Have you ever taken a sales call with a local number, only to find out the sales person isn’t from the local area? The technology that makes this possible is usually a digital network like Voice over Internet Protocol, or “VoIP.” With a little extra technology and some know-how, VoIP can allow businesses to use their traditional phone lines to place long distance calls for nearly no cost. This technology is called SIP trunking.

SIP trunks blend together voice, telephone and data – Internet – connections, which allows your voice to travel over data lines. In other words: You pick up your phone, dial a number outside the office. Your call goes through the PBX – Private Branch Exchange – which tells the call where to go. The SIP picks this up, digitizes it, mashes it together with your data connection and sends your voice over the Internet to the recipient where it drops down to the original telephone lines.

There are three main components of SIP trunks

1. PBX. A PBX which can switch VoIP calls to traditional lines and vice versa.
2. Internet Telephone Service Provider – ITSP. An ITSP is similar to your Internet Service Provider, only they focus on digital telephone transmission. Often times, the ITSP is a subsidiary of, or a branch of your Internet Service Provider.
3. SIP trunk. The SIP trunk is a device that facilitates the two above networks, and allows them to work together to send out and receive voice and video calls.

There are some great benefits to SIP trunking, including:

• Decreased phone bills. When you make calls, they are transmitted over data lines, which can cost a lot less than traditional phone lines. This is especially true if you’re making long distance calls. You may even be able to ditch your current phone provider, as all voice communications could be transmitted over data lines, and cut your expenses even further.
• Don’t lose numbers. If you move offices you’ll be able to take your numbers with you, without having to pay to have them connected to the traditional phone networks.
• Calls can be easily rerouted. If your business is caught in a disaster, you can easily establish a SIP trunk in another location and have calls rerouted to your numbers there.
• No need to replace your phone system. Unlike VoIP, SIP trunking works with your old phone system, which means set up costs are considerably lower.

If you’re interested in SIP trunking for your business, or would like to learn more, give us a call. We’re here to help.

When considering a new telephone system for an office, many small business owners are turning to digital solutions, like VoIP – Voice over Internet Protocol. While researching the systems available, it’s common to come across a number of confusing acronyms and terms that sound outright scary. Have no fear, we’re here to help.

Here are seven of the most commonly used VoIP terms and what they mean.

Internet Service Provider – ISP. The company that provides your company with Internet access. 
Private Branch eXchange - PBX. A system within a company that allows internal phones to connect to an outside line. This is also referred to as a switchboard in larger businesses. An IP PBX, Internet Protocol Private Branch Exchange, is the same thing, but it handles VoIP calls as well.
Analog. The old system that transmits voice over telephone lines. Your normal landline telephone connection is most likely analog. In many countries, this is also called the Plain Old Telephone System – POTS for short.
Analog Telephone Adapter – ATA. A piece of hardware that allows you to use a traditional telephone for VoIP calls.
Digital. Any information, including sound, that’s on a computer. VoIP is a form of digital communication, because it uses a digital system, the Internet, to transfer your voice.
Integrated Services Digital Network – ISDN. A telephone network that allows digital signal e.g., VoIP, to be transmitted over traditional phone lines.
Softphone. A VoIP application that is run strictly on your computer.

There’s a lot of technical terminology out there, the majority of it in acronyms. Don’t be afraid to ask us for more information. If you’d like to learn about ways you can use VoIP in your company, please contact us.

Collaboration is important to a company’s success, and one of the tools that has enabled collaboration is Skype. Utilizing Voice over Internet Protocol (VoIP) it offers users a way to communicate and work together across vast distances at a low price. With these benefits, businesses have been integrating Skype in greater numbers.

Skype has some excellent features but many businesses stick to the basics. Here are four ways you can better utilize Skype.

• Call forwarding. If you’re expecting an important call but have to step away from the computer for a bit you can forward any calls to your phone. To set up call forwarding: open preferences and select Calls. You will see the option to set up call forwarding at the top of the page. Press the Forward calls radio followed by Set up Forwarding. Be aware that regular call rates will be charged.
• Screen sharing. Skype is a terrific collaboration tool and many businesses take advantage of it by holding virtual meetings. You can take this one step further by sharing your screen with other parties you are chatting with. This is a fantastic way to give virtual presentations. To share your screen while in a chat press the plus symbol at the bottom of your screen, or right click, and select Share Screen.
• Customer service tool. Using Skype is a convenient way to get in contact with your customers. Ask your website developer to put a Skype button on your website. Be sure to add when you or your employees are available to be contacted.
• Add-ons. Skype has solid features but there are a multitude of add-on apps that can make it even better. Some apps allow for closer collaboration, let you broadcast pre-recorded messages, or record video and audio calls. The apps can be downloaded from the Skype Shop.

Skype has many useful features that when utilized allow businesses’ clients and employees to communicate with ease. If you would like to know more about using Skype or other VoIP services in your company please give us a call.

With today’s advancements in technology, and the constant lowering of prices as technology achieves mass adoption, VoIP is now within easy reach for most businesses—even small businesses. Read on to find out why you should consider switching to VoIP for your phone and office communication systems today.

If you are running a business, then there is no reason you shouldn’t be using Voice-over-IP, or VoIP, to reduce telecommunications cost, streamline operations, and improve the flexibility for your organization today.

VoIP, simply put, allows telephone communications to run over your data network or the Internet. The benefits of this setup are many, and the following are just a few.

1. VoIP allows companies to maximize investments already made in their network infrastructure. The same network which handles the flow of data such as web access and email can now accommodate voice as well—no need to add and maintain additional wires and devices.
2. VoIP can allow you to dramatically reduce the cost of communications, especially for interstate or international communications—everything can go through the Internet instead of incurring expensive long distance toll charges.
3. VoIP allows your employees to be more productive and efficient by giving them the ability to receive and make calls anywhere with a data connection, using their laptop, mobile phone, tablet, or virtually any device connected to the Internet.
4. VoIP increases the number of features you can use with your phone system. For example, it’s easier to add extensions to your phone. You can provide a local number or extension for all your staff without additional costs or cabling. You can also set up sophisticated auto answering routines and call routing. You can marry voice messages with email and faxes all in one inbox.
5. You can use VoIP as a tool for real-time collaboration—along with video conferencing and screen sharing. You can employ presence technologies that come standard with VoIP phones and VoIP communication systems. Communicate with colleagues about your presence or receive info on the status and whereabouts of your staff.

Previously, all these benefits were only available with a big price tag and a critical limitation—the unavailability or unreliability of the company’s Internet connection—but not anymore. With the great strides made in technology and the wide availability and affordability of broadband connections over the last few years, VoIP is now readily within reach for many businesses—large or small

VoIP is certainly a technology that has come of age. It’s cheap, ubiquitous, and easy-to-use, and any business should have VoIP in their toolset. If you are interested in learning more about how VoIP can help your business, contact us today to find out more!