Internet phone or VoIP is also referred to as an internet telephony or internet calling. The virtual phone is an excellent means for people to reduce their monthly phone bills because of its low costs; in addition, it has plenty of features and superior voice quality during internet calling that conventional phone services just can’t match. You can use an internet phone for your home and business internet calling. Plus, internet phones services are offered by a variety of providers. Internet phones convert human voice into data packets and complete the phone call through a broadband connection. These products are similar to regular phones in that the dial tone, phone numbers, and area codes are the same. The primary difference between internet calling and a regular phone service is the way these phone services connect your call. A conventional phone service utilizes telephone lines; while internet phones use the internet for connecting your calls to public phone networks.
These are some of the most recommended VoIP providers on the market:
There are numerous benefits of internet phones:
1. It is extremely cheap to make internet calls. Generally, PC to PC calls are free, while the cost of PC to phone calls is only a fraction of the cost of a conventional phone line.
2. They are portable as you only require a laptop with an internet connection in order to use these phones, whether you are in a library, an airport, or a restaurant.
3. Internet phones also offer a huge array of services and features not found on conventional phones. A couple of these incredible features include video voicemail, text voicemail, call parking, voicemail to email, and a busy line feature.
4. IP phones have a software-oriented nature, which makes them easily scalable. This makes integration with other applications and services easy as well. Adding an additional virtual phone to an existing IP telephony system does not require a new line. You can directly incorporate it in your system and current infrastructure. This is not possible in the case of conventional phones.
5. They provide toll-free access to the users. Although toll-free numbers in the US are usually inaccessible from outside the country, internet phones enable users to easily reach toll-free numbers from any location in the world.
VoIP phone systems come in different forms. Some common types are:
An IP conference phone is similar to a regular phone. It allows effective internet calling between several people. You can add multiple virtual phone numbers or members to a phone call via a conference bridge.
It is a standard VoIP phone and has the features of a traditional phone along with the several benefits of VoIP technology. The virtual phone can connect through Ethernet to the phone system, ensuring high-quality calls all the time.
These 2 internet phones often go hand in hand. A softphone is often a software application instead of an actual phone. Once you install it on your computer, you will be able to make and receive calls. A USB phone can be connected to a computer through a USB jack. This will allow you to communicate just like you would use any standard phone.
At times, it is necessary to talk face to face. However, this may be difficult to achieve when your clients are hundreds or thousands of miles away. However, using video phones, you will be able to see each other and give presentations as if your clients were in the same room.
Take these factors into consideration when buying a virtual phone for internet calling. You should keep in mind why you need a new virtual phone system. Apart from the fact that you will make and receive phone calls, what features are you looking for in your new internet phone system? Therefore, it is vital to know if you need features like voicemail, auto-attendant, or voicemail-to-email. One of the most touted benefits of IP phone systems are their ability to integrate with various business systems such as ERP or CRM platforms. Numerous internet phone systems provide API’s for integration with different software, while others do not provide this capability. You must know which corporate systems need integration with the new IP phone system before approaching a vendor. You should also consider who will deploy, maintain, and support your virtual phone system. In case you have experienced and capable IT staff, it is likely that you will deploy and maintain the phone system on your own. In contrast, if you lack adequate IT personnel, you may have to consider options such as a hosted VoIP solution that can render these services. It is also important to keep the needs of your users in mind. Before buying a system consult your employees as they will be using it.
We know internet phone systems are very appealing as they can save your business up to 90% on its telephone bills while providing more flexibility, superior scalability and access to great features when internet calling. VoIP is an exciting and revolutionary development in contemporary telecommunications that can easily make a huge difference to various businesses today. There are a number of IP phone services, VoIP phone plans and IP phone packages available today. The decision to switch from an analog service to a VoIP system is easy, but the difficult part is to navigate your way toward a service provider that is right for you. This is why we have compiled a list in the table above of top service providers to make the choice easier for you.