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With more rural communities receiving access to high speed internet service, competitive alternatives for business phone service have opened up via VoIP providers.  The benefits of lower costs and advanced calling features have finally started to make it to these communities, although it’s not entirely ubiquitous at this point.

There are a few things to check before making the switch:

1.  If you are receiving a DSL connection from your current telephone provider, you will need to see if they are willing to only provision a DSL connection without voice lines into your business.  Phone companies serving the urban areas have conceded that maintaining some revenue from the customer is better than losing the customer all together.  The pricing may be higher than a DSL circuit bundled with voice, but they still face competition for their internet with cable and other providers.  In the rural areas, monopolistic tendencies still exist, so the local telephone company may be reluctant to unbundle their DSL.

2.  Check your DSL speed.  It’s been a victory for the rural communities to secure access to high speed internet, but the upload/download speeds may not be sufficient enough to support VoIP telephony. See our previous blog post on “How Much Bandwidth does a Business VoIP Phone Service Require?” for more details about checking and sizing your bandwidth requirements.

3.  If you have access to high speed internet via cable modem, check your upload/download speeds at various points in the day to ensure you have consistent speeds sufficient enough to support your VoIP call volume.

4.  Validate that your VoIP provider can port your phone numbers and provide service local to your community.  Your VoIP provider may not be entirely ubiquitous nationwide.

If you have satisfactory answers to the research above, congratulations, you are now in a competitive market for your phone service!  This will significantly improve the rates you are paying for phone service as well as open up a variety of advanced communication features that will help set you apart from your competition!

Now the business of selecting the right VoIP service provider begins.  Check out our previous post on “5 Things to Consider When Selecting a VoIP Service Provider”.  

We hope this helps.  Please comment.  

This is one of the most common questions we receive from our prospective customers.  VoIP calls really do not require much bandwidth at all, and there are adjustments that can be made to condense the requirement even further.

The first mental hurdle to overcome is that your concurrent voice calls are no longer restricted to the number of analog “lines” you have provisioned for your company.  With VoIP, your only restriction is the amount of bandwidth you have.  Even if you are flooded with concurrent calls, many VoIP systems will capture the call and deliver it to your company voicemail, thus your customers will never hear a busy signal.  However, the above scenario makes the question of bandwidth requirements very appropriate.

A single VoIP call requires 80k of bandwidth in a non-compressed environment.  Thus, 10 concurrent calls active on your system would require 800K of bandwidth.  However, it is common practice to utilize voice compression to reduce this requirement. A compression codec will lower the requirement to as little as 25k of bandwidth per call.   Utilizing compression can help conserve bandwidth without a material sacrifice of voice quality, especially if your VoIP provider provides a Quality of Service software with their service.

There are some things you can do to test your company’s readiness for VoIP phone service, however a good VoIP service provider should consult with you prior to your installation on these very topics:

Run a speed test – run a free speed test of your bandwidth.  Record the download and upload speeds, and try again later in the day and repeat every few days.  You’re looking for your download speeds to be robust enough to handle your voice and data volume and for the speed results consistent as well. 

Run an extended ping test – you should ping the potential service provider to check the latency between you and their server.  You’re looking for the result to be under 110 milliseconds at a minimum.   Ideally, a good circuit should produce latency in the 20 milliseconds or less range.  Furthermore, it should be relatively stable.  Results bouncing around (like 20, 20, 150, 90, 20, 20, 150, 20, etc) will produce packet drops and jittery phone calls.

Check for packet loss – a stable internet connection should experience no packet loss. VoIP service is dependent upon a no to very low packet loss.  If packet loss is approaching 2%, contact your internet provider to service the line.

Determine your concurrent call volume – this may be via observation or through an understanding at which point you receive busy signals on your analog system.  If you have five incoming lines, and you or your customers have experienced busy signals, then your concurrent call maximum is greater than five.

Do the math – Maximum concurrent call volume multiplied by 80k must be less than the lower of the upload or download speeds recorded on your speed test.  We usually recommend that the maximum voice call packet transfer doesn’t absorb more than 40-50% of your bandwidth availability.  However, this is entirely dependent upon your data requirements.  Additionally, compressed codec could be deployed before considering more bandwidth.

