Advantage of Business Phone Service Provider

Currently, small businesses need to eliminate the extra work to avoid any delay in finishing some tasks. And by this kind of method, distractions and complications to unrelated tasks are eliminated but precious time is lost and the rate of productivity is also certain to drop. So this is what the importance of our modern technology is. With all the features offered today by business telephone providers, the effectiveness of every company can be obtained easily. And with the additional help of basic functions such as voicemail, fax mail and call forwarding, tasks that must be sent or reviewed by other colleagues and partners can be done on a lower amount of time, therefore producing more efficiency and time for the other tasks to be done. While it may seem obvious as to what a good phone system provides, having this service would be very crucial and convenient for business.
Every business phone service provider features the same functions as the others. This includes, call waiting, a caller ID and call forwarding options. All of these are mainly part of its standard package offered by suppliers. Other service providers include extended features to their package such as mailing and voice conference calls. The transition back to your phone provider would be best done if some machines are not included or available in the service's package.
Communicating with business partners and customers more efficiently that does not affect the properties of the communication is very valuable. AT&T is a leading provider of telecommunications services. Even if you are considering of introducing a new solution of phone services to your company office and replace the old phone system, or simply just make changes by getting VoIP technology, advancing with AT&T services will still be the best choice to make. The benefits and advantages are certain to be attained knowing that an established phone service provider namely AT&T is supporting you.
The choice of what phone service provider to choose, depending on the services they offer is now rapidly growing as competition in the telephone business service providers are also increasing. Most service providers are using the same kind of technology and therefore the quality of calls are, in principle, in the features same as the others. Factors regarding customer care service and the price of the product should always be taken into account. Some companies that offer telephone services solutions in bundles at a low price can be expected from such deals, but quality features are sometimes not in the level of the same performance compared to other established service providers. Do consider always calling the toll free customer service about offered features by the provider of your chosen business phone service provider.

Indispensable Business Phone Service Features

One of the many ways to keep a good business running is to obtain a reliable small business phone service arrangement. Considering the technology today, there is a large archive of communication services. With many different business phone services coming, conference calls would be the best solution to several businesses issues nowadays. With conference calls you can organize a meeting anywhere in the world and discuss business issues easily. This increases the rate of productivity and helps enterprises and business players save both money and time on business meetings. Moreover, employees and colleagues can continue their work after the meeting, without having to waste precious money and time.
Another small business phone service to your advantage is the answer and message feature. This terrific service handles business calls, especially during busy hours inside the office. One of the many features of answer and message is its answering device that automatically activates for calls under the company name. This answer and message feature has an option for email, pager, fax and messaging including SMS message, it is almost complete. It has the ability to alert you once it receives a call and that is just amazing. It also informs you by means of its speakers the message content, so it has the option to reply to or send a message to the caller. The answer and message can also divert all calls made to a specific number. Hence, a call from a client can be diverted to a business coworker if you are away so that customers can get immediate responses from their queries and calls as soon as possible.
The Voice over Internet Protocol is currently widely worldwide since it is one of the several kinds of business phone services. It also offers a lot of features and costs cheaper for it compared to the traditional telephone system making it accessible and affordable. In fact it does not only save cost but also contains fascinating features such as data services, voice mail, email and instant network messaging. The services offered by VoIP are used chiefly for small and medium sized businesses making it the ideal small business phone service.
What is more, the toll free phone number is still another essential type of business phone service. It is very important to acquire this type of service for your business or enterprise. It helps both clients and customers ask questions and queries conveniently and deal with issues regarding their business fast and easy. It also allows clients and customers to get a hold of desired information quickly thereby improving overall productivity when it comes to output and in many cases the business revenue. Many telecommunication companies offer the kind service that provides for local and long distance calls to business individuals. This kind of package is a combination of basic local and long distance calls which are all out for grabs at a very reasonable monthly fee. It is easy to find a lot of useful information about the small business phone service over the internet. You can also browse and search several websites for attractive features and packages at very good offers all too enticing for your small business.

Small Business Phone Service is Better Than Ever

The small business phone service has always been the main type of telecommunication service for the small business owners, although large businesses have upgraded to more advanced technology today. Most businesses own a PBX or key based phone system. The need to own a dedicated private branch for communication exchange was a need that business owners assumed part of the normal business functions. The traditional PBX was expensive, rigid, hard wired and lacked integration with other technologies. But small business owners were stuck with traditional TDM based small business phone service as large enterprises migrate to IP based switches or PBX systems. Large businesses usually have the resources to take advantage of new technologies.
But today, the IP based PBX system is now balanced in size and price. Small business owners can now afford to take advantage of the latest in IP PBX technology. However, many are questioning the significance of owning a phone system. Investing in technology can either increase productivity or increase risks for failure such as rapid depreciation and failure to meet expectations, if not the loss of scarce commodity that lags your business process. For many of us new technologies can be enticing, but they can also be major distractions. Small business owners having only limited resources can hardly afford the cost of a technology patch. Given the complex issues of modern business phone systems, owners have options to hire a consultant in arranging the technology, or register to an external small business phone service. The majority of small business owners normally choose the latter option for the next few years.
In choosing the 'quality' of small business phone service, see it has several features for a reasonably combined price. A good feature would be an automated attendant. This offers a recording system which you can set to greet callers/customers and at the same time offer them options for what they need. This feature offers convenience and simply answers to the direct needs of your customers. So if you do not have enough employees to attend to all phone calls constantly, this feature especially comes in handy during busy business hours. It can be 24 hours a day, so it is like having your personal assistant do the extra work for you at no additional cost. Another important consideration in a business phone service is the cost, of course you cannot overlook the cost aspect when it comes to business. Since many new services use Internet capability to make calls, among other things, this saves a lot of money for the company. New phone service systems can save a company or enterprise about 30-50% more than the cost of traditional phone service systems. The good thing about these new services is that they offer not only reasonable price but also the same great features like long distance calling, conference calling and voicemail.

Starting Out With a Small Business Phone Service

 

Telecommunications is very important when it comes to business. It doesn't take a genius to know that. Years ago, the phone system used is the old one. It's called the analog system. In the dawn of technology, the old system has been replaced with an upgraded service. Business phone service has become high-tech. If you notice, a lot of small business phone service providers have made it their business to provide products and services at various prices.
For businesses that have branches in the rural areas, communication to and from offices becomes a bit difficult. Thus, there is a need to establish reliable business phone lines among the offices, to ensure smooth transactions. The only solution is to install a business telephone system in place. This way, you can communicate with your branches, as well as accept calls from clients and colleagues. In addition to that, the service should also have features like call forwarding. This is useful because it allows an employee to direct phone calls to the appropriate office or person.
For a small business phone service, it doesn't really matter how many phone line connections or extensions your office wants. You can obtain a standard telephone service at an affordable price. When people call, they will hear nice audio greetings, plus warm automated voices in the system. And in the instance that the user is busy or not available, callers will be given options. They can choose to send an email instead, or a voice mail to deliver their message.
When choosing a small business phone service, you need to consider a few factors: 1) the capacity of your organization, 2) the number of employees you have, 3) budget costs, and so on. Consider all these factors first before you actually decide on one service. Is this what my business needs? Will this service be able to meet or exceed my expectations? Will I get the service that's worth what I spend it for? The provider you choose should be able to answer all these questions for you.
A lot of providers offer a customer service hotline for their customers. And usually, this is toll free. This serves as a help line where customers can air out their concerns and ask questions of a company's services. It's usually open 24 hours and you can call anytime. These features are a surefire way of attracting customers to your business. You will definitely benefit from a provider that offers an easy, user-friendly phone service interface. If it helps in raising your profits, then for sure, this small business phone service, is the right one for you.

