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sipVine has long provided inbound faxing to email and has now added desktop outbound faxing capabilities to our service offerings.  This service allows sipVine customers to send faxes from their computers either through their email, a desktop applet, or through a web portal. Previously, sipVine only offered outbound faxing via the fax machine.

sipVine will deliver a new fax number for this purpose, although only in limited areas we may be able to utilize your current fax number.  Inbound faxes can be delivered with a PDF file to one or multiple email addresses and you can assign one or more users to this fax number.  Customers can add as many additional fax numbers as they would like.

Although faxing is not a new technology, we embrace more efficient approaches to the process and this upgrade certainly applies.  sipVine customers involved in the testing indicate that it is easy to use, fast, and affordable!

This service is available to sipVine customers only and is not offered on a stand-alone basis. 

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. 

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. 

Many businesses today are making the switch to a VoIP phone service from their traditional analog phone service.  There are many compelling reasons behind this shift, and the benefits are felt by businesses of all sizes.

Convergence of Technology – With voice and data riding over the same internet connection to the business, the opportunity to digitally link communication applications are great. The concept of unified communications includes advanced features such as voicemails to email and faxes to email. Capturing call detail records and call history is no longer just a feature on your wireless phone, as individual users can benefit from this data and companies can easily capture call history for audit and billing purposes.  Finally, the integration of voice and data over the same connection allows for the flexible use of bandwidth which can drive cost savings.

Advanced Communication Features – In addition to unified communications, VoIP phone service brings a host of features that drive efficient and effective production of your company associates.  Such features include hunt, ring, and call center groups and queues, automated attendant options, time of day routing, corporate directories, a host of call forwarding options, and much more.

Flexible Deployment – With most VoIP platforms, especially with a hosted voip service, being bound to a PBX platform unique to your office is a thing of the past. Businesses can operate outside the walls of their office with mobile or work at home employees and branch locations all on the same phone service platform.  To internal staff and external customers, the location of the phones is not prohibitory to effective communications.  With most VoIP providers, the phones can ride any internet connection and still have the appearance that they are on the same phone system housed at the central office.

Disaster Recovery Options – Through the utilization of a hosted VoIP provider, businesses have several alternatives for localized disaster recovery.  Phones can be physically moved to a location where internet is active or invoke remote forwarding to alternative numbers or locations. This provides peace of mind when concerns arise over internet stability or other location related disasters.

Lower Costs – With the economy continuing to provide daily lessons of the need for cost containment and control, the shift to VoIP has accelerated due to the potential for lower costs and stable monthly expenses.  New entrants in the marketplace have delivered direct blows to the traditional, high-margin analog voice providers.  Unlimited local and long-distance calling is just one example of a way these providers have approached delivering a lower cost to their customers.

The time has never been better to evaluate VoIP phone service.  Join the VoIP revolution and call a VoIP provider 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.