VoIP is becoming an increasingly important aspect of many businesses due to its cost-effectiveness and efficiency. Even more than VoIP alone, unified communications systems which incorporate VoIP are bringing new productivity to businesses of all sizes. As the market for these services grows, companies are trying to compete by offering advanced integrated VoIP systems targeted specifically to the needs of businesses. Announcements crop up almost daily about a new VoIP provider or a new VoIP product out on the market.
Here are a few of the latest announcements to help you in your VoIP decision-making:
o Siemens Hi-Path OpenOffice ME ? This new product debuted recently at Interop. It?s a Unified Communications system for businesses using Linux. Designed to meet the needs of multi-size businesses, the system offers VoIP along with Outlook integration, fax capabilities, email and other streamlined services. The cost (for the hardware excluding VoIP-enabled phones) will be just under $300 per seat when the product hits the shelves in February.
o U4EA Technologies for Small Business ? U4EA is a company which has been bringing integrated services to the market for some time. Their most recent announcement is that they have created a multi-service product line specifically for small and mid-sized businesses. The product line is designed to offer rapid transmission of voice and video data while staying within the communications budget of smaller businesses.
o Acquisition of Quintum VoIP ? Quintum Technologies is a provider of VoIP access switching and gateway products to small businesses across over fifty countries. The company is now being acquired by Network Equipment Technologies (NET), a multi-service business provider. The acquisition will allow NET to bring its services, which have traditionally been for large enterprises, to the small business market.
Providers aren?t just jumping on the VoIP bandwagon. They are recognizing that VoIP is one aspect of a Unified Communications system which is becoming increasingly important to businesses of all sizes. These announcements are just the latest in a line which shows the trend of businesses to switch to these streamlined systems to increase efficiency and productivity in their work.
?Can you hear me now?? That old refrain has become a standard joke when it comes to cell phone and VoIP calling. However, it?s no laughing matter for businesses which can lose thousands of dollars as a result of poor call quality. An inability to make international calls (and especially to make local calls) without background noise decreases the professional credibility of any business, reducing their potential profits every time that the phone rings. In the past, this has been one of the most frustrating aspects of VoIP technology, especially for small businesses seeking to develop a name for themselves and a client base in their industry.
However, things are starting to look up for business professionals interested in using VoIP to make their calls. Call quality has been going up across the board from VoIP service providers who have recognized that this is a problem and worked to remedy the situation. Additionally, hardware and software manufacturers are contributing to creating solutions by crafting new technology that can be installed to improve the quality of all VoIP calls.
For example, NoiseFree VoIP has just launched a beta test version of their new software which is designed to rapidly clear up calls on many VoIP systems.
?Our software easily installs and when used at both ends of a call completely removes the challenges presented by uncontrollable environmental noise. Additionally, NoiseFree VoIP is able to reduce the packet load on a network, mitigating instances of voice distortion due to impacted network nodes. By doing so it enhances overall bandwidth availability.?(Source: SnapVoip blog)
Although it works best when used by both parties in the call, the software can assist in creating improved call quality when used by either party. The benefits of this software over other methods of VoIP noise cancellation include that it takes up very little memory or power, requires no additional hardware, and uses multiple forms of patented technology to reduce background noise and clarify voices during calls.
This can translate directly into dollars for your business. No, you?re probably not going to lose a client or an important deal because of one bad call. But if your VoIP system regularly causes bad connections, you slowly decrease your credibility in the industry. Although we all know that the flaws of technology aren?t necessarily a reflection of our business practices, we also all have a tendency to believe that these things are related. By reducing noise problems with VoIP calling, businesses give their company that polished air of professionalism that can make a difference in profits over time.
Businesses interested in trying out NoiseFree VoIP can use the beta software free through the end of the year by downloading it from the website. This software is similar to that of Solicall which is also available for download.
Is your perception of a business affected when phone calls are interrupted by background noise?