 

The Benefits of Having a Business Phone Service Provider

In business, communication is very essential, whether it be with the business partners, clients or employees. And our advanced telecommunication technology is the very best way in achieving it. It plays a very major role in sending and receiving information. Some barriers emerge in this kind of communication system. That is why, air time and a good audio quality is very crucial.
As the competition in business phone service providers rapidly increases, the wide range of options would also increase. And since many providers offer and grant almost the same features and deals as others do, choosing the better one turns out to be very confusing. When selecting a service provider for your business, you should take into consideration the cost of the service. The services you are planning to purchase should also be worth the price. As a customer, you should be very wise in choosing. Make sure that the service with the low cost will also have the quality. Do not forget to call their hotlines for inquiries. It is better to ask questions through customer support than the ones written on the manuals. Most probably, the services of the well known providers will be way too expensive than the others, but in return, you will be rest assured that the satisfaction you will get from their service is priceless.
Some additional features are included in the phone service. Such features include fax messages, Emails, and voice messages. Other phone equipments and accessories are also included in the package to some telecommunications company. The billing processes of some companies differ from one another. Some providers issue bills via phone call, while some are fixed billing rate per month. One example of a business phone service provider is AT&T. It is very well known in matters such as helping business owners to achieve quality calls with their colleagues, business partners, clients, and employees.
With features like the ability to make conference calls, you will be able to communicate from anywhere around the globe. This will be very beneficial since it can save you more time and money. You won't have to spend on business trips anymore. Your main goal here is to improve your business. And with the best service provider, the possibility of achieving your goal is higher!

Why Choose Your Business Phone Service Provider Carefully?

Communicating with your partners and customers more productively without losing the characteristics of important features can be very valuable. AT&T is a leading provider of telecommunications services around the world. If you are planning to implement a new solution of a telephone system in your company, or replace the previous phone system and modifications and substitutions by trying VoIP technology, then going with AT&T is probably the best thing you can do for you business. Benefits and advantages will surely be heading your way after acquiring the best technology they have to offer. AT&T is also well known for supporting their clients and providing them with the best assistance and customer care. It's always a win-win situation with AT&T.
Picking different services of phone service providers, depending on their type of service is now increasing rapidly all for the main reason of competition against other business phone service providers. Most of the service providers out there today features services and technology like the other providers. And with these, quality calls are, in principle, a basic functionality of every service provider's. Factors like customer service and the price of the product should always be taken into account. Some providers of phone service companies offer packaged solutions or introductory bundles at low prices. These are always expected from companies who want to sell their product more, but of course, the quality of their service features are much less compared to stable service providers who offer top of the line service solution.
While other providers offer unique service features, most business phone providers offer the exact same features as the other. These are composed of call waiting, a caller ID and call forwarding options. These are all part of a standard package offered by most providers. Call conferencing and voice mails are offered by other business phone service provider as an extended feature. The transition back to your old service provider is best done if some hardware is not part or available in the package of your chosen provider.
Today, small businesses need to eliminate the extra work to avoid further delay in accomplishing tasks. And with this type of adaptation, the distractions from work unrelated tasks are easily avoided but precious time is lost and the rate of productivity is sure to decrease. With the assistance of today's modern technology and with hi-tech features offered by service providers today, the effectiveness of a company can now be obtained easily. And with the support of basic services like voice messaging, fax messaging, call forwarding, work related matters and documents needed to be sent to business partners and colleagues are done in a shorter time. With the efficiency of this kind of service and the benefits that you are getting from it, your business generates more profit and employees will have more time when taking a break.

A Basic Cheap Business Phone Service

These days, companies are searching for methods and different ways to save more money, but as the same time maintaining the characteristics and advantages for their business. There is actually a different way in doing this more effectively, and that is with one of the systems you are using right now. And that, is your business phone service system.
During the time when you started your business, you might not have thought about this because you already knew that you must have a telephone system, and as there were no competition, you must take what you have been offered. Well this is not the case anymore.
Getting an 800 toll-free number and an associated PBX system will give you maximum control over your communications system. And with this, a cheap business phone service system is very affordable.
A number, a single system. The 800 toll-free number that you bought should be linked to your business telephone number. And this will allow you access to your basic PBX system. Busy lines for callers will be gone. Multiple lines gone. You can save more money by canceling the other numbers you will not be using anymore. You can also install extensions and program them to the system so workers and contractors may be part in your PBX network. This enables you to keep everything intact and contained in a manageable manner.
Focused on the client. With a basic cheap business phone service, callers hear an automated attendant answer calls, just like what other big companies have. Routing is not done with the touch screen on the telephone, but rather the voice of the caller. Not only are you able to add features such as information extensions that allows you to get set up for pre-sales and after sales. Callers may also divert their calls to specific people or offices as well.
Prices are difficult to beat. With the current rate of a cheap business phone service calls nowadays, the price ranges in 4 cents a minute and that is a fixed rate without the double leg billing included.Toll-free service such as pay as you go can free you from monthly bills. Other offered services from your telecommunication service provider may also help you customize you PBX system so it can meet your business needs.
If you are searching for methods to cut costs and still keep the firm operating at the same high level of services and customer support, then the 800 toll-free number and the PBX is the best answer. You will enjoy the savings and the value of options and low cost. Geting better with customer service will also be reachable. Phone calls are no longer a burden in your day as you can now manage them with ease. The advantages a good cheap business phone service are so many that it is kind of difficult to list them all. The best part is that you are going to achieve your goal in your communcation system. So what else is there to wait for? Start today.

Defining the Three Kinds of Business Phone Service

There are actually three kinds of business phone service - there is analog and conventional business phone service, there is digital business phone service and of course there is digital small business phone service. Analog and conventional is what we have been familiar with over the decades before the advent of the Internet. Long before cellphones were invented, these are what we have been using. And yes, we still do use them today. It is through these phones that we connect with business associates in the same city that we are in or even across the state. But from state to state, we now call long distances and this would naturally reflect on the billing. The billing increases if you incur calls from country to country even if they are as near as Canada or Mexico.
Many experts say that among the best ways to keep a business running at manageable levels is by obtaining a small phone service arrangement. Remember that there are a lot of telephone service providers today because of the rapid development in communication services. With the discovery and development of the Internet, here comes a new business phone system - the digital business phone service. It is subdivided into two categories - small digital and digital. They are divided into two categories because their pricing is different. The small digital is obviously for small business firms which are usually called here in the States as mom and pop startups.
They usually don't have branches and they are standalone outlets only. But they still use a small business telephone system to communicate with clients and other stakeholders such as suppliers. The feature of the digital phone system is that there is no unnecessary noise from the other end. The signal is really clear since you will be using the computer to communicate with each other. You can see the caller on the other end with 3G technology. It actually uses a regular phone but the phone is hooked to the computer. And for digital small phone service to work, the person on the other end must likewise use a digital business telephone system. The not-so-small digital business phone service is likewise ideal for big businesses occupying a three-level building. They use quite a number of phones, around 30 for instance.
And the business telephone provider usually will install Cisco phones for your company's perusal. The phones are merely loaned to your company, you do not own the phone. If you wish to terminate the small business phone system subscription, then the phones go back to the provider.

