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Saving money has been at the top of the list for many businesses deploying VoIP, but there are many other advantages to upgrading your technology.

Lower Costs of Service – Since it is at the top of most lists, let’s start with saving money!  The charge structures for VoIP providers come in many shapes and sizes, however it is not uncommon for a VoIP phone service to save a business 20 to 40 percent on their monthly phone bill.  Many offer all distance calling programs, so if you have a high amount of long distance calls, your savings will be higher.  Also gone are the concurrent call restrictions of analog lines and PRIs, as you will not be forced to oversize your need based upon fears that all your lines will be in use.

Using Technology to Improve Communications – Many VoIP providers can customize their solutions to enhance your communication practices, making your business more efficient and improving your communications with your customers:

• Businesses use VoIP to improve customer service by providing for effective call routing and increasing access to front-line personnel.  An automated attendant, either as a primary or secondary option, provides customers with the ability to get to the right person or department quickly.  Call queues, ring groups, call forwarding options, and soft phone apps on cell phones are examples of how a customized VoIP solution can increase customer contact with front line service or sales personnel.
• Branch locations can be tied together under the same phone platform, whether they are in the same town or not.  Centralized reception or an auto attendant can be deployed to route calls to the appropriate branch office, driving efficiency to your business.  Employees can extension dial between locations without spending thousands of dollars to enable such features.
• You don’t have to be a large company with an expensive phone system to enjoy the benefits of direct inward dial (DID) lines for each employee, as hosted VoIP providers can deliver such a service at a fraction of the price.  These employees will enjoy unified communications, where they can receive their voicemails and faxes into their email so they are alerted to the message via a smart cell phone even when they are out of the office.

Empowering a Virtual Workforce – Businesses have been able to use hosted VoIP platforms to expand their workforce without investing in larger offices or multiple locations.  Employees can work from home, whether it is locally or out of state, and still be under the same phone system as the corporate office.   Such a deployment is seamless to customer service, as these employees can be a part of ring groups, receive quick call transfers, or utilize their DID to perform their jobs as if they were within the four walls of the office.

There are many other advantages, and, yes, you can save money!  Call a VoIP provider today to learn more! 

About the author:  Mark Greim is the Vice President of Sales and Marketing at sipVine, a provider of a variety of VoIP phone solutions and services. Mark has extensive experience working for start-up or entrepreneurial organizations and a passion for affordable, reliable, and purposeful technology solutions in those environments. 

New phone service options haven’t necessarily been on the top of the investment list for many small to medium sized businesses in recent years.  Funds have been reserved for business sustainability and growth, and not infrastructure.  However, some businesses have found that choosing a Hosted VoIP phone alternative has had a positive return on investment while improving their communications with customers and associates.  Such an option is surprisingly affordable and can lower their monthly phone service and administrative costs.

Low Up Front Investment – The beauty of a hosted phone service is that the business does not need to invest in the core phone system.  The only investment required is for the purchase of the phones and some minor network equipment.  The cost of VoIP phones can range dramatically depending upon make and model, but a very good phone can be secured for $150 or less.

Service Rates – The pricing approach taken by VoIP providers for monthly service also can vary.  Some have all inclusive plans, some bundle features, and some have some minute bundles with a per minute charge above a threshold.  At sipVine, our pricing approach is an all-inclusive rate for all features and all-distance calls, with volume discounts based upon the number of users.  However, what most providers have in common is that they are able to deliver a monthly rate that is less expensive than traditional analog service.  As you evaluate different options, also determine if the provider applies the surcharges that you see with traditional providers.  Some, like sipVine, absorb all surcharges in their rates, which only adds to the savings opportunity.

Administrative Costs – This is another hidden cost of your phone operation expense.  If you are currently paying a vendor to make changes to your phone system, there may be another savings opportunity by shifting to a hosted service.  Some providers, like sipVine, do not charge for routine change requests.

So, if a phone system hasn’t necessarily been at the top of your business’s investment list, it may be time to at least evaluate a Hosted VoIP phone service.  If you can generate a return on investment and improve your communication functionality, such an evaluation may be well worth the time!   Want to learn more? Our small business phone service representatives are here to answer any questions you have!

