VoIP now Means Business
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Wednesday, February 3, 2010
Having been actively involved with the Internet for a number of years, I have
followed the progress of VoIP technology. In a nutshell, VoIP stands for "Voice
over Internet Protocol," which means using the Internet to place and receive
telephone calls. The concept is legitimate and ultimately represents
considerable savings, yet it has been relatively slow to catch on due to the
perception that it is too complicated to use. Actually, it is a lot easier than
you might imagine. Fortunately, there have been companies who have made
considerable progress overcoming this stigma of complexity, such as Vonage,
Skype, and Yahoo! Messenger who have made it palatable for the consumer to use,
thereby creating mindshare and acceptance of the concept. Whereas these
offerings are predominantly aimed at personal or residential use, implementing
VoIP in business can best be described as spotty at best, until now.
I recently attended a seminar by Broadview Networks of Rye Brook, NY, a
communications provider who was showcasing their VoIP based "OfficeSuite"
product for small to medium sized businesses. There are many other regional
based VoIP providers, but Broadview appears to be the first national provider
who can offer a viable and legitimate solution for business in this country.
"OfficeSuite" represents a VoIP hardware/software solution, meaning they
provide the customer with handsets and Internet based software to control the
customer's settings. Whether or not a company has Internet access is immaterial
as it can accommodate customers who already have service, as well as those who
do not.
The product has some rather slick features for companies:
"Hot Desking" - place and receive calls from anywhere, not just your office.
"Call Coverage" - direct calls to anyone, meaning you can redirect your calls
to another number (even outside the network).
"Auto Attendant" - allow callers to select from a menu.
"Mobile Twinning" - calls are simultaneously sent to your desk phone and cell
phone.
There are also the many other creature comforts we have grown familiar with
in telephones, such as three way calling, voice mail, 911 access, messaging,
intercom, call forwarding, and much more. There is also some useful disaster
recovery services included which can keep your company up and running even if
the building has blown away. In terms of software, there are some easy to use
administrative menus as well as menus for each worker to modify his/her own
settings. It has been very well thought out.
The company claims, "It offers small and medium-sized businesses the
functionality of an enterprise-grade PBX or key system without any capital
investment or expensive maintenance contracts," and I believe it.
The best thing about "OfficeSuite" though is its ease of use and simplicity
thereby overcoming the fear of esoteric technology, as well as saving companies
30% or more in telephone costs. It's stable, cost effective, and easy to use. As
the company says, "Never miss a call again." Frankly, it's a no-brainer for
business.
Now if Broadview can only do something about filtering out the spammers who
call me.
Keep the Faith!
Note: All trademarks both marked and unmarked belong to their respective
companies.
Copyright © 2010 by Tim Bryce. All rights reserved.
About the Author
Tim Bryce is the Managing Director of
M. Bryce & Associates
(MBA) of Palm Harbor, Florida and has over 30 years of experience in the
management consulting field. He can be reached at timb001@phmainstreet.com
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Article Published/Sorted/Amended on Scopulus 2010-02-12 04:00:50 in Computer Articles