Deciding Upon a Small Business Phone Service Made Easy

Small and medium enterprises or what exactly is typically known in other areas as SMEs are now making use of the small business phone service considering that they find it highly cost-effective compared to other services. This can undoubtedly take care of the communication needs of these small organizations. Actually, the reality is, telecommunication providers can supply their services to all sorts and sizes of companies which demand even a small business phone service.
It ought to be also kept in mind that a few years in the past, small telephone phone services have evolved and advanced its services technologically. The truth is, it is now digitally organized and installed by nearly all of the telecommunication companies worldwide. It's less expensive compared to other telephone services, especially those which are now being utilized by major organizations. A small business telephone service can still be helpful for the users because of its tested and proven user functions and other specialized characteristics. Nonetheless, considering that superior telephone services continue to be to be expensive, small businesses would rather settle with the small business telephone service.
The good news today is the fact that there is a totally new solution in phone service which was developed not long ago and this makes use of the world wide web as a means to contact any loved one, business co-workers or other business clients. This brand-new innovation is called the VoIP (voice over internet protocol) Here, it can be so easy to make a call at any moment when the two persons are all set to exchange ideas over the phone. The phone call over the internet is even free of charge in some other companies since it has become a part of their additional services or features which also fascinated lots of customers. This simply suggests the concept is also fine and becomes part of a very successful marketing campaign.
New components for communication systems had been developed from recent years and it is what service companies have already been utilizing in their own services. A lesser cost of their particular product is what numerous companies are offering these days to provide small business firms with a tiny business phone service. Of course a small business phone service should not be compared to the full featured phone services that giant service providers provide since it just consist of the essential functions and functions.
You will find some suppliers who give a small business phone services that has extra functions incorporated. Obviously, a small firm that goes with that kind of service will gain more from it because of the extra capabilities. It will later on prove to become a valuable asset in your corporation. And because of the more affordable amount that it has been presented, acquiring this type of small business phone service is just not too difficult to obtain.

Getting Set Up With a Small Business Phone Service

One key element of small businesses is a phone system. With this kind of system, businesses are able to communicate with other colleagues and clients, and also make other business transactions without even leaving the office or workplace. Many small business services are being offered in packages or bundles. They are being sold with few receivers, a transmitter and hardware depending on the package.
A lot of people prefer to use wireless telephone systems because it enables to link intercoms and use a receiver wherever they are in the room. A transmission signal is being used in this process. For small businesses, the type of phone system being is used is very much alike of that being used at home. You must have a base station which consists of the primary telephone that has an answering machine, an address book, a caller ID and so on. You can connect a few handsets to it if you want.
Other companies add two handsets as an extra in their offered package or bundle. But mostly, they are expandable. That would mean that you can add more wireless phones to the kind of phone system you just have installed. A lot of people nowadays recommend VoIP or Voice over Internet Protocol to small business. VoIP is an efficient small business service provider. This kind of phone system enables you to make a call from you handset using the Internet. The best thing about VoIP is it is a lot cheaper compared to other small business phone service.
With this kind of business phone system, getting set up is easy. Apply for a VoIP account, have an Internet connection and a router, and that's it. Imagine calling other people for free using the Internet and that is what you call convenience to the highest level. You only need to connect the right cables from the modem to the router, router and to the computer, computer to the handset and you are done. Just customize the settings to meet your specific needs and that is about it.
Always ask the right persons on how to proceed with this if you already have or own a small business. It is crucial for you to know how to pick the right phone structure for your office so it can function effectively. With a reliable phone structure, you do not have to worry about missing important calls anymore. Small business phone service offers more features in some of their packages. It is quite obvious that small business companies are sure to benefit from these kinds of services. It is a necessity to business companies and at the same time is also cost effective. In other words, having this small business phone service in your company could be the best thing that will ever happen to your business.

Fix One Way VoIP Audio

The Problem - When making VoIP calls (particularly with SIP) you can ring phone numbers but once the call is answered there is either no voice or it is only one way.
The Cause - I am pretty sure the cause of this will be the same regardless of what protocol you are going to use for your VoIP solution but I only have experience of SIP. So this will definitely be an issue with SIP but I haven't confirmed it with the other protocols.
The problem arises because VoIP uses dynamic UDP ports for each call. This causes problems when traversing a NAT device for two reasons; the NAT device changes the source port of outbound packets as part of the NAT process. The second is because UDP by its very nature is designed for one way traffic (broadcasts, video stream etc). Where TCP traffic is bi-directional across the one connection UDP can have 1 connection for inbound and another for outbound meaning they can use different ports. If the inbound connection uses different ports as the outbound connection the inbound traffic will be dropped because the NAT device does not have a mapping for it in its NAT table. If you are confused by now I suggest you read up on NAT first.
What is SIP and why is it important to VoIP Just as TCP/IP is not a protocol by itself but rather a family of protocols like TCP, IP, PPP, PPTP, ARP etc so is VoIP. There are several protocols you can use with VoIP each having their own pros and cons. The one we will focus in this article though is SIP. SIP stands for Session Initiate Protocol. It is responsible for setting up the call, ringing, signalling, engaged tones etc.
In most SIP environments there will be several VoIP calls in use concurrently. Every one of these calls will be managed through the VoIP switch, each one requiring its own voice channel. Each channel (or phone call to look at it another way) must use a unique port. If there are 100 concurrent VoIP calls in use there must be 100 ports available for the VoIP switch to allocate to each call. This is where SIP comes in. It basically controls everything that is needed in setting up the call. For each call SIP will find a spare port, allocate it, send these details to all parties, set the call up and ring the phones. Once the call has finished SIP terminates the session and informs the phone switch that this port can be reassigned to another call.
The range of ports is usually configurable, Avaya for example allow you to configure this in the VoIP portion of the system config. The default range for Avaya VoIP is 49152 to 53246. This gives us a possibility of 4094 concurrent VoIP calls licensing permitting.
In a LAN environment this is not a problem as firewalls usually permit all traffic on all ports for all devices. Once the internet is involved where the traffic has to traverse a NAT and firewall we start to run into problems. In the Avaya example above it can pick a port anywhere in the range of 49152 to 53246. You can't just open this port range to the internet. A range of 4000 ports open isn't very secure.
How SIP is meant to work on the internet As with all network traffic one endpoint must initiate the connection first. This means at least one port must be open using port forwarding to the VoIP switch. SIP usually runs on port 5060. For the two offices to call each other both sites must have this port being forwarded to the phone switch. When you read documentation on SIP most of it will say that this is all you need to do...But in all likelihood this is not the case.
The following happens when you dial a VoIP number:

• You dial the number and your local VoIP switch matches this up with a site ID which locates the public IP address of the remote location.
• Your local VoIP will connect to the remote IP on port 5060 using SIP (which is why the port must be open).
• The two phone switches now negotiate and set up the phone call. Several things are done in the negotiation process but the most important one (for this article) being the ports that they will use to transmit the UDP voice streams.

