using a VoIP broadband speed test. There are a lot around, look for one that actually simulates a VoIP phone call and gives you a Mean Opinion Score (MOS) that predicts how your VoIP will sound on the circuit.
Quality (ITSP)
When it comes to the ITSP, well, they are not all created equally either, surprised? Don't be. Now every Tom, Dick and Harry (I just had to say that, my mom said that ALL the time) can be a phone company. Yep, they just buy a computer, put some VoIP switching software on it and put it in their garage, then become your phone company. They don't do it very well maybe, but then again, you get what you pay for - right?
So for residential and SOHO office use, you should be able to try a few out without signing a long term contract. In this case, don't buy their IP handsets (use your old handsets or equipment if you can, they should be able to provide analog telephone adapters AKA an "ATA")
Once you've tried the features and quality of the service, then you can make a permanent move to a contract if it saves you more money.
Quality handset or business PBX
Here we have many issues; they become more complex for businesses with more and more users and locations.
For residential or SOHO offices, the cheapest way to get into VoIP is one of the big boys like 8X8, Ring Central or others. Make sure you have a good cable connection (not DSL) and tell them you want ATAs so you can use your old handsets and fax machine.
PS VoIP doesn't like faxing and visa versa. If you do a lot of faxing, do yourself a favor, get a scanner and use an e-fax solution.
For larger businesses, you have numerous options. The best thing is to get with a telecom broker to help you choose the best way to go based on your current equipment and needs.
In general however, we will be able to choose between having the service provider (phone company, or maybe an ITSP) let us use our old PBX and do the VoIP conversions for us.
Our other options will involve what I call "true VoIP" whereby we are either buying an IP ready PBX, or better yet using a hosted PBX if it makes sense for us.
The way we really save money in this application is using our good internet connection (we may have to upgrade somewhat to have a good one) and then putting the voice on the internet phone lines if you will that come thru this connection.
Then we can fire the phone company and their expensive phone service, and start saving money!
By the way, the MORE phone lines we have and the MORE offices or branches we have, in general the MORE we are going to save by a quality VoIP internet phone line implementation.
what more must be learned?
Well, if you're residential customers do some internet research and pick a good ITSP, make sure you have a good cable modem (not DSL) and then have at it. Talk with the ITSP you pick to make sure you understand how their service will work with your existing phones.
If you're a business, then get a hold of someone to help you through the maze. In general, if you have an "end of life" PBX or are a new business and haven't yet purchased a PBX, you have some great options to save even more over the long run by going with a hosted PBX.
If you have a highly mobile business environment, lots of sales or service type people in the filed (think real estate or construction services, etc) then a VIRTUAL PBX might be a wise choice.
All in all, lot's of choices here, but all of them use your good, quality internet connection to do internet phone service and place calls much less expensively because you've fired the phone company!
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