Phone System for Small Business - Is VOIP Worth It? Get the Pro's and Con's

Phone System for Small Business - Is VOIP Worth It? Get the Pro's and Con's
By G. Evans

Whether you’re at the office or watching the television, it is hard not to hear about the new telecommunications system, voice over internet provider (VoIP). This emerging telephone system allows for major savings, to both residential and business phone users, due to phone calls being routed over the Internet. While this new technology is allowing for a lighter phone bill, it is also causing pain amongst early adopters of the system. Here are the pro’s and con’s of the VoIP phone system so that you might be informed on both sides of this technology.

The Upside of VoIP:

1. Features associated with the VoIP are very impressive; the same features that are standard with telephone service are present, call waiting, conference, etc, but since the system is computer based, another set of features is available. The ability for voice and video to be transmitted is not uncommon, and will be more readily available in the future, as well as data sharing and application sending to those one is speaking with over the system.

2. This technology is not computer specific. Those without the need for the computer coupling can use a digital VoIP phone / VoIP adapter, most commonly associated with the residential use of the VoIP technology. With this application, the system is really as simple as placing a call over a regular telephone.

3. Since the VoIP has its own IP address, it is completely portable and can be used anywhere with a high speed Internet connection.

4. The price and savings associated with VoIP is certainly the greatest draw. Whereas there is an overall savings with using the technology, the specific savings depends mainly on the system that you choose. In general, there is usually a small monthly for unlimited calls within the United States, with international calls costing a small premium.

The Downside of VoIP:

1. Sound quality has been a reoccurring issue surrounding the technology. That is, that the sound quality is lacking in quality. This is attributed first to the way in which VoIP works in terms of how data transmitting works. Voice is translated into digital data and moves as data does across the Internet, as packets of data. When packets arrive, they are not always in order, which means that in real time conversations, this could result in silence as packets are sequentially reassembled. This has led to issues concerning lower bandwidths and compression, hindering the compatibility of the systems.

2. There are also common sense issues that arise with the VoIP phones:

• Without Internet, the phones will not work

• Without power, the phones will not work

• If the computer is turned off, for computer based VoIP, the phones will not work or receive calls.

A VoIP may be phone system for you considering these factors. In the not so distant future, however, the technology will have come a great deal further.

Gary Evans is CEO of Hi Line Supply, a Dallas-based telecommunications company with 20 years experience in buying, selling, and repairing new, used, & reconditioned business telephone systems, including phone systems for small business, &
Nortel telephone systems. With a company at the forefront of telecommunication equipment, their services reach beyond Texas and the US to their international clients.

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