What are the different types of VoIP?

There are two main types of VoIP phone systems, on-premise and hosted. Hosted phone systems are sometimes called cloud phone systems. While rare, there are also some hybrid VoIP phone systems, where there is a phone system “box” on-premise that is managed and configured from a cloud interface, but in this article we will focus only on on-premise and hosted phone systems.

Hosted VoIP phone systems are not on-premise but rather in the cloud. “In the cloud” just means that the phone system is somewhere else across the internet, typically in a data center.

What are the main benefits of hosted VoIP?

1. Easier to Install Hosted VoIP phone systems are much easier to install and get operational. In fact, most of the work is done by the cloud provider. 2. Less Expensive On the financial side, this type of system allows business owners to have a complete business phone system without having to invest capital into a on-premise phone system “box”. [Employees using Business Call Center VoIP Phone System ] 3. Scaleable Hosted VoIP systems are also easier to scale up or down as you grow or decrease. It is also not necessary to order your own voice services as they are provided as part of the hosted service. Traditionally, both internet and voice services had to be purchased and the voice services would be connected to a on-premise phone system. With hosted VoIP, only internet services are purchased which is all that is needed to connect to the cloud phone system. 4. Connectivity from Anywhere Another benefit of hosted voice is easier connectivity from anywhere. If you want to make phone calls from your business phone number when you are traveling, it works much better to connect to the cloud phone system vs. trying to connect to a system back at the office. Hosted VoIP phone system is much more likely to tightly integrate with other communications methods like text or chat messaging and video calling. 5. Feature Rich Hosted VoIP phone systems also tend to be more feature rich, plus they inherently come with continual improvements and updates vs. being stuck with what you purchased for a on-premise system. For example, a hosted VoIP phone system is much more likely to tightly integrate with other communications methods like text or chat messaging and video calling. Also, features like presence (the ability to see whether coworkers are at their desk or not, or whether they are on the phone or not) is much more likely to be included in a hosted phone system vs. an on-premise system.

What are the disadvantages of hosted VoIP?

Hosted VoIP does require a reliable internet connection. Because you are connecting your phone to a phone system in the cloud, it must use your internet for this connection. So, for locations with poor internet, VoIP may not be a good option.

What is an on-premise phone system?

An on-premise phone system is a physical phone system that is owned (or leased) by a business and stored at the main premises. On-premise phone systems can utilize VoIP or they may not use VoIP at all, especially the older systems.

What are the main benefits of on-premise VoIP?

1. Under Your Physical Control One benefit of an on-premise VoIP phone system is that it at your office and completely in your control; however, that may really be a disadvantage if you do not have the proper technical skills or resources to maintain the system. 2. Works Without the Internet (Typically) On-premise phone systems also will work completely without the internet, unless your voice services (dial tone) are delivered over the internet. Regardless, station-to-station (internal user-to-user) calls do not rely on the internet whereas a cloud VoIP system may require the internet connection to the hosted phone system even to call someone within the office.

What are the disadvantages of on-premise VoIP?

1. Requires Technical Expertise to Maintain Like previously mentioned, the system is physically in your office and under your complete control, which may not be a good thing unless you have the technical skills or resources to maintain it. 2. Capital Costs Another disadvantage would be the capital costs involved in getting this system. On-premise phone systems require you to purchase the phone system “box” that resides in your closet, whereas a hosted system only has a monthly fee, and may even include free phones. 3. Voice Service Costs are Separate Another disadvantage of a on-premise phone system is that you must purchase voice services on your own, from your carrier, vs. it being provided by the hosted phone system provider. 4. Stagnant Features On-premise phone systems are less likely to have newer features and integrations with other means of communications like chat messaging, SMS/text messing, or video calling.

Do You Need a PBX for VoIP?

When using VoIP for a SMB, a phone system (or PBX) is not required – at least not from the business owner’s perspective.

Is VoIP the same as hosted Voice?

Technically no, but hosted voice is almost always using VoIP (voice over IP).

Is VoIP worth it for a small business?

Most definitely. VoIP allows small businesses a low-cost way to have a large business phone system.

Can you use VoIP without a provider?

Yes, calls can be made directly from one device to another using only the internet (Skype, Facetime, etc.), but for a business, you will almost always see a provider involved because calls will need to be made to users on the public voice network.

How do small businesses use VoIP?

Most small business subscribe to a hosted VoIP phone system provider. Their phones (desk phones, software phones, or smartphone app phones) are registered to the cloud phone system from which they can call to anywhere in the world.

Which is the best VoIP service available in market?

There is no one answer to this question, and if there were, it would change next week, next month, or next year. And all businesses do not need the same thing, so what is best for one might not be for another.

Phone Business Systems

Name: IntegriCom
Address: 1148 Satellite Blvd. NW Suite 201, Suwanee, Georgia, 30024-4368, United States
Price range: $$

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