The amount of bandwidth you have isn't the only variable in delivering quality phone conversations with VoIP.  Many providers "solve" voice quality issues by oversizing bandwidth.  However, there are other, more reliable solutions.   Give sipVine a call today for a consultation.  We're happy to help.

It’s truly amazing what has occurred over the past thirty years from a business improvement standpoint. VoIP Phone Service is just one example of a new technology that can do wonders for your business.  Consider the following innovations just in this generation from a before and after standpoint and what they have meant for your business:

·       Data Processing to Personal Computing

·       Land-line Phones to Cellular Phones

·       Print Media to Electronic Media via the Internet

·       Business Letters to Emails

·       Wired Networks to Wireless Networks

·       Yellow Pages to Search Engines

·       Analog Phone Service to VoIP Phone Service

I’m clearly dating myself to say that I worked in the “before” era.  Times were much simpler, yes, but it’s hard to argue with the huge improvements in business and personal productivity that exist today.   So, how does Business VoIP Phone Service fit into such an impressive list of business improvement innovations?

Voice over the internet (VoIP) powers the class of service Hosted VoIP Phone Service. Simply moving voice traffic over the same connection as your data traffic allows for a convergence of technology that drives many benefits. 

1.     Unified Messaging – delivers voice mails and faxes to your email, allowing you to access them anywhere through your smartphone and maintain digital records if you so choose.

2.     Call Detail Reporting and History – we all love our cell phone directories, call history, missed calls, and the like.  How about that same technology on your business phone available at a touch and through reporting?

3.     Investment Options – businesses can now choose the level of investment relative to their phone system required to flexibly run their communications.  A Hosted VoIP phone solution allows for flexibility in sizing and is scalable to the business.

4.     Mobility / Accessibility – with Business VoIP Phone Service, your business phone is no longer tied down inside the walls of your business.  Anywhere high speed internet is available, you can use your business phone and appear just as if you were in the office.  This means that you can make your workforce virtual nationwide if the need fits. Forwarding direct dial numbers and extensions, soft phones to laptops and cell phones, and even duplicate VoIP desk phones with your same number allows you to never miss a call!

5.     Freedom to communicate – most Business VoIP Phone Service providers allow for unlimited local and nationwide calling in their service fee.  This has saved businesses a great deal of money.  Plus, you can re-emphasize verbal communication with your customers and prospects.

6.     Custom programming– good VoIP Phone Service providers can leverage the technology to customize the phone system to work exactly as your business requires.

There’s more to come! As technology and businesses evolve, continued advancements are no longer just on the horizon, but well within our sights.  Continue the advancement of your business by switching now to a VoIP phone service platform and ensure you will maintain your competitive advantage by embracing technology!

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. Want to learn more? Our small business phone service representatives are here to answer any questions you have!

Wow, what a month! If our demand for our service is any indication, small and medium businesses are beginning to shake off the effects of the recession and experience a return to business health. Not only has sipVine experienced a large increase in new customer installations, many of our existing clients are adding users to their hosted phone service.  The actual growth of employees is a great sign for this market space!

As the business climate and markets begin to improve, the lessons learned from the extended recession are certainly still fresh in the minds of small and medium business owners. Over the past 18 months, sipVine nearly tripled our number of hosted installations, as our mission of saving our customers money had great appeal.  That message continues to have appeal with our new customers, who are also willing to invest a little money up front on new phones and generate savings in the months ahead. 

What are some of the drivers that are moving this market to a hosted digital phone service?

1.     Low up-front investment

2.     Advancement in communication features

3.     Unified messaging and an increase of accessibility with  customer base

4.     No administrative hassles or costs

5.     Ease of expansion

6.     Generation of monthly recurring savings

Is it time for you to ride a hot market?  Consider switching to sipVine and don’t forget to register for our special offer for on-line visitors.

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.   

Businesses come in all shapes and sizes.  As you evaluate your alternatives for your business phone service, look for a VoIP provider that can offer a variety of solutions and can customize the configuration to how you do business.  A one size fits all approach forces the business to potentially sacrifice either from an economic standpoint or from a loss of functionality.