The problem here is that SIP doesn't know it is behind a NAT. Let's say your local switch IP is 192.168.1.1 and the remote IP is 192.168.2.1. Although NAT modifies the SIP packets to the public IPs when traversing the internet it does not change the actual data in the SIP packets themselves (the payload). It is the payload that contains the information about what ports and IP addresses to use for the actual phone call. The local VoIP tells the remote VoIP (via SIP) to send voice data to its local IP of 192.168.1.1 and vice versa. As we all know this is never going to work as internet routers drop packets from and to private IP addresses. Once the call is set up and the UDP voice data actually starts transmitting it will be sent to private IP's and consequently dropped. So how do we fix this?
STUN Stun stands for Session Traversal Utilities for NAT and as you may have guessed by its name it is a collection of utilities to aid in the traversal of a NAT devices.
STUN (as in our case) helps a program or device learn whether it is behind a NAT and modify packets accordingly. It requires the help of a 3rd party server on the internet known as a STUN server. This now means that our VoIP phones can modify their SIP content to contain the public IP instead of the private one. Some of you may be thinking this same problem also affects ports.
It is common with NAT to also change the source port of an outbound packet to a new randomly generated one. When the remote device responds it does so to this new random port. When packets come back in on this port NAT allows it through because it mapped this port to the internal client. As you might have guessed it this is also an issue for SIP. The STUN server also takes this into account. The STUN client (the VoIP switch) sends a UDP packet outbound on the port it wishes to use for the VoIP call to the STUN server. This will be NATTED to the public IP and a new port number. The STUN server sends this information back allowing the VoIP switch to learn its public IP and mapped (modified) external port for the voice traffic. Now we have all the info we require to modify the SIP data with the correct information to traverse a NAT. The local switch now contacts the remote switch via SIP and tells it to send the UDP voice call to its public IP and public port. Once this data comes back the NAT has a mapping for this in the NAT table and sends it to the internal VoIP switch. This how I thought it should work...Have you found what is wrong with this yet? I was stuck on this for a while...
The reason I was stuck was not through a lack of understanding the technologies (honest ), it was because of the stupid documentation (from Avaya) I had on setting up SIP and my confidence in that it was right. I checked everything again and found I had done everything correctly then it hit me...I thought "Hold on, when the UDP voice packets start coming in ON A RANDOM port how does it get through the NAT device when the only port forwarding I have is 5060 for SIP???"
I mislead you above a bit on purpose to see if you could spot it yourself. I said there was a mapping for the incoming UDP traffic in the NAT table but there isn't. You, like me may have assumed this because you don't have to port forward any other ports. The only way traffic can come into your network through a NAT without port forwarding is if it was first requested from an outbound connection. The outbound connection adds the entry in the NAT table to map incoming packets on this port to the internal client. This added to my confusion. The documentation clearly states you only need to port forward 5060 but the voice calls use random UDP ports so how do these get past the NAT? If you are still confused it will be because you don't understand (or have forgotten) one fundamental difference between UDP and TCP which is very important for us here.
TCP requires that one end point must first establish a connection for data to be sent back. As we know you have inbound and outbound connections. If I am making an outbound connection then it is an inbound connection at the other end. And inbound connection requires port forwarding which we don't have set up in this scenario. Also for data to be sent back the socket MUST BE ESTABLISHED. This is very important as it is not a requirement of UDP. UDP is connection-less remember (see The Differences Between TCP and UDP for more info). It can send data without ever being aware of the remote location. It is this key difference between TCP and UDP that allows you to traverse a NAT using UDP without port forwarding. The technique is called UDP hole punching.
UDP Hole Punching Let's add all the technologies so far to get a working solution. The two VoIP switches learn of each others public IP and ports to be used via the STUN server. They then use SIP on port 5060 to send this information to each other then they use UDP hole punching for the delivery of the VoIP packets.
UDP hole punching is a clever technique. It works by "punching" holes through the NAT device to create the NAT mappings. The local VoIP sends UDP packets to the remote VoIP to the port and public IP it was told to use from the SIP data. When this data hits the NAT device at the remote location it will not be delivered because there is no port forwarding in place and no outbound data has been requested yet. The exact same process happens from the remote VoIP to your local VoIP and packets are dropped as well. The purpose of this though is not to send the packets, it is to "punch" a hole through the NAT and create a mapping of the external port and IP to the internet port and IP consequently allowing incoming traffic on this port. As this happens at both ends we now have NAT mappings for these ports to the internal clients. Because these mappings now exist the NAT device sees these as outbound requests and will accept new packets coming back in on the same port. So in summary the first packet exchange will always fail from both parties but this "punches" holes through the NAT allowing all subsequent traffic to pass through. This is why you don't need to port forward these ports when using UDP. This technique is exclusive to UDP because UDP doesn't guarantee or even check as to whether the packets arrive. When the first packet fails it doesn't matter because the sender doesn't even know it failed (as UDP does no error checking), it just sends more UDP packets. This won't work with TCP because it creates a socket before sending data. As the initial packet will always fail TCP will error and keep trying to establish a socket first before sending any data. The socket will never connect so no data will be sent.
So Why Does The Thing Still Fail?? OK, sorry for the long post but I am big believer that the best way to learn is by the teacher (me, ha) leading you down the path so you solve it yourself rather than me. This is the last bit now I promise.
If you never knew about UDP hole punching then you would naturally think that you need to open ports to allow the UDP traffic through. This would explain why you get no voice at all. But what about one way traffic? This means that the port is open at one end and not the other. How is it possible to have UDP hole punching working at one end and not at the other when both NAT devices are configured the same?
In all likelihood you have different types of NAT at each site. To complicate things more NAT isn't standardised and there are various implementations of it. In an ideal world the documentation I read about setting up SIP would be correct because UDP hole punching would take care of the port forwarding of the UDP traffic. But as we often find out this is never the case...
It gets complicated and I am not going to re-invent the wheel. What you are looking for is what type of NAT device you have. It is probably a symmetric NAT as this is the one that is incompatible with STUN. Yes this is the problem!! STUN doesn't work with a symmetric NAT, here is why.
All the other types of NATs allow traffic from different IP's to come back into the network as long as it is on that port regardless of where I sent the packets to. So if I connect to the STUN to learn the external IP and port to use for VoIP this mapping now existing. A DIFFERENT IP can send packets to me as long as they use the same port I sent the UDP packets out on. In other words once a mapping has been created and linked to the internal client it will accept connections from any IP as long as it is on this port. This is not allowed in a symmetric NAT. An outbound packet sent to a specific IP and port will only allow packets coming back from that IP and port. So, we do the same as above and contact the STUN server to get our public IP and port. This info is sent to the remote VoIP via SIP. It now tries to send data back to your local VoIP via this port but because it is a different IP a symmetric NAT blocks it. This NAT mapping is exclusive to the STUN server. To allow data to come in from the remote VoIP which is a different IP a new mapping must be created, which uses a different port... As you can see this is a problem because the port that will be used for the actual UDP voice call is different to the one the STUN server detected. Because the ports are dynamic and STUN won't work, your local VoIP can never learn what that external port is to be used for the traffic to and from the remote VoIP.
This is why you get one way traffic in some scenarios. If both NAT devices are non symmetric NATs they will get the correct information through STUN and voice flows both ways ok. If one device is symmetric and the other is non symmetric only one of them can get the correct info through STUN and data can pass one way producing the one way audio. If both are symmetric you can't hear anything at all because traffic can't get through either NAT device.
So How Do I Fix It!?!? Buy a new NAT device! One that isn't a symmetric one!!
Replacing your NAT device is one solution but the other is far more simple than the you might think. All you need to do is the following:

• On your phone switch (Avaya in my case) reduce the dynamic port range. How many VoIP calls do you think you will have going at any one time max? Most of you reading this will be 10 at a guess, maybe 20. In my case the range was 49152 to 53246 so I reduce the max range to 49162 giving me 10 ports.
• On your NAT device set up port forwarding for the 10 ports to your VoIP switch.

