Why Won't You Switch Over?

Online, September 12, 2012 (Newswire.com) - An advance in technology often means increased expenses and also the risk of breeding new liabilities into existing business systems. That is not necessarily the case, however, with regards to phone services. Most companies are paying for a traditional landline phone service that is much more costly than using more technologically advanced like Voice Over IP (VoIP).

The term VoIP is self explanatory: using the internet to make phone calls. The most basic VoIP services are completely free, or you can pay under ten dollars every month for additional bolt-ons and features. These low rates include local and international phone calls. If you make many international phone calls, there are additional VoIP packages available to you, and these are also much cheaper than the packages offered by traditional phone companies.

Voicemail, call waiting and forwarding, and caller ID (depending on your service provider) can come at no extra charge. These services will often incur an extra $30+ per month with a traditional phone company. This is good for consumers, but while most people and businesses are aware of VoIP providers like Skype, they are slow to move away from old landlines.

Some hardware (as opposed to software only) VoIP devices works through a "soft phone" that integrates with a computer. The device is small, usually the size of a small mobile phone. They are easy to hook up and install, and also easy to relocate if you move office because it plug into your computer instead of into a phone socket. You could almost think of this type of VoIP service as an inexpensive cell phone with a much smaller monthly plan! You can also connect it up to your laptop if you work remotely. You will have access to the plan you pay for.

At such a discounted rate, and with the additional benefits such as being able to record calls to a hard-drive easily (this is often used to train customer support staff) and being forward calls in a few mouse clicks, means there is little reason to stay with "old school" phone service providers.