Technology is changing rapidly and many of us are finding it hard to keep up. We may be using VoIP business services in our offices and BlackBerry phones on our lunch breaks, but keeping the details of the changing Internet straight requires almost constant attention to technology news. There are new standards being put in place for WiMax which may facilitate mobile Internet connections (or may not, as only time will tell how efficient this new service is going to be). There are movements towards unified communications which will link all of our voice and data services together in one platform, a platform that should incorporate mobile phone technology. And there are open source developments which may or may not facilitate these changes. How does one keep up?
For the most part, we adopt what we can into our businesses as we find it necessary, learning about new technologies as they arise. But one way to help make sure that we?re on track is to attend conferences about these technological developments. Conferences offer the opportunity to get an intensive update on new trends in one setting. And of course, they are great for networking as well.
There are any number of conferences that you might attend throughout the year to stay apprised of technological changes that affect your voice and mobile technology. One that?s coming up in just a few weeks is Mobile Internet World, a Boston-based conference designed to provide a full overview of ?the entire ecosystem of enabling mobile internet technologies, content and applications?. Information to be provided at the conference includes a look at competing and complimentary broadband technologies, strategy development for mobile advertising, and information on changing industry standards.
It?s looking more and more likely that businesses are moving towards a future in which landlines and mobile lines are provided by one system that also integrates other applications. This clearly makes doing business easier between locations and with employees who may work remotely a large portion of the time. In order to seize the possibilities offered by new mobile technologies, we have to start with understanding them. Mobile Internet World may or may not be the right conference for you to attend to achieve this understanding but keeping an eye on the conferences out there is an important step towards getting the knowledge that you need to move forward in the changing mobile broadband world.
Adoption of VoIP amongst small businesses in Asia has experienced rapid growth according to research done by AMI Partners. The growth can be attributed to a number of factors including increased broadband speeds, widespread VoIP adoption around the world and a high level of interest in facilitating communications between Asian and American businesses. This strong VoIP penetration in the Asia market opens up opportunities for businesses which have international branches and/or clients. Additionally, it allows smaller business to start looking at their options for development overseas.
The research reported that business VoIP use increased forty percent (although reports on these statistics are admittedly vague as to the time frame of comparison for this number). The research was completed by AMI Partners, a consulting firm which specializes in assessing business technology trends in the global market for businesses employing less than 1000 people. The focus of this target market suggests that there is potential for significant advancements in international business interactions for smaller and mid-sized companies, advancements which are facilitated by VoIP.
As you know, VoIP significantly decreases the cost of international calling while facilitating communications amongst multi-branch offices. However, the service goes further than this for small business looking to leap into a bigger market. With the efficiency offered by VoIP, businesses in Asia are able to more easily market themselves to the American client. This opens up a whole array of opportunities for partnerships with existing companies in the Asian market. It is often easier to form positive, mutually beneficial relationships with existing companies that have their own market than to start off in a new market as a small business. VoIP has the potential to make that easier for businesses located both here and in Asia.
Information on VoIP Business providers in Asia can be obtained here.
In the case of a major disaster, it is absolutely imperative that we have a reliable phone system which can stand up under tragedy in order to allow for efficient communication with emergency personnel. New legislation approved by a House panel last week is helping to make sure that VoIP systems are up-to-date with this kind of efficiency. The 911 Modernization and Safety Act, if approved in full, would facilitate calls between VoIP systems and 911 operators to enhance the safety of relying solely on VoIP for outgoing calls.
But can?t you already connect to 911 using VoIP? Yes, but the system is a complex one which may prove fragile in the face of emergencies. With the present system, VoIP customers dialing 911 are routed to a third party which then proceeds to connect the call to the emergency operator. This poses a safety threat; the more connections that need to be made, the more problems may occur in the case of a serious outage or disaster. The new bill would allow VoIP providers to bypass this third party and connect directly to the E911 system backbone, enhancing the strength of the communication system.