The reason this works is because you are effectively mapping your external port numbers to the same internal port numbers (remember that NAT replaces port numbers with random ones by itself). You now know that your VoIP will only use a range of 10 ports and STUN will fail. This means that the SIP information sent over to the remote VoIP will actually list the internal ports and not the NATted ones. This means your traffic goes out on random ports (because it is NATTED) but the remote VoIP sends back to ports in the range you specified in your local VoIP. There won't be a NAT mapping for this of course and it should be blocked but this is why you use port forwarding instead. Have Fun!

Switching to VoIP Phone Service - Does it Add Value to Your Business?

VoIP phone systems are flexible, feature rich systems that reduce telecommunication budgets without compromising on voice quality or features. In fact, VoIP has uses way beyond the capabilities of conventional phone systems such as virtual phone numbers, voice mail and fax forwarding, switching from Wi-Fi to cellular network, and more.
In spite of the strides in VoIP technology, many businesses have reservations about adopting VoIP. Their concerns are - substandard voice quality, insecure network, dependence on internet connectivity, cost and complexity of implementation. In this article, we discuss how the benefits of VoIP overshadow the drawbacks, and how to maximize your VoIP system.
Why should you select VoIP phone systems?
VoIP will undoubtedly add value to your business. Here's how:
Improving VoIP technology
Early VoIP restricted users to computer systems and average voice quality. Today's standard phones (with VoIP adapters) and IP phones promise high voice quality, mobility, and various useful features. Existing data networks are utilized by businesses to manage phone calls within the office, leading to huge savings and increased productivity.
VoIP reduces telecommunication costs
Traditional phone systems involve the administration and maintenance of costly infrastructure as per industry regulations. With VoIP, businesses reduce implementation and maintenance overheads by maintaining a single network for voice and data. Movement of employees that typically costs $100 per head is now as simple as plugging an IP phone into another broadband network jack. VoIP providers too fall cheaper than traditional phone system vendors.
Mobility and accessibility with VoIP
An IP phone can be used wherever there is broadband. You can take calls from clients and associates from office, home, a hotel or even a friend's place without their trying your cell phone. Many VoIP systems include software that allows you to make and receive calls on your laptop with a headphone and microphone unit.
Easy VoIP configuration
VoIP phone systems can be configured to forward voice mails and faxes to your email inbox and read emails into voice mail. You can easily manage your messages and mails from one place.
Virtual phone number
You may want your business to have an area code of another region if you are targeting customers there. With VoIP, you can have a virtual phone number with the desired area code.
VoIP improves productivity
Studies show that VoIP systems improve productivity by almost 4 hours per employee per week. VoIP phone system features cut down on the time wasted in managing calls. You can even set your VoIP phone number to ring simultaneously on your cell phone and landline before reaching voice mail, making sure you never miss an urgent call.
Making the most of VoIP phone systems
As you can see, VoIP has much to offer. If you still have concerns about potential hurdles, these tips will help you stay on top of them.
1. Hire VoIP service vendors
Though a standard VoIP phone system is fairly simple to install, hire a VoIP service provider for larger projects. Your network provider may also have a VoIP solution for small businesses and can install and configure it for you.
2. Run a pilot project
Have a small group of people use the VoIP system and verify its usefulness to your business. Once you're satisfied, roll it out across the office. Retain your traditional phone system as a backup during this phase.
3. No missed calls with call forwarding
Configure VoIP phone systems to forward unanswered calls to a cell phone or landline. If there's ever an electricity outage, you won't miss any calls till your backup (generator, etc.) gets going.
4. Secure your network
The only way to circumvent call hacking is to protect your network from denial-of-service attacks and digital hackers. Network security should always be updated and meticulous.
VoIP phone systems are an economical option with all the advantages of a technologically evolved telecommunications system. Small businesses can reduce travel costs with high quality videoconferencing in real time, call center applications, and other compelling benefits of VoIP. With latest wireless phones offering seamless switching between mobile and Wi-Fi networks, VoIP users can look forward to more cost savings and attractive offerings.

Why Should I Go VOIP?

I have been in telecommunications for over 10 years, and with experience I can say that nothing has changed this field more than the internet. Today, voice over internet protocol or VoIP is the most talked about subject among my customers and the salespeople selling telecommunications services. As a consultant I am often asked by business owners, "Should I go voice over IP?" For my customers asking this question let me briefly and in layman's terms answer this here and now. Maybe.
There are certain aspects of VoIP that are very attractive depending on the client I am consulting with. Let me give you a few things to ponder about your own business to decide if VoIP might be a savvy strategy for your company or a waste of money.
First of all what does the typical VoIP plan look like? Most of the VoIP companies are going to charge you a per phone monthly cost of between $20 and $50 per month. Inside of that cost is usually bundled all your features and long distance. You still need to purchase the VoIP handset which can range from $80 to $700 with the average phone being $250 one time charge. On top of that you need an internet service provider for your phones to work--DSL, Cable, internet T1, etc.
Add up all the costs to go VoIP. You will quickly figure out that only in certain cases does VoIP truly make sense. What are those scenarios? Let me share with you a few of the most common questions I ask to determine if VoIP will benefit you:
1. Do you have multiple locations? Many of my larger customers that have multiple locations enjoy VoIP solutions because with VoIP you can connect all your offices as if they are on one network. For example, my company, Telcom National, has offices in different parts of Utah, Arizona, as well as Colorado. In the past we communicated by calling each other's desk phones and paid for long distance charges for those calls. Today, with VoIP, we are all extensions on the same network as if we are all in the same office! I am extension 101 in Arizona, for example, and one of my remote workers is extension 103 in Montana. We can communicate with each other by dialing each other's extensions or even hitting intercom. This gives our company a sense of unity where before we felt separated all on separate systems.
2. Do you make a lot of long distance? Long distance has gotten so cheap. I can get most of my customers long distance plans as low as one cent per minute and sometimes less, but I do have customers that still spend quite a bit on long distance. With these heavy users we may consider going VoIP because with most VoIP plans long distance is absolutely free. I have had customers go from spending thousands of dollars a month to a few hundred just by switching to a good VoIP plan. The truth is, though, most customers do not make enough long distance to warrant going VoIP for long distance alone.
3. Are you in multiple markets or do you want to be? One of the neatest things about VoIP is how you can deliver phone numbers from many markets on one circuit. Let me give you an example. I have a customer who has one location but wants a national presence. Out of this one location with only 12 VoIP phones, they have phone numbers ringing in their office from every country in the United States as well as from many parts of the world. On VoIP this is very simple and costs next to nothing so this can be a huge benefit. You might have many market expansion lines that you pay the phone company for monthly--these cost next to nothing on VoIP so this can be a huge cost savings for you.
4. Do you have many mobile workers? Most of our company's workforce is mobile meaning our employees are rarely in the office. The nice part about VoIP is being able to go mobile from either a laptop client (software built into your laptop that imitates your desk phone at work), or having a VoIP phone at home or your remote office. In any of these situations you are still able to make calls from your desk phone despite not being in the office. For me personally, this is a great benefit. If I am in California visiting my American Red Cross customer, as long as I have an internet connection I can still make and take my calls as if I was on my desk phone at the office. My voice mails go to my emails as well! I absolutely love the flexibility that VoIP provides me.
These above reasons are the TOP reasons to consider VoIP today, but I have run into many other reasons to go VoIP that I thought you might find interesting as well as comical:
1. To get away from the phone company. I have actually had customers that wanted to ditch their carrier so badly they went to VoIP despite not needing it, in my professional opinion.
2. To get lines when everyone else told them they couldn't. I can not tell you how many customers have tried to get a pack of 20 lines from the phone company only to be told "there are no facilities". In some cases the phone company has been able to rectify their facilities issues but in other cases my customers can wait months to get a phone. I have earned many VoIP customers "on accident" because of this reason alone.
3. Because VoIP is cool. I have had so many customers order VoIP from me even after I have told them, "I do not think you should go VoIP...there is no reason". The most common response from these customers has been, "Yes, but it is so cool". I think this is a foolish reason to go VoIP but I would never stop a customer from trying to look cool, right? I have to admit, VoIP does some pretty cool stuff, but you still want to treat going to VoIP like any other decision and look at your Return on Investment (ROI).
After I wrote such an article you can probably assume I am a big proponent of VoIP and really believe it is the way to go for many businesses. If you believe that you would be completely wrong.
Less than 5% of my sales are VoIP, and there are many reasons for this. The biggest reason is most people do not fit the above characteristics to warrant going to VoIP. And even if they do I still do not feel VoIP is always the best choice. I am convinced that the safest and most reliable way to make a call is NOT over the internet, yet with true voice over IP that is what we are relying on...calls being made over the internet. The public internet is a horrible entity to rely on, and most companies can not afford redundant circuits to make VoIP more reliable (in some cases we can have a back up if the internet fails so calls can still be made).
So as a consultant in the telecommunications field I feel it is my job to steer most of my customers away from VoIP because of its unreliability and sometimes because of the cost. If you are looking into going VoIP or wondering what all the hype with VoIP is, I hope that my brief article helped you clarify that a little.

