The Business Case for IP Telephony

The Net has opened up many possibilities for firms of all sizes. Regardless of how many staff members you employ or even if you are located in the midst of nowhere - the web means you're free to trade nationally and worldwide easily. Yet intercontinental trade isn't always a walk in the park.



For starters, the expense of contacting companies from a range of geographical regions is often rather high if you're still dependent on standard telephony networks. Furthermore, should you ever drop your connection, you are cut-off from your suppliers and customers.



IP Telephony and Your Organization



IP telephony utilises the web to host calls, as opposed to a traditional line. The price of the phone call thus remains much less. Regular telephone calls are costed depending on the range the phone call has to go and the time period of the call. Web calls are simply billed according to duration. So, for long distance calls specifically, IP telephony should be a fantastic deal.



There are a number of IP telephony solutions available, from software centered solutions, to SIP trunking providers. SIP trunking primarily switches your telephone line with a data connection. You'll be connected straight to your SIP trunking provider, who'll use the net to route your phone calls, and then when the call gets to its destination, drop it to the ordinary telephone system.



This helps you to save money not merely on the cost of phone calls, but on line rental too. A correctly set up SIP trunking solution should be more dependable that standard telephone lines too. To ensure optimum dependability it's advisable to invest in some redundancy for the line in between your firm and the trunk supplier. Make sure to select an SIP trunking provider that doesn't only supplies a clear service level agreement, but that also has a range of processes in place to be sure the service stays in operation.



Call Quality



Voice over IP solutions still endure a hangover from the earlier days of the net, when its offerings endured mediocre call quality and lag. It is true that when dial up Internet connections were the standard, VoIP was afflicted by a lot of connection and latency concerns, but even a modest ADSL connection can manage well with VoIP calls. If you have a business level internet connection or a leased line, VoIP should run flawlessly.



The Initial Fee



You'll have to pay out up front for a connection to an SIP trunking provider, if you choose to venture down that path, but you will probably see savings very quickly. Prior to deciding that the initial price is too expensive, calculate your long-term savings. You will be spending less every month in line and data rental and far less on your calls. If you make a lot of long-distance calls, then the savings will be considerable.