There are countless benefits available for businesses when they switch to a hosted VoIP phone service.  Price is a big driver that has certainly been delivered by national VoIP providers as well as smaller, regional or local carriers.  However, when choosing a provider, don’t just settle for the price benefit received from providers who merely drop ship the phones with basic configurations for your business.

The beauty behind hosted VoIP phone service is that there can be many programmatic features and custom configuration options for your business, assuming the provider has a robust and flexible platform.  Every business has a flow of how they would like their calls routed and handled, and there are many ways to customize this delivery.  Your first test of a provider’s willingness to customize a call flow is whether they conduct a configuration meeting with you in advance of the delivery of the phones.  If it is merely setting up direct dial numbers for every phone and driving calls to your main number to one individual or to an auto attendant, there is a chance that you’re missing out on options to make the phone service work exactly how you would like it to.

In addition, one very important decision point is who is taking the responsibility for your voice quality.  You should be alerted to potential issues if a selling point from a drop shipper is “just plug the phones into your office LAN and they work.”  Hosted VoIP phones do in fact “work” when you do this, but call quality has not been addressed.  If this is addressed merely by internet bandwidth sizing and capacity, you still may face call quality issues.  Make sure your provider is delivering a new router or edge device for your LAN that has Quality of Service software built in.  This will ensure that your voice packets over the internet are prioritized and are not interrupted by data traffic. 

With careful selection of your VoIP provider based upon their desire and ability to configure your phones and call flow to how you do business and how they address call quality, you will enjoy BOTH economic benefits and the many benefits of the advanced calling features of a VoIP phone system!

About the author:  Mark Greim is the Vice President of Sales and Marketing at sipVine, a provider of a variety of digital phone solutions and services. Mark has extensive experience working for start-up or entrepreneurial organizations and a passion for affordable, reliable, and purposeful technology solutions in those environments. 

The telecommunication landscape is continuing to change as more businesses make the switch to VoIP phone service.  A recent study by Atlantic-ACM, “a leading provider of strategic research and consulting services serving the telecommunications and information industry, showed that 27 percent of their respondents have already or were planning on making the switch to VoIP service.  Most of the migrations were coming from the integrated access/PRI or circuit switched voice users.”

“Atlantic-ACM forecasts indicate that VoIP will continue to experience high growth in the future as VoIP products become increasingly commoditized and end users pursue gains in cost and efficiency."  The business community will benefit from the increased competition and the increasing capabilities of VoIP providers.  Not only will this competition deliver cost advantages, but businesses can capitalize on increased the communication functionality inherent in VoIP applications. 

sipVine, a Kansas City-based VoIP phone service provider, has witnessed first-hand the changing landscape.  Robert Conner, sipVine’s CEO, states:  “When we first launched our service back in 2005, there were many questions and fears about switching to the technology.  In time, businesses were more aware of VoIP and the fact that many other businesses had already made the switch.  The questions shifted from concerns over the technology to how the technology could enhance their business and save them money.”

To learn more about how VoIP phone service applications can help your business, contact sipVine and we’ll be pleased to consult with you.  Consider joining the many businesses migrating to this technology!

About the author:  Mark Greim is the Vice President of Sales and Marketing at sipVine, a provider of a variety of digital phone solutions and services. Mark has extensive experience working for start-up or entrepreneurial organizations and a passion for affordable, reliable, and purposeful technology solutions in those environments. 

Many small to medium businesses have found that a Hosted VoIP Phone Service has improved their customer service.  Due to the fact that the entry cost of a hosted phone service platform is very low, these businesses have been able to take advantage of programmatic features that simply were not available through their previous analog phones or PBX.  A few of the specific features that have improved their customer service are as follows:

• Advanced Call Routing – Many businesses want their incoming phone calls answered by a person, and not via an auto attendant or receive a recording.  Digital VoIP platforms can create ring patterns where the phone can ring a primary, secondary, and additional groups of people to ensure that the call will be answered.  If there is a receptionist, the individual can also transfer a call into a ring group for a common function, giving multiple people the chance address a customer need.  Your hosted VoIP service provider should be able to consult with you on a variety of different ways your call flow can be programmed to best meet the needs of your customers and your business.