Who Else Hopes for Small Business Phone Service?

Most businesses definitely require a phone service which the owners can use in operating the every day ins and outs of their business. The phone service will surely contribute to the development of the business since this is another way of speaking with would-be customers and marketing their particular products and services to numerous persons.
What businesses might need is a small service that allows them to talk to their clients each day, correctly and without having problems.
Prior to getting on the services of a little business phone service provider, proprietors will have to require to determine first precisely what are their selected services which fit their businesses with out limiting the continuity of their services as well as the top quality of the items they are giving away.
The moment business owners come to a decision to go with their plan to getting a small business phone service and have already placed the various criteria that they want, then it's time to select which small business phone service provider fits their taste.
One of the things that company owners really need to think of whenever getting the services of a little business service provider are the tools that they are applying, the list of services as well as the prices they offer.
While looking for a little business service provider, think about asking when they have an auto-attendant that's available round the clock 7 days a week, if they have call logs as well as an internet fax. These kinds of tools can definitely aid your corporation become aggressive, more useful and also cost-effective.
Using the auto-attendant, company owners are guaranteed that all phone calls are received and also answered anytime throughout the day. The auto-attendant displays all telephone calls received and routes or deliver these phone calls, as well as messages, to the appropriate individual.
With the call logs, organizations might possibly trace all telephone calls for billings to be certain they spend the money for correct amount in a specific campaign. Call logs also keep track of marketing promotions and also leads.
However in order that your product is granted the vital boost, be certain that the small business phone service provider comes with an internet fax for you to deliver and attain necessary documents and papers continually. You might like better to go for a small business phone service which has a built-in internet fax to save time and money.
Even how small your business is, you still desire the small business services given it could help you have more customers, spend the money for accurate bills making your business expand in the act.
Invest in a small business phone service provider which offers fantastic packages at much lesser cost. In doing this, you won't just bring your organization the vital boost yet you as well earn and save during this process. Savings might not merely be in terms of cash but even effort and time.

Bridging the Gap For Small Business Phone Service

A lot of companies-be it small sized company or medium sized company are using a small business phone service system to help them have their requirements met. Telecommunication companies provide services not only to small and medium sized companies, but also to huge companies that have many networks. Over the past few years, business phone services have quite improved technologically. With added features and a much better system compared to the old analog phone system, such services can prove to be very valuable in business. But, for some reasons, small sized businesses do not have the ample amount of resources to purchase these kinds of features in a service. And with the development of Voice over Internet Protocol telephony, the difference between the needs of small businesses and products available on the market seems to expand.
Advanced materials and equipments have been developed through the years, and having it cost lesser has also been one of the primary objectives of the providers in terms of selling their products. In addition to that, reduction of prices for new and better features has been slowly increasing. But still, due to large support and efficiency for some business phone system that has all the features, small business phone service companies can barely afford these kinds of features/services. Compared to other office gadgets or equipments, prices of small phone business systems did not change. Many small companies do not have much choice but to create and develop a particular business phone system with custom built telephone lines, answering devices and some other services from an expensive telephone company. Bigger phone systems are by far, more effective and efficient, with features like call answering systems, voice messaging and call forwarding that can greatly increase the proficiency of any company. However, small business phone service companies have been considered the leading industries in the economic growth of a country. Small businesses, like any of its large correspondents, need a more advanced telephone system to be able to grow and excel more as a successful business company.
In the United States, small businesses are still using the conventional single line phone system suitable for small business phone service. Apparently, some phone systems having state of the art technology offers five to twenty phone lines. Recently, many business phone services have surfaced in the market. They offer lots of new service features, some even with network solutions and advanced security system to prevent intrusions in a network. With the present technological advancement that this generation has, it is safe to say that many other features for business phone solutions are being developed right now even as you read this article. It is also safe to assume that much more and better features will come out in the near future. But still, the fact remains that full featured services are just too expensive for a small and growing company.

Small Business Phone Service For Your Company

Every business needs telecommunication lines to communicate effectively. Throughout the years, businesses have been using the old analog phone system. But since we've moved to an era of technological advancements, business phone service has taken a better course too. So many small business phone service systems have cropped up in just a few years. They offer various services and offer them at affordable costs compared to before.
Effective communication can be somewhat hard to achieve in some cases. For instance, if you have a business that branches out to multiple rural areas. You can just imagine the hassles if you don't have a business phone system in place. How will you be able to communicate with the other branches? A virtual phone system solves this problem. Installing one will ensure smooth communication in your business offices.
Call forwarding is also a feature that must be included in the service. This is tad useful since it allows people to just forward a call in just a click of a button. The call will then be forwarded to the specific person or office the caller needs. For a small business phone service, the number of telephone line connections, plus extensions, doesn't pose a problem at all.
Compared to the old phone service system, in which rates are quite steep, you can enjoy the benefits of a standard phone service at low prices. And even better, when your clients call, they will be greeted with pleasant audio greetings as well as automated attendants set up to guide them. Now, if a user is unavailable, or perhaps busy, a caller can have the option to fax their mails or send a voice mail or an email to get their message across.
You need to take a few factors into consideration once you decide to look for a small business phone service. Firstly, can your company afford it? Secondly, what is your current employee population? What is the capacity of your business? So before you choose the service that's right for you, turn these questions over and over in your head first. Is this the service that I need? Is this service worth my money? Make sure that your chosen business phone service provider can answer these questions.
Most providers provide a customer service hotline, toll free, for their customers. With this, customers can avail of a support team, round the clock, which will help them with their concerns. This offers convenience and in return, makes customers feel well taken care of. Because of these cool features, customers will be drawn to your business. And that's what you want, right? You'll know it's the right small business phone service for you, if it increases your business profits!

