VoIP for Small Businesses
This guide is intended for a range of small businesses, from those that have little knowledge of VoIP through to those who need further information on issues such as security, the types of services available, number portability etc. VoIP has been in the market for many years but is now beginning to be promoted heavily in an environment where IP technologies are gaining a strong foothold to replace older technologies.
Because there is no one system suitable for all applications or businesses, the task ahead for small business is to become familiar with the features, benefits and limitations of VoIP. The next step is to determine how, and if, VoIP benefits will translate into productivity gains for the small business.
VoIP is a technology where the small business has to skill up BEFORE approaching an IT shop or IT section of a retailer. (Be aware that there are plenty of VoIP products being marketed to small business that are better suited to larger businesses.)
It is possible that VoIP will not offer sufficient benefits. Therefore a self assessment here, for VoIP is critical to enable a small business to make an informed decision.
While cheaper phone calls is the most commonly advertised benefit of VoIP, the real benefits of VoIP are derived from the productivity gains to be made from the advanced communications features and the functionality provided. For instance document sharing and three way calling. These two features enable the sharing of data by staff in different locations, and results in more effective communications (especially on complex issues), while ensuring all staff receive the same instructions and guidelines at the same time. Another key feature is the Follow Me Roaming, to communicate with remote or travelling staff. The added functionality and benefits offered by VoIP can be very significant and are described here.
The limitations of VoIP are discussed here. A major drawback for a small business is the potential to lose BOTH data and voice lines during an electrical blackout, if the PSTN line has not been retained. Other limitations include poor quality of VoIP calls; lack of interoperability with other software (e.g. firewalls); security concerns and, a critical lack of consumer protection measures for VoIP services. A range of security measures are listed here.
For some the poor quality of calls is acceptable because VoIP calls are free or very cheap. But for most small businesses, poor quality calls will be a problem when dealing with customers. Ways of improving the quality of VoIP calls are listed here.
VoIP equipment and VoIP plans are constantly changing. VoIP
costs and plans in particular are very difficult to evaluate. For this reason
SETEL refers small business readers to two experts in the field: namely
Phonechoice and Market Clarity. In addition a comprehensive VoIP checklist of
questions and issues for consideration by small business can be downloaded by clicking this link (Microsoft Word document 26kb).
The full guide is available for download here (PDF 105KB)
Below are links