• Auto Attendant – Even if your company prefers a “live” answer, it is helpful to have an auto attendant serving as a back-up.  If your receptionist is juggling too many calls or secondary ring groups are unavailable or busy, and auto attendant can kick in and serve as a traffic cop.  Thus, the auto attendant can be deployed with an hours of operation message, with instructions to have the customer select certain departments (which would route to a ring group), corporate directories, and other customizable options.  Of course, this model, if well designed, can also sit on the front end for effective call routing and by-pass a reception function all together.

It is always recommended to have an auto attendant for after-hours routing.  You may have an emergency service line to have customers select.  Sometimes there are simply after-hours calls that can be routed via an extension dial or directory listing to an employee’s extension or voicemail. 

• Improved Access to Mobile Employees – Many businesses have sales associates, service personnel or other functions that are mobile and out of the office frequently.  Hosted VoIP service provides a number of options to meet the demands of your callers to these types of associates.  You could choose to have the employee’s office phone and cell phone ring simultaneously for calls made to the employee’s extension.  Of course, the office phone could be forwarded to the cell phone when the employee is out of the office.  Additionally, through unified communication features, remote employees can receive their voicemails to their email so they can be alerted to messages when received on their smart cell phone.  Faxes can be delivered to email as well, so the remote employee will know when that important fax came in.

Small and medium business can receive these advanced features and not have to invest in an expensive phone system.  Hosted providers basically provide the phone system via the internet and your digital office phones are literally connected to that phone system via the office LAN. 

Finally, with the entry costs being fairly low (price of phones and potentially some other minor connectivity equipment), users of a hosted VoIP phone service many times see lower monthly service fees when compared to their previous analog service.  So, these businesses experience low entry costs, monthly savings, AND an improvement in customer service.  Why not at least explore a hosted voip phone service for your business?

About the author:  Mark Greim is the Vice President of Sales and Marketing at sipVine, a provider of a variety of digital phone solutions and services. Mark has extensive experience working for start-up or entrepreneurial organizations and a passion for affordable, reliable, and purposeful technology solutions in those environments. 

In today’s increasingly mobile and highly accessible work environment, many commercial realtors have found a great number of advantages by switching to a Hosted VoIP phone service.  Not only have they improved their office communications, but they have provided their clients with a means to help make their moves easier by suggesting a change to hosted service as well.

First, for the commercial realtors themselves, they have found the following attributes of a VoIP phone service to be advantageous to their office communications:

1. Mobile Workforce – With their agents showing properties or even working remotely, certain hosted VoIP providers can configure a soft phone app on the agent’s cell phone.  This allows then to take and make phone calls from their office phone number. Or, agents can choose to forward their office phones to their cell phones when they are out of the office.  This type of accessibility is ideal for this industry.
2. Unified Communications – Voicemails left on office phones and faxes can be delivered electronically to email.  Again, for a mobile workforce, receiving notification of a voice mail to a smart cell phone allows for greater efficiency and responsiveness to clients.
3. Multiple Branch Optimization – If an agency operates multiple branches, reception services can be either centralized or automated, allowing for cost savings and efficient routing of incoming calls.  An automated attendant can be put in place even at a single location to drive savings or route calls effectively.

Commercial realtors have also benefitted by recommending hosted phone service for their prospective clients.  If they are working with a VoIP provider that can deliver service over any brand of high speed internet, they can help their clients by making their moves easier.  Many clients are also making a phone service and equipment decision at the time of their move.  The recommendation is to install their hosted phone service at their previous location so that the porting of numbers and other considerations are completely taken care of prior to moving.  That way they are not worried about any out of service time frames or trying to “time” their move with their phone number ports.  On moving day, they simply move the equipment and plug into their network and they are immediately operational.

Is it time for a new office phone system? Make every interaction with customers count with the help of sipVine's complete business communication solution! sipVine provides Hosted VoIP services to businesses across the United States. A better phone system for your small business with advanced features to match your unique business needs! Make your company's business communications better by engaging better customer experiences at every touchpoint. To understand more advantages and learn more of the details of how this can work, contact sipVine under no obligation and we’ll gladly consult with you.