What to Look For in an Ideal Business Phone Service Provider

Once upon a time, there's only one phone company you can go to whenever the need arises. There's only one company who handles all phone services in your area, and since they're the sole provider, prices are very high. But in the world today, so many companies are offering phone services and frankly, it's quite confusing to choose the best business phone service provider. Because there are simply a lot to choose from!
But now all you need is an Internet connection, and voila! You can have all you need and more when it comes to a phone provider. Plus, you will no longer have to deal with the stress that your old phone system has been giving you. With the myriad of companies out there, all clamoring for the chance to provide your business with phone solutions, all you have to do is choose the right partner. This partner will then help your business soar.
Each business phone service provider have their own special packages that they offer to their customers. And these companies offer them in varying styles. They can offer a very simple plan and they can also offer a huge solution.These services vary in prices, some you can pay monthly, and some annually. But never compromise quality with price. Remember that.
Businesses are quite competitive. And you will really be behind if you don't have an Internet connection or a good phone system in place. Online, it's easy to look for a provider which will help you with your business communication needs. It's as easy as typing some key terms in the search engines and then you will be given quite a few choices. You can browse the results to find the ideal business phone provider for you.
When you're deciding on a business phone provider, a couple of solutions you ought to look into are: Gigaman & AT&T long distance. These two services are the best there is. These are important to business transactions. Some features like call divert and caller ID are included, what more can you ask for in a business phone service provider?
So stop worrying anymore about business communication problems. Take advantage of the technology our world has to offer. Look for the ideal business phone service provider for you and sit back and watch your business succeed!

Overcoming The Disadvantages And Improving the Quality Of VoIP

VoIP is a great way to communicate with family and friends at a very low price. However, there are a variety of hindrances with switching to VoIP. This article goes over many of the disadvantages of VoIP, which may have experienced. Additionally, this article will explain how you can improve the quality of VoIP phone service.
Disadvantages of VoIP
Although there are many advantages of VoIP, there are also quite a few disadvantages. Below are four of the most common disadvantages of VoIP.
1. Maintaining a Dependable VoIP Internet Connection
If for any reason, you lose your internet connection, you will not have phone service. Therefore, you must use a cellular phone should this type of situation arise.
2. 911 Access
When you place a 911 call, the location cannot be immediately determined. Unlike PSTN, you must register your phone number online so that should you need to make a 911 call from your VoIP, emergency services will know your location.
3. Networks Have a Large Number of Computers Connected
If your network has a large quantity of computers connected and they are all using the internet at the same time, your VoIP quality will generally be less than desirable. One way to avoid this situation is to invest in an Ethernet.
4. VoIP Poor Quality
Audio quality is one of the largest issues. No matter what your VoIP service offers you, the basic role of any phone is voice communication. If the quality is not up to par, then there is absolutely no point to all of the bells and whistles that come with the service. If you have a lot of background noise, then a VoIP that can handle music, video, caller ID and a variety of other advanced features is practically useless. In the next section, we will address this issue more thoroughly.
Even with all of the advancements of VoIP, there are times when the audio quality suffers. Since VoIP relies completely on the internet connection, anytime the internet suffers so will the VoIP.
Six Ways to Improve the Quality of VoIP
Poor audio quality (disadvantage #4) along with dropped calls, are all complaints that user of VoIP tend to make. Below are six ways the setup of your VoIP can affect the overall quality. By following these simple steps, you can easily improve the quality of your VoIP service.
1. Internet Connection
One of the first recommendations is a high speed internet connection. There are companies which offer VoIP for dial up users. However, the connection can result in poor audio quality. Eventually, you will grow to dislike your VoIP. However, it is not the VoIP, but rather the internet connection. Even if you have DSL, there are occasions when the connection may be slow and your VoIP quality will suffer. Therefore, an Ethernet connection is highly recommended.
2. External Factors
Weather conditions, such as thunder storms, heavy rains and snowstorms can all can an increase in static on broadband lines. In some instances, simply turning rebooting the VoIP can solve the problem. Another solution to reduce the static is for the VoIP service provider to replace the cables with a higher quality cable.
3. Compression Software
The technical details of codecs are a bit too much for this article. If you would like additional information, you can go to Wikipedia. Here is a quick overview of codecs as it pertains to VoIP. When sending data, VoIP compresses it. This is simply because if the data is too large, transmission can be extremely slow and ineffective. Codec is a software program that can be used for data compression. However, a poor quality codec will lead to poor audio quality.
4. VoIP Location and Hardware
The hardware you choose for you VoIP can affect the audio quality. Most of the most important pieces of hardware is the ATA/Router. The VoIP ATA or Analog Telephone Adaptor, brings ordinary phones to the networked world. The adaptor connects a phone handset to an Ethernet adaptor and therefore connects regular, analog phones with VoIP networks. If you are looking for additional information on ATA, check out Wikipedia.
In general, ATAs should have support for security and firewall, as well as echo cancellation and compression technologies. Many technicians have discovered that certain VoIP equipment can interfere with each and possibly create feedback or buzzing noises and dropped calls. Although VoIP equipment and hardware should be places as close as possible to each other, ATA should not be placed near the broadband internet router. The audio quality can be decreased if they are placed too close together.
5. Computer Maintenance and Hardware
There are a variety of different things that can affect the quality of your VoIP service. Therefore, computer maintenance is extremely important in improving the service's quality. Make sure that you de-fragment your computer on a regular bases. As well, make sure that you have sufficient memory for the computer and high quality microphone and speakers.
6. VoIP Phone Type/Frequency
The type of phone you have, as well as the frequency can affect the quality of your VoIP. Many people believe that the higher a phone's frequency is, the better the quality of VoIP. However, in some instances, a lower frequency phone may fit your connection better. You may want to try a phone with a lower frequency if you are experiencing a lot of audio feedback.
Overall, VoIP is a great low cost alternative for communication. VoIP are not passing through, they are here to stay. Major corporations have done some significant research to fix the disadvantages of VoIP service, as well as improve the overall quality. With all of the improvements continually going on with VoIP, it will soon be accepted by everyone as an acceptable alternative to PSTN.

Simple Small Business Phone Service For Your Company

As we all know, telecommunication is an important means to communicate for both big and small businesses. The old analog phone system has proved to be a valuable necessity through the years. But with the fast growing technology of today's generation, a lot of phone services have already surfaced in the market. The new phone provider system nowadays does not only offer a variety of features, but also cheaper costs compared to the old business phone services.
Managing communications efficiently in a business is rather difficult, specially the ones that have branch offices in rural areas. Business owners and operators must provide a reliable business phone system to eliminate the hassles which can be a hindrance to the company. The best solution is to have a virtual telephone service that connects branch offices, multiple departments, clients and also employees anywhere around the world.
This service must also contain a call forwarding feature that enables an office or employee to directly forward calls from a specific caller to a particular person or associate. The number of connections or extensions of telephone lines in your office is not a problem for a small business phone service. You can purchase all the advantages of a standard phone system at an amazingly low rate compared to the old phone service. When making calls, callers may hear warm audio greetings along with automated attendants set up in the system. And if somehow, the user is busy or unavailable, callers have an option to make fax mails, email, or even voice mail just to have their message delivered.
Moreover, choosing a better small business phone service for your company is somehow a little tricky, depending on particular requirements that your business needs and the capacity of your company, as well as the population of employees, plus other factors including budget costs. Thus, before you hurriedly choose a phone service, always consider the factors and questions that come to mind. Is this the perfect service for my business?
Can this service really meet my expectations? Will I get my money's worth? Be sure that all those questions can be answered by the business phone system that you are going to choose for your business. Many service providers offer toll free customer service hotline that is very favorable to customers, especially with concerns regarding business products and packages. This dies not only offer callers the convenience to call anytime of the day, but also boost the loyalty and relationship between your customers and your business.
With all these features, a huge number of customers are sure to flock in your business. And with the easy and user friendly interface provided by many service providers out there today, the use of this kind of phone system will bring more profit to your business. Hence, the assumption that this small business phone service is best for your business could just be right.