In today?s busy world, we often spend as much time at work as we do with our families. Having witnessed the way that co-workers and business associates are forced to come together in the face of major tragedies such as 9/11 and Hurricane Katrina, we know the importance of maintaining safety at this level in the workplace. Businesses switching to VoIP are interested in assuring this safety while still streamlining their phone and data services. The new bill assists with that. Now that it has passed through the House panel, the bill moves on to review by the Energy and Commerce Committee.
There?s a high probability that if your business currently uses VoIP services, you also use a Private Branch Exchange (or PBX). The PBX has been a fairly standard system of business VoIP, particularly for medium-sized businesses, because it decreases calling costs to outside lines. It also increases efficiency because it uses short code numbers (a 3 or 4 digit code, rather than a 7 or 10 digit phone number) to reach those outside lines. The efficiency and decreased cost have made PBX prevalent. However, new software from Microsoft is hitting the shelves and rapidly causing PBX to look outdated and inefficient.
The new software, called Office Communications Server 2007 (or simply OCS), is part of what Microsoft is calling their new ?unified communication platform?. And that?s not all that Microsoft is saying. In a speech given at the launch of OCS 2007, Bill Gates said that the platform officially marks the transition to software-enabled VoIP and spells the beginning of the end for PBX. Comparing PBX to the mainframe computer, Gates said that it was efficient for its time but that its time is coming to a close.
Does that mean that you need to re-work your 2008 budget to incorporate this new software and eliminate your PBX? Not necessarily. The transition to software-enabled VoIP isn?t going to happen overnight and there?s no reason that your PBX won?t remain efficient and cost-effective for the time being. Additionally, the announcement was made at launch that companies waiting three years to transition to OCS will find that the cost has dropped by 50% of what it is today.
However, this is definitely an area to keep apprised about. Software-based VoIP offers a great deal more function for the future, allowing much easier integration of voice services with other services including email and instant messaging and online conferencing. As these VoIP developments are made, your business may want to grow with the times.
Pingo, the VoIP division of international calling company iBasis, recently announced that they are launching Pingo Business. Designed to meet the needs of businesses with less than 1000 employees, the company markets a form of VoIP which requires no equipment, software or contracts. The idea is that small businesses can test the waters of VoIP without paying the costs. But of course there are pros and cons to the new product.
Taking a closer look at those ?
Pros of Pingo Business:
?Low-cost option for businesses, particularly in international calling
??On-demand? VoIP without contractual binding
?No need to purchase software or equipment
?Centralized account lets administrators manage usage and other account details
?Pingo Business uses SIP technology which is considered the more cutting-edge way to go with VoIP calling (although it?s becoming increasingly standard across the board)
Cons of Pingo Business:
?Pingo may not differ considerably from existing Internet calling systems
?Being new, the company may or may not stick around in the VoIP game, although its association with iBasis helps to mitigate that
?Pingo is strictly a voice product so businesses that are interested in integrating phone service with email and online data will want to go with a different provider
This latter factor is the main cause for concern that businesses will want to consider when thinking about trying out Pingo Business. Most businesses transition to VoIP not just to save costs on calling but also to streamline all of their communications. The low-cost, no-contract VoIP offer of Pingo Business can be appealing but may not be worth the time spent learning the product if you need additional VoIP services down the line. There may be more efficient ways of taking baby steps into VoIP.
In just one year, Verizon showed enough growth in popularity of its wholesale VoIP services that it doubled its ratings in one survey to be awarded their top wholesaler VoIP award. The survey was the annual research survey of ATLANTIC-ACM, a consulting and researching company for the telecommunications industry. The survey polls over 800 customers on various aspects of voice provision including prices, the quality of both services and products, and ease of transactions. The official award given to Verizon after the votes were all in was for being the Best in Class Wholesale Metro product provider in the category of Incumbent Local Exchange Carrier (ILEC).
The launch of the VoIP product suite happened just two years ago and has been developed rapidly since that time. Features that are now standard for VoIP (such as foreign telephone number assignment, directory assistance and online operator services) all became standard due in part to Verizon and similar VoIP companies implementing them rapidly into their VoIP suites.
