Say goodbye to expensive long distance calls

Years ago, making long-distance phone calls was considered a luxury. The cost of making such calls was prohibitive to most people. Families and friends would often plan to gather by the phone in order to make long-distance calls to loved ones. That way, everyone could say hello and squeeze every penny of value from the pricey calls. Companies considered long-distance calls an expensive, yet unavoidable cost of doing business.  Over the years, technological advances in telephony and telecommunications have caused a significant decline in the cost of making long-distance calls. VoIP (Voice Over Internet Protocol) services make such expensive calls a thing of the past. Today, in many countries, people can make such calls for a fraction of the cost of years ago. No longer are friends and family forced to gather around the phone to make expensive phone calls to loved ones. Businesses have enjoyed the dramatic decline in their cost of doing business over the phone. VoIP has altered the landscape of telecommunications.  A Brief Introduction To VoIP  VoIP takes analog signals that carry your voice and turns them into data. That data is then transmitted digitally through your Internet connection. In doing so, VoIP services allow you to communicate with others while completely bypassing your phone company. Because the phone company normally charges you for long-distance phone calls, bypassing them essentially eliminates the cost of making those calls. Instead, making your phone calls by using VoIP technology merely requires a connection to the Internet, for which you already pay a monthly fee.  Save Money On Phone Charges  As mentioned, using VoIP services allows you to save money on making long-distance phone calls. If you make a significant number of such calls at home, you can easily save hundreds of dollars each month. If your home business requires a heavy volume of long-distance calls, using VoIP can help you preserve precious cash flow so you can allocate it to other priorities in your business. There is typically a small monthly fee for using VoIP services for your home or business. However, if you're making a lot of long-distance phone calls, the cost savings will quickly compensate you for this fee.  Make Your Home Business Look Bigger  Another benefit of using VoIP for your home business (aside from the cost savings) is that you can make your business appear larger than it really is. This can be an effective way to give your business a boost of credibility. Most VoIP services will allow you to install a virtual PBX board, allowing each person in your company to have their own outside line. Such services typically cost less than $100 per month and can give potential clients the impression that your business can handle their accounts effectively.  Getting Started With VoIP  If you want to get started with VoIP, you need to call a VoIP service provider. There are several available such as Vonage, AT&T and Lingo. Once you choose a service, you'll need a digital phone. You can use a headset by simply plugging it into your computer.