The VoIP Service Provider: Residential VoIP Solutions for the Consumer

As technologies mature and more households gain access to high speed Internet, consumers will come to realize that it is simply more efficient and cost effective to send packets of voice over the Internet than over a point to point circuit switched land line. Long distance charges become a thing of the past, and international calls are pennies a minute if not free to some countries.
VoIP solutions are readily available to anyone with a high speed Internet connection, and the only hardware needed is an Analog Telephone Adapter (ATA) and a phone. For most consumers, utilizing a calling plan from a VoIP service provider is the best solution. Most VoIP service providers will provide the ATA hardware (or software) for free, and monthly charges range from free on up.
Peer to Peer VoIP
The least expensive VoIP solution would be using a computer on a peer to peer network. Offered from such VoIP service providers as Skype or the Gizmo Project, the software is free to download and calls within the network are free worldwide. Calls to PSTN numbers are charged at a low VoIP rate. Peer to Peer VoIP is a software solution, meaning that no ATA is required, and your phone is a pair of earplugs and a microphone plugged into your computer. The downside is that call quality is lacking compared to some of the hardware VoIP solutions available.
The "Pure Play" VoIP Service Provider
Over the past few years, a new generation of upstarts has introduced themselves into the residential VoIP arena. Probably the most successful (at least popularity wise) would be the VoIP service provider Vonage. Thanks to their lavish spending on advertising, the technology of VoIP is becoming mainstream, and the general public is beginning to realize that if the circumstances are right, Voice over IP can be a viable cost saving alternative to the Plain Old Telephone System (POTS).
Vonage, Packet8, and SunRocket are just a few of many companies that are pure-play VoIP service providers. They have no interest in selling you cable TV, conventional telephone service, or cellular minutes. Monthly plans range anywhere from $7.00 to $40.00 and calls are free in the U.S., Canada, and in some cases Europe. International rates vary with many countries as low as 2-3 cents a minute.
These are the companies that have pioneered residential VoIP for the consumer and with their low monthly calling plans, the companies that will keep the giants in the Telecommunications Industry honest.
Telco's as VoIP Providers
Just as deregulation and the advent of cellular technology in the past, VoIP is poised to revolutionize the Telecommunications Industry. And the large telephone companies, even the cellular phone companies are entering this new era kicking and screaming.
Telco's like AT&T, the regional Bells and others are happy to provide broadband internet access through DSL, but very few are willing to unbundle the internet service from their conventional telephone services. They could do it technologically, and a few local phone companies are offering DSL on the "local loop", without the wire with the dial tone. The fact is, having a broadband connection that requires you to also buy a conventional telephone connection pretty much defeats the purpose, thus making VoIP through DSL impractical for most people.
That said, the Telco's see the writing on the wall and are slowly beginning to implement Voice over IP telephony. AT&T and Quest Communications offer residential VoIP solutions starting at $25.00 and $30.00 respectively, just slightly higher than a pure VoIP service provider. All of the basic features such as call forwarding, speed dialing, and 3-way calling are included, and premium services like virtual phone numbers, conference calling, and call filtering can be had for an additional charge. International rates seem to be somewhat higher than pure play rates, though only by pennies.
VoIP and Cable Companies
If anyone is in a position to win the Telecommunication wars, it's the cable companies. Massive consolidation in the cable industry has led to huge privately owned networks that in many cases make it unnecessary to route calls over the public Internet. Quality of Service issues can be handled in house, and after all, companies like Cisco Systems pretty much built the Internet and are largely responsible for the development of Voice over IP Telephony.
Cable companies as VoIP service providers have the ability to bundle voice with high speed data and digital cable TV, and are even now running introductory offers of all three for 99.00 a month in some markets. But be careful, introductory offers end and VoIP plans with the cable companies are some of the most expensive to be had.
While VoIP service providers like Comcast and Time Warner generally receive good reviews for sound quality, monthly calling plans cost $40.00 and $45.00 respectively. Not bad when looking at a $70.00 phone bill from Bell South, but over twice as much as a pure-play VoIP service provider. No doubt, a good reliable broadband connection through a cable modem is the ideal VoIP solution (wireless notwithstanding), but you don't have to use your cable company for VoIP.
In the end, it all depends on what's important to you. If all you need is to call a friend in China on the same network, then a peer to peer VoIP service provider is for you. If you live in an area where it's offered, a telecom VoIP solution promises lower bills than their conventional connections, provided you can drop the land line.
For those that have cable modems, the choice of VoIP service providers is vast. For the monthly cost of another broadband connection, cable companies will come out to install the equipment and rewire every jack in your house. And they are just a service call away. Alternatively, the pure play VoIP providers offer the lowest rates around, and the quality is usually just as good.
Just remember, it's all in the pipe. Calls will be as clear as your VoIP service providers' network is uncongested.

How Cheap Business Phone Service Serves Best

Business phone system provides a reliable, convenient, and most of all affordable way to have your business needs meet. It does not matter whether you need it for a small business or large company, it will always serve a business the better way. Get the kind of phone system that works for you. With online resources, you can get help from medium providers recognized by consumers and businesses professionals. One way or another choosing a particular site to purchase the important elements of your business phone service can serve just right. Choose among VOIP, long distance and local calls, and other telecommunication products and services features. There is a place for buyers and marketers to meet and share common interests and ideas, and buy and sell anything related to telecommunications.
Your company may want to reduce costs and still provide quality services that can answer to your employees and customers' convenience. A good and reliable source for finding the best services and prices for your telecommunications needs is exactly what you need. Whatever you choose, always remember not to compromise quality with a cheap business phone service. If you search carefully, there are a number of cheap business phone services out there that not only help you save a great deal on cost but also provide the quality and complete service suited to the needs of all your business players.
This way, it is healthy for the whole company and business organization. The emergence of business phone services has provided cutting edge telecommunication services right at your fingertips. And for only a fraction of what they otherwise cost years ago, you know you got the best business phone service on your hand. Whether you have a small, medium-size or large-size business, you not only save money you also gain better returns.
Search carefully companies that provide quality service and reasonable price. There are several out there that offer both values for quality and customer needs. Also consider customer reviews they are often reliable. Find a trusted site dedicated to provide customers the best experience in shopping for outstanding business phone provider and related services. Take advantage of VOIP service and other excellent features that add more convenience to your phone service.
When looking for cheap business phone service, make sure its features allow you to take full advantage of the facility. No matter what, always ensure the integration of which in your company serves right for interests involving customer convenience and information queries fast. Before you settle for a phone provider, get all the necessary information you will need and buying options. Look alongside your enterprise needs such as long distance and local service calls, VOIP, fax, telephone equipment, broadband or Internet. There are actually a number of services related to telecommunications essentially important for your business organization. In choosing allow yourself to shop, compare and save.