Does your business have an equipment closet that has a complex collection of wiring that has accumulated over the years?  VoIP applications can help clean up the mess!  If your business has been around for a while, you may have had several iterations of phone systems and related wiring.  Because Voice over IP shares the same connection as your data requirements and rides your office Ethernet, you can eliminate most of the wiring in that dreaded closet!

Your voice network will essentially be your data network.  All that is required is the router that connects to the internet and directs traffic into your network switch.  Ethernet wiring from around the office connects to your switch.  This allows for traffic efficiency, as your single connection can handle varying levels of voice and data traffic.  It is important to check with your VoIP provider to make sure they provide traffic shaping software on the router that ensures your voice traffic takes priority over the data.  This will provide a quality of voice calls that you and your clients expect.

Many VoIP phones have dual ports that allow for a computer and the phone to share the same Ethernet connection to the office.  This will eliminate the need to add wiring specifically for the phones.  Additionally, a power over Ethernet switch can be deployed in your network closet which will allow the phones to draw power and eliminate the need for a power cord for the phones.  If you have a back-up power supply for your network, your phones will continue to work in the event of a power outage.

If your business is moving, it would be a great time to evaluate a VoIP phone system.  You will benefit by only needing to build out wiring for your Ethernet and avoid the cost of wiring for traditional analog phones.  You can start out with a clean, spaghetti-free, equipment closet!  Plus, you will avoid the expense of moving and rewiring your existing phone system for your new office.

Efficient use of a single connection and a simple office wiring configuration are just a couple of the many advantages you business will benefit from by switching to a business digital phone service.

About the author:  Mark Greim is the Vice President of Sales and Marketing at sipVine, a provider of a variety of digital phone solutions and services. Mark has extensive experience working for start-up or entrepreneurial organizations and a passion for affordable, reliable, and purposeful technology solutions in those environments. 

Trends for VoIP and SIP Trunk deployment in business are expected to continue to grow dramatically over the next several years, as companies evolve to the new technology standards.  According to a recent report from the research firm Frost and Sullivan, VoIP and SIP revenues are expected to grow from $717.3 million in 2009 to $3.9 billion by 2016.  Certainly, a driving piece of this is from the conversion of large enterprises’ traditional PBX to SIP technology.

The small and medium business market is also participating in this shift.  sipVine, a business digital phone service provider based in Kansas City, services the SMB market and has begun to notice some slight changes in buyer dynamics during 2010.  Examining the main drivers for new customer installations, during 2008 and 2009, price was the primary factor given by customers as the reason for moving to a VoIP service.  The recession provided a business opportunity for VoIP service providers to find willing participants to convert from their existing phone service provider.  However, in 2010, again according to internal statistics, an increasing percentage of new customers are coming on for feature enhancement or phone system replacement.

What does this tell us?  Price and cost savings are still important decision factors for companies not too far removed from the impacts of the recession on their business. The increasing mix of feature enhancements as a driver in the decision may also be a signal that companies are investing again, particularly on items that can produce an ROI.  Replacing or upgrading phone systems traditionally have not had a return, but VoIP has produced a savings opportunity over traditional service deployment.  Therefore, the opportunity to go digital, enhance features and customer communications, streamline communication patterns, and create virtual office environments while generating a return has had appeal to customers in 2010.

With such a dramatic increase in VoIP and SIP Trunking revenues projected over the next several years, most companies, large and small, will be evaluating digital phone service.  There are many tips to selecting the right provider posted on the internet, including a previous blog post by sipVine.  There are many great reasons to examine making this change for your business, and the market research indicates that you would not be alone in beginning this evaluation.

Making changes for your business can be filled with anxiety, and changing phone service providers is no exception.  There are several items to consider and plan for that should ensure a smooth and seamless transition.

Porting Numbers – The good news is that regulations allow you to keep your existing phone numbers when you change phone service providers.  The challenge is that this process is a potential minefield of challenges.   Your new provider can guide you through this process, but you need to provide key pieces of accurate information to ensure a smooth transition.