Multiple Solutions Allow for the Economic Benefits to be Maximized

It’s too simple to paint every customer the same.  Even sipVine, with our multiple digital phone solutions, does not make blanket assumptions on the right phone solution based upon the size of the customer.  For example, not every large company would automatically be a candidate for our on-site digital phone solution, and they may go with a hosted digital phone service.  Conversely, a medium sized customer may opt for an on-site solution rather than hosted. It’s a matter of aligning the economic goals with the solution.

VoIP providers that only offer a hosted service could ultimately be more costly over time if the customer would better be served with an on-site system powered by Sip Trunks. Some equipment manufacturers may push their on-site platform for a company that would be better served with less capital outlay upfront.  Finally, some VoIP providers don’t even make it an option for the customer to use existing analog equipment. 

At sipVine, we can offer our potential customers a choice between an On-Site Digital Phone Solution with Sip Trunks, a Hosted Digital Phone Service, a Classic Solution that utilizes existing equipment, and some customized hybrids of multiple platforms. All of these various solutions can be evaluated to maximize the economic benefit to our customer.

Customized Configuration Makes your System Work for your Business

VoIP technology has opened up a feature set that was previously only available in expensive corporate phone systems.  Today, a small or start up business can take advantage of powerful communication features without a substantial investment.  Converging voice and data over the same connection allows for unified messaging and other awesome benefits.  Simply put, the power of VoIP applications should not be limited by a one-size fits all, drop ship approach to the business.

Make sure your VoIP provider can customize their feature set to meet or enhance your communication requirements.  They should be able to unleash customized features to both the individual users as well as the business as a whole.

Finally, voice quality should be table stakes in your selection criteria.  A perfectly matched solution for your needs customized to your business is fantastic.  However, if call quality isn’t addressed in the technology, the perfect system really isn’t a viable solution.  To learn more about voice quality in VoIP applications, read my previous blog post on that topic or download our whitepaper, Voice Quality:  The Ultimate Differentiator in VoIP Providers.  

Many small to mid-sized businesses utilize a Hosted VoIP phone service to extend their reach in the marketplace and move beyond the walls of their offices by going virtual with their workforce.  Utilizing a Hosted VoIP phone service can help facilitate this mobilization while providing the impression that you are all under one roof.

I'll provide several examples of how some of sipVine customers are doing just that:

1. Out of State Employees - one customer has employees that office out of state, yet they want to have the appearance that they are in town.  They were provided phone numbers local to the corporate office so their outbound caller ID appears as if they were calling from the corporate office.  Also, from the company perspective, these employees appear like they were on the same phone system. Thus, the receptionist or other employees can simply dial the extension to reach them.  Additionally, they have been able to consolidate their phone service under one provider and save money.   Finally, because sipVine, like many other VoIP providers, provided unlimited local and long distance calls, they no longer pay for long distance charges for calls made to their own employees!
2. Multiple Branches, One Receptionist - Another company we serve has multiple branch offices across the country and in Canada.  Phone calls coming into the corporate office or via their toll free line can be handled by a single receptionist (or automated attendant if they choose) and routed to the branch location closest to the caller.  Again, this customer benefits by having all of their branches on the same phone system handled by the same service provider.  They are also able to have phone numbers specific to the branch locations.
3. Call Center at an Off-Site Location - Another company determined that they could establish a call center in a different city where the resources were more plentiful and less expensive than in their headquarter location. However, they wanted to have phone numbers assigned that made it appear that these customer service reps were in the area.  Hosted VoIP phone service allows for this, as well as provides for extension dialing or call transferring to headquarter employees as required by the call center reps.
4. Work at Home Sales Force - I'll talk about our company, sipVine, for this. We have representatives located throughout our metropolitan area as they operate out of their homes.  We deploy the "hotel" concept for days when they come to the office.  Thus, we do not have to add unnecessary costs to our business by adding square footage as we have grown.  The reps have a VoIP phone at their homes that simultaneously rings their phone at the office.  Wherever they pick up the call is where the call is delivered. Additionally, we have their calls also ring a soft phone app on their cell phones so, our team can always be reached and they don't waste valuable time driving into the office everyday.