"Verizon launched this product suite two years ago in response to wholesale customer demand," said Mike Yancey, director of wholesale voice product management for Verizon. "We're pleased by our No. 1 ranking, which confirms our efforts are successful in meeting the customers' needs. We'll continue to look for ways to improve these award-winning VoIP products."
It should be noted that Verizon has worked hard on many different levels to achieve this kind of success. Sure, they?ve developed good products and provided quality customer service which is the foundation of what garnered them the award. However, they also worked on the legal battleground, gaining patent infringments against companies like Vonage which were entering the VoIP field using Verizon-based technologies. Verizon is still dealing with this issue, as Vonage has recently requested a review of the decision that favored Verizon.
The VoIP wholesale award wasn?t the only one that Verizon recently received. The company also received an award from Telephony Magazine for their innovation in developing and distributing a broadband-based payment-processing program for small and mid-sized businesses. Like the company?s VoIP services, this product helps to streamling business dealings over the Internet, increasing effficiency and productivity for the business.
RingCentral is a small California-based company which is poised to grow due to a recent influx of $12 million of funding. The funding has allowed the company to grow from offering only web-based handling of inbound VoIP calls to offering outbound VoIP services through its new DigitalLine program. The way that RingCentral started small and grew steadily serves as a mirror image for the way that it allows small businesses to get started slowly with VoIP and then grow into it. Other VoIP companies want to sell you as many features as they can from the get go. RingCentral?s mentality is that you can start slowly with the features that your business needs and then move in to other features as your VoIP needs grow.
RingCentral?s target company is the small business which wants to establish credibility in the business world. "We have turned RingCentral into a breeding ground for VoIP, focused on the largest single business segment there is ? the under-ten-employee companies, of which there are over 25 million in the U.S. ? with a low-risk, low-cost, try-before-you-buy-it model," said Jay Blazensky, VP of business development. They advertise that they provide a ?virtual phone system? which is easy-to-use after setting up through instant activation. More importantly, they point out that they offer small companies a means of ?looking like bigger companies?.
One method discussed recently over at VoIP News was that small businesses can start off with the features that will quickly enhance their images as established companies. When a consumer calls a new company and is exposed to features including hold music and an atuo attendant, that consumer assumes that the company is more established and larger than it may actually be. This isn?t lying to the customer; it?s behaving in a professional manner which boosts the credibility of your business. Fake it ?til you make it has always been a fairly good business approach. Once you have that credibility, business will grow and you?ll be ready to add other VoIP features to your service as well. Additional features include everything from faxing through the web interface to integration with Outlook.
These back-to-email features of the VoIP system are part of the new look of business VoIP across the board. Businesses are interested in VoIP in large part because they want to streamline everything that they can to increase the productivity of their business. RingCentral could be offering a way to start doing that in a step-by-step fashion which may appeal to businesses that are trying to figure out if VoIP is right for them and how exactly it will work with their existing communication systems. Testing out VoIP via the company?s broadband system will allow businesses to make better decisions about how to integrate VoIP into their long term goals.
What do you think - is a "baby steps" approach a good way to integrate VoIP into a small business while establish the company's credibility or does this kind of "look bigger than you are" method lead to trouble down the line?
Best Buy is best known as a retail chain but the company seems to be trying to revamp its image by reducing attention to the products it sells and expanding upon the services that it offers. This facelift is being seen primarily in the form of boosting its Best Buy for Business service, a facelift which is being accomplished in large part through acquisitions in the VoIP market.
The big acquisition that had everyone talking recently was when Best Buy acquired DSL/broadband reseller Speakeasy. This purchase allows Speakeasy / Best Buy for Business customers to purchase bundled data, voice and managed services and brings Best Buy into the VoIP game. The retailer plans to use the skills and experience of Speakeasy?s employees to grow this area of its company.