1. Letter of Authorization – You will be asked to sign a letter of authorization to allow your new phone service provider to assume responsibility for your phone numbers.  The name of the business needs to match the name that appears on your bill with your current provider.  The individual signing the letter of authorization needs to be the authorized representative on record with your current phone company.  If you are not aware of who is the authorized representative, contact your current phone company and ask who the authorized contact that appears on your customer service record (CSR).
2. Time Frame – If you are with a major carrier today, ten business days is typically enough time to allow for the porting process to take place.  Some other providers can take up to thirty days, again depending upon who you choose as your new provider.  If you have a move, contract expiration, or other key milestone events that you are timing with this change, make sure you provide enough lead time for this process to take place.
3. DSL Number – If you are going with a Voice over IP (VoIP) provider and you are going to utilize your existing DSL service to carry your new voice traffic, knowing which of your numbers includes your DSL line is critical.  You should not port the phone number associated with your DSL line, or you will not have DSL when the transition takes place.  The other option is to provision a new, separate DSL with no voice service attached (a “dry loop”).  This is the best solution for this situation.
4. Forwarding Numbers – As a precaution against potential delays or issues in the porting process, ensure that you have the capability to forward your existing numbers to temporary numbers that can be provisioned by your new carrier.  Make sure you have forwarding enabled with your existing carrier and your new provider can accommodate this potential solution.
5. Cancelling Service – Your porting of numbers to a new phone service provider typically stops the billing cycle and ends your service with your current carrier.  However, after the port, it is a good practice to contact your previous carrier and cancel the account.

If you are moving your service to a VoIP service provider, ensure that they can provide numbers local to your business.  They should also be able to configure their equipment and service to how your business operates.  There are numerous advantages to switching to a digital solution, so check out our previous blog on tips for choosing a VoIP service provider..

About the author:  Mark Greim is the Vice President of Sales and Marketing at sipVine, a provider of a variety of digital phone solutions and services. Mark has extensive experience working for start-up or entrepreneurial organizations and a passion for affordable, reliable, and purposeful technology solutions in those environments. 

With Independence Day approaching, it’s a great time for businesses to evaluate their phone service provider and determine if the relationship is mutually beneficial.  Is the extent of your relationship your receipt of a monthly bill?  Is your service provided by a series of off-shore call center representatives? Are you charged for a dispatch of a service technician?  Declare your independence from these practices!

I’ve personally worked for large phone service companies, and I know clearly that the non-published goal is to meet or exceed Wall Street expectations on a quarterly basis.  In a time where competitive influences have created customer churn for these companies, the focus is all about margin protection.

At sipVine, our stated goals are delivered to our business customers everyday:

·       Minimize your up-front investment;

·       Improve your communication functionality;

·       Lower your administrative costs; and

·       Maximize your monthly recurring savings!

How do we accomplish this?  First and foremost, we are a provider of both the equipment and phone service, allowing us to deliver a reliable and purposeful solution that is customized to meet the needs of your business.  We have multiple platforms as well.  The hosted digital phone solution reduces your up-front investment while providing state-of-the-art communication functionality to your business.  Our on-site digital phone solution is a full featured phone system that is priced much less than the well known phone system providers.

We also do not deploy bundling schemes.  All of our features and services are included in our low monthly rate per user.  This includes all of your local and long distance calls as well as your phone system administration.  sipVine can deliver our services across this great country, so if your business operates in multiple states, you can benefit from having all of your locations utilizing the same platform and service provider.  Finally, sipVine absorbs all surcharges and fees that the big providers conveniently pass through to their customers. 

Certainly, our goal is also to grow, but we believe that growth comes from a relationship with our customers that is mutually beneficial and not influenced by investor and Wall Street analysts profit expectations!  Begin drafting your declaration of independence by contacting sipVine today!

About the author:  Mark Greim is the Vice President of Sales and Marketing at  sipVine , a provider of a variety of  digital phone solutions  and services. Mark has extensive experience working for start-up or entrepreneurial organizations and a passion for affordable, reliable, and purposeful technology solutions in those environments.