I hope this provided you with a few ideas of how a Hosted VoIP phone service can help you go virtual with your workforce.  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. Want to learn more? Our small business phone service representatives are here you answer any questions you have!

If you currently receive multiple pages for the monthly billing of your business phone service, it is likely very confusing and filled with add-on charges.  Standard rates for service from traditional providers start increasing when including extra charges for what should be common features. Even “bundling” features can increase the cost per line. 

Some examples of add on features that create variability in standard costs per line are Caller ID Name Delivery, Caller ID Number Delivery (seriously!), Three-way Calling, Call Forward, Voice Mail, Call Blocks, and Hunt Groups. 

Additionally, variable charges for activity may creep into your billing, such as variable charges for long distance calling and directory assistance calling.  Finally, what exactly are those dreaded surcharges? Federal Subscriber Line Charges, Special E911 Taxes, Federal Universal Service Fund, State Universal Service Fund, Relay Surcharge, Special Municipal Charge, State Telecom Excise Tax, FCC Fee, and Regulatory Recovery Fees are all examples of the surcharges you may find on your bill.  These can easily add 15 to 20 percent to your monthly bill!

At sipVine, we believe our customers deserve a simple and straightforward price with an easy to understand bill.  Our hosted VoIP phone solution pricing practice exemplifies this simplicity:

• All local and long-distance calling are included in a monthly flat rate per user. Volume discounts are applied as more users are added.
• Routine system administration and maintenance are included in the per user pricing.  No trip charges or service charges will be experienced by our customers!
• Most features are included in the one flat rate!
• You will not be hit with surcharges!  sipVine absorbs all regulatory charges into our rates so you will not have any surprises on your monthly billing.
• We do all of this without the requirement of a term contract!

The only variable charges we have are for toll-free and international minutes.  The only addition to the monthly bill is for local sales tax. 

If your bill is confusing and you simply pay it month after month, take a closer look and call us for a comparison.  Register for a no obligation free offer to save even more money!  Our mission is to simply provide you with awesome features and save you money while keeping everything simple and straightforward…including your monthly bill!

Consumers have long searched for ways to reduce their household expenditures.  Many are ditching their land line phones in favor of their cell phones or have turned to an inexpensive Voice over IP provider. Such movement has been great for the competitive marketplace, but has also built a perception that by going to a VoIP application you are sacrificing the quality of your phone call. 

For most businesses, going wireless only or converting to a VoIP provider who doesn’t deploy a quality of service technology are simply not good alternatives.  Despite the fact that wireless has introduced us to “dropped calls” and certain VoIP carriers have left us underwhelmed by “voice in a cave” quality, it doesn’t mean that this is an acceptable standard in the business marketplace.  You and your customers deserve to have the highest class of a communication experience. 

There are several root causes of a poor voice experience with some VoIP carriers, from inadequate bandwidth and latency, to lack of the proper technology applied.  These can be avoided by careful screening and selection of your VoIP provider.  Here are some questions for you to ask as you evaluate making the change:

1.     Does the provider evaluate your current bandwidth utilization and your expected call volume?

2.     Does the provider deliver a router or bridge device preprogrammed with a quality of service (VoIP QoS) software?

3.     Does the provider conduct your service installation on-site?

4.     Does the provider configure your phones to how you do business? 

The VoIP QoS software is a must for these applications.  It simply prioritizes the movement of voice packets over the internet connection, keeping the data packets flowing, but not interrupting the voice transmission.  The other questions above will give you a feeling as to how the company conducts business – preprogrammed drop ship or customized to their customers’ needs. 

There are many benefits for business to move to a VoIP application, from cost savings to advanced communication features for your business.  Choosing the right provider with an eye on quality will increase your satisfaction and effective utilization of the service. 

For more detail on this topic, please download our whitepaper -- Voice Quality: The Ultimate Differentiator in VoIP Providers.

Please comment!

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.