With the Speakeasy acquisition just barely behind the company, rumors have started filling the air that Best Buy is also taking a look at acquiring Speakeasy?s wholesale broadband partner Covad. Best Buy has apparently looked at this acquisition in the past but not gone anywhere with it so it?s hard to say what will happen quite yet. It seems that the area they are most specifically looking at acquiring is Covad?s VoIP service.
This indicates that success with VoIP is going to play a significant role in Best Buy?s ability to branch away from retail and into service provision for businesses. This requires a leap of faith from consumers who might not want to jump on board with a VoIP company that doesn?t actually specialize in VoIP. How do you feel about purchasing a service as important as your company?s whole phone system from what currently remains primarily a retail chain?
JAJAH first gained attention as a VoIP provider when it emerged in 2005 and was dubbed ?the new Skype?. Although the provider has seen an increase in users steadily throughout that time, it hasn?t been until recently that business VoIP users began turning their eyes to the company. JAJAH?s tools (which include mobile plugins, Google gadgets and Firefox extensions) have facilitated the transition from individuals to businesses. With significant upgrades and new changes in the air for JAJAH, more professionals are watching what?s going on with the service.
One of the major upgrades has been an increase in services directly intended for business VoIP customers. These business services include conference calling and scheduled calling options. Additionally, the business account offered by JAJAH has a number of applications specifically beneficial to increasing productivity and even revenue for small businesses. These applications include a widget for adding a ?call me? button to your website, increased call functionality, and the possibility to generate revenue through the JAJAH affiliate program (where you get money when anyone else joins JAJAH through your site). The company also offers singular invoicing for multiple users which is a streamlined accounting process that mirrors the intended streamlining of productivity that VoIP is supposed to be all about.
The most recent change to the JAJAH service which might be employed by businesses in the future is their creation of web buttons for facilitating calls through various websites. JAJAH users can place a button on favorite websites including professional social networking site LinkedIn and classified advertisement site Craigslist. The buttons connect both parties through JAJAH. For example, let?s say that you placed an advertisement on Craigslist to hire someone for a new position; the JAJAH button could be used to facilitate calling between hiring managers and the applicants. However, the buttons may not be available for use on all of their originally intended sites. Specifically, eBay has banned the use of the buttons so facilitated calls between eBay vendors and their clients won?t be happening any time soon.
Other than the buttons, the thing for business JAJAH users to watch is the company?s development of mobile applications. They?re already beginning to bring VoIP to the mobile platform using a no-download online system which works with business phones like Blackberry and Treo as well as SmartPhones by several companies. Additionally, other companies such as eMobile have been teaming up with JAJAH to bring preinstalled VoIP to newer phones. As JAJAH moves off the landline and out into the world, it becomes even more of a company to watch.
What drives down prices and improves performance? Competition, of course. This means good news for the world of VoIP business consumers because the VoIP playing field is seeing an influx of new talent interested in competing in the game. Companies left and right are announcing their new VoIP products for small and mid-sized businesses, trying to outdo one another with better services and lower cost. If your company can hold out for the best deal, this could mean great, affordable VoIP service for you in the near future.
To stay on top of your game, you need to be aware of who the players are. Here are some of the most recent announcements in VoIP business offerings to add to your personal comparison chart:
- Speakeasy + Polycom. Their webpage tells you right off the bat that they level the playing field in this game. Their new ?high-performance, no-maintenance Hosted PBX? VoIP system is designed specifically to meet the needs of businesses. This is a step up from many of the existing VoIP systems which are VoIP systems originally designed for individuals and then adapted to business. Learn more from their recent press release.
- Verizon Business VoIP. One of the major phone carriers that?s offering new VoIP for Business is Verizon. See their press release for information about how they?re helping companies with the transition to VoIP.
- Digium + Switchvox. Digium is an open source vendor of VoIP PBX services which has recently expanded due to its acquisition of Switchvox. This means that Digium will be able to roll out its business VoIP services to an increased number of businesses. The interesting thing to watch here is the open source aspect of this business.
- 3Com Corporation. 3Com has teamed up with Digium to offer a similar system. The new system offered by 3Com is designed for businesses which have 30 - 250 telephone users in the company. 3Com?s senior VP, Bob Dechant, says ?3Com VCX Connect changes the VoIP marketplace by delivering an application-enabled communications platform today.?
- ZivVa + Vocalocity. ZivVa is a hosted VoIP provider which just acquired Vocalocity, a VoIP software provider. The acquisition broadens what ZivVa can offer to business customers, opening them up to providing two different types of VoIP platforms: ?an on-demand service based platform and an OEM driven VoIP platform centered on standards based tools for deployment?.
These are just the latest in a whole slew of announcements coming from the VoIP business world. Do we see the potential for a new position within companies for a VoIP consultant to assist in sorting through the details?
Cell phone advertising is a broad new market and you shouldn?t be ignoring it if you?re in the business of making your business grow. Most people who have begun paying attention to the potential increase in mobile phone and VoIP advertising are doing so from the negative standpoint of the consumer. After all, most of us don?t really want to be bombarded with any more advertising than we already see. But from the standpoint of the business owner, this kind of advertising is opening up a whole new market for spreading the word about products and services. The smart business person is carefully watching developments in mobile advertising and coming up with potential methods of accessing this new marketing method.
So far, most of the developments in phone advertisements have been in the mobile phone market. Google and other major players in the advertising game are looking closely at ways of integrating advertising into your cell phone use. One area being worked on extensively is interactive advertising in which the cell phone user is able to see ads for items they may be interested in purchasing or locations they may be interested in visiting which are near their current location. This form of advertising is based on technology that is similar to Amazon?s suggestive advertising (?you might like this? or ?other customers who liked this bought ??).
However, it?s not just the mobile phone market that is starting to see developments in potential new marketing. The VoIP sector is also seeing innovation in this area. Most recently, Silicon Valley start-up Pudding Media has proposed a means of using Google-style advertising on VoIP which would insert keyword-based ads into VoIP calls. As a business consumer of VoIP, you?d probably prefer not to have to deal with these ads on a regular basis (and you probably won?t have to if you?re paying for VoIP and not using an ad-based service), but as a business person you can access this new form of marketing to reach others with information about your products and services.
Before Adwords proved itself in popularity, many people didn?t believe that its new kind of advertising would work in the world of business. Now we know that people regular click on ads which generate revenue for all different types of businesses. With competition for the attention of Internet users increasing daily, leaders in marketing need to move forward into new areas to reach potential customers. Mobile phone and VoIP advertising is the new frontier in direct-to-consumer marketing.
It?s difficult to know which provider to choose when looking at VoIP services for your business. You want to work with a company that?s going to take its development of VoIP seriously. You also want to work with a company that isn?t likely to be going defunct anytime soon (especially since the Sunrocket debacle left many VoIP customers out in the cold). But it?s so early in the game that it?s hard to tell which companies meet these basic minimum standards for good VoIP service.
Many businesses are turning their eyes tentatively towards Comcast. Comcast is devoting itself to working on extensive development of VoIP services specifically for the business sector. They have hired approximately 500 employees who will work exclusively on their business phone service. They are investing somewhere between $12 and $15 billion in their small business phone sector and have set a goal of 20% penetration in the market within the next seven years.
It?s probably not time to jump on over to Comcast for VoIP yet. The company really needs to strengthen itself in this area before it can meet customer expectations about the longevity of its product. In terms of hardware, Comcast is working on moving from their current two-line phone to a working 8-line VoIP phone. More importantly, they are working on developing their ability to meet the needs of business customers on a customer service level. Within the next year or so, Comcast very well could be the most viable company to select for VoIP business services, but as with all technology and business growth, only time is going to tell for sure.
Learn more about Comcast VoIP from Broadcast Newsroom and from the company?s website.
