VoIP, or voice-over-IP, is an exciting new trend in personal and business communication that lets you make and receive calls over the internet. Internet calling is significantly less expensive than the regular phone network, and now more than ever big companies are switching to VoIP telephone systems in their offices because of the flexibility and huge range of features. What you may not realize, is that VoIP also works great if you work at home in your home-based business.
If you work at home, here's what you can expect
from a VoIP internet phone service:
Cheap long distance calling that works the way you expect. The regular phone on your desk plugs into a VoIP phone adaptor. The adaptor in turn connects to your high speed internet router. Most national VoIP phone companies provide you with an adaptor that is already preset for their service and your new or existing telephone number. All you have to do is plug the equipment in and begin making calls like normal. You DON'T have to learn a new way to use the telephone.
Getting a new telephone number for your work at home job, additional lines for your work at home job or business, or having your existing number ported over to VoIP. Agreements between phone companies and internet phone companies make this possible. If it's important to you that you continue using the same number, make sure your number can be ported. Internet phone providers do this for free.
Free internet phone service from PCs, Macs, and laptops. Software programs (called softphones) that turn your computer into a full-fledged telephone are free to download and use. Calls to other users of the same program are free. Skype (www.skype.com) and GizmoProject (www.gizmoproject.com) are two great examples of free softphones. When you're working at home, making calls from your computer is timesaving and efficient. If you're an incessant multi-tasker, get a wireless headset so you can move around the house while you're on a call.
Freedom to take your cheap long distance plan, phone lines and calling features with you when you travel. If you're a self-employed consultant and need to travel to see clients and land big deals, then VoIP phone service is literally MADE for you. Imagine being able to connect to the internet in any hotel worldwide, and still use the same unlimited long distance plan and low international rates. You don't have to futz about with different calling cards. Just plug in your laptop running your favorite softphone, or plug your VoIP adaptor into the RF-45 (Ethernet) connection and use the phone in your hotel room. Phone adaptors for VoIP are compact, lightweight and travel easily. Some providers, like Vonage even offer you a choice of a travel-friendly adaptor. With a regular landline or even mobile phone, staying in touch is either inconvenient or just too expensive. WITH VoIP, you can 'unplug' your work at home phone line or business phone in one location, go to your lake house, hotel or other destination and simply plug in your VoIP boxes again to have the same exact phone service you had at your home office.
Features, features, features. If you had to pay your local phone company for each of the features VoIP broadband phone providers give you for free, you'd be out of business! At roughly $3 to $5 per feature, it's just not practical for you to subscribe to more than a couple the old-fashioned way. Instead, you can have caller ID, call waiting, forwarding, voice mail, call blocking, 3-way call conferencing, do not disturb, and softphone...the list of free features is long. And, YOU control what features you turn and off. Depending on the provider, you can enjoy 20 to 30 free features with your plan, many of which will help you work at home privately and efficiently or operate a home business effectively.
Extra phone numbers in other cities. VoIP plans can give you extra phone numbers in other area codes so that it looks like you have an office in another city. Local customers there can call this number to get in touch with you for the cost of a local call. If you work at home, your corporate office, for example, can call the special number without incurring long distance charges.
Text messaging and voice calling combined. A subcategory of VoIP is VoIM, or voice over instant messenger. Today, all the big instant messaging services have internet phones built right into their software. GoogleTalk, Yahoo, MSN, AIM are all instant messengers with voice. Skype and Gizmo Project work the other way around; they're internet phone software with chat programs built in. Either way, you can call the people on your buddy list and send chat messages or exchange files at the same time. That's a huge timesaver. You don't have to say "Once were done, I'll email you that file right way". You can just do it right then and there.
The internet is not only changing the way people think about not only their social lives, but how they work, especially if they work at home or operate a home-based business. With home-based businesses on the rise and a very achievable goal if you're a budding entrepreneur, VoIP internet phone services are an important addition to the home business toolbox.
So what are you waiting for? Cash in on VoIP technology and make working from home easier than ever.
Leanne Tremblay is a freelance writer and publisher of www.quickstartvoip.com, a site all about the wonders of internet phone service, free video phone services, and internet phone hardware for the home office.
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