Last week in "How About a Phone System for the Little Guy" I talked about Microsoft Responsepoint, the new Voice Over Internet Protocol (VOIP) phone system for small and medium business. It has the blue Responsepoint button that, when pushed, responds to your voice commands. It also has a built-in auto attendant, voicemail capabilities, and even the ability to convert your voicemails automatically to emails to send to your email account.
What I didn't tell you at the time was that this system has the ability to accept regular telephone lines (POTS) or VOIP inbound lines. By signing up with various VOIP carriers, you can keep your existing telephone numbers, and send both your inbound and outbound phone calls over your business internet connection. This allows you to save bundles of money on long distance charges, among other things. Now, you may have tried VOIP calls in the past, or even used it on your pc. But this is not the old voip. This is business class service. I've been using it in my business for all phone operations for the last nine months. The trick is you have to find the right carrier.
My carrier of choice is New Global Telecom. NGT does voip right, by installing a special router at your business location to make sure the phone traffic is routed correctly overy your internet connection. They constantly monitor the connection, and can even forward the calls automatically to another number (your cell phone, for example) if your internet connection ges down.
If you want to save money on your long distance phone bill, and have all the features of a business class phone system, without the huge expense, Response Point and NGT may be for you.
To your success,
Tim