Small Business Voip Setup - Tips

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VoIP for Small Business

Many small to medium businesses are looking for ways to cut expenses in our current economy. According to a survey in summer 2011 by 8x8, 55% of small businesses that chose VoIP with 8x8 were more concerned about reducing costs than they were the previous year.

Benefits of VoIP

Turning to VoIP phone service will save you money. VoIP has other benefits, too. From the same survey, 62% of those small businesses that switched to 8x8 were interested in cost savings, but 70% went for the specified features, 43% wanted portability/mobility, and 37% switched for the convenience of a third party hosting and maintaining their phone service. Survey Press Release

With VoIP, you can have the advanced features of large companies with expensive PBX systems. A PBX, or private branch exchange, uses extensions instead of separate phone lines, preserving some cost and bandwidth. The main function of a PBX system is to reroute and manage calls, but it can do much more.

The auto attendant is a key feature that gives a professional face to small businesses. An auto attendant transfers users to the appropriate extension or department without an operator. The same interface ensures customers never hear a busy signal; instead they are directed to voicemail, idle phone, etc.

Features like call forwarding, call transfer, call waiting, and call conferencing are also standard for a PBX. There are many more features, too; anything VoIP can do, a PBX can do, too.

Because VoIP is digital and not bound to a location, small businesses can have users on the same network 'local.' You can also have interconnected VoIP phone systems at multiple offices so you only have to dial an extension to reach a user at the other location.

Options with VoIP

IP/Digital PBX

On-premises PBX systems are for businesses larger than 20 people, which generally need their own network for telecommunication. IP PBX can cost hundreds of dollars per user, but it can still save a larger business money with VoIP in the long run.

Businesses can also run digital PBX, which uses fewer pieces of expensive networking hardware with communications management software like Asterisk.

Hosted PBX

For a small business, a hosted PBX is the better choice. Advanced features without the hassle of running and maintaining the hardware is a huge benefit of hosted PBX systems. The VoIP provider owns and maintains the equipment, and the small business pays a subscription fee for the service.

Unlike an IP PBX, a hosted PBX is easy to set up and takes no more hardware than VoIP and Internet require.

A hosted PBX is substantially cheaper than an IP PBX, at most $50 a month per user. Usually, a hosted PBX costs $20-$30 a user per month.

Virtual PBX

Like a hosted PBX, a virtual PBX is hosted by the VoIP provider. They are technically the same, but a virtual PBX is simpler and stripped down from a hosted PBX.

A virtual PBX still uses an auto attendant and had advanced routing features, like find me/follow me. Additionally, you can often take your IP phone (or softphone if provided) anywhere there is Internet for more mobility.

Setting up Small Business VoIP

Setting up small business VoIP can be a challenging task. It could be very complicated, depending on the business VoIP service and hardware you get. How do you get the best service with the right hardware setup for your small business VoIP?

When in doubt, never hesitate to hire an expert.

Most VoIP systems for medium to small business with few employees are fairly straight forward to implement. But, for larger scale business voip system would need VoIP technician to setup and configure. Most likely your provider would be able to help you.

When you have your small business voip system up and running, test it.

Have a small group of few users to test out available features before rolling it out for the whole company to use. Why? it gives you the opportunity to troubleshoot any potential problems. A solid VoIP system will ensure your business longevity.

Forward your calls.

Call forwarding is one of the most basic features that comes with your voip service often bundled free of charge to your subscription. Forward your business phone lines to your cellphone or landline for back up and to avoid loosing any potential business deals because of power or networks failure. With these basic steps ensured, you can have a peace of mind to run your business.

Check out our business comparison table to find the best small business VoIP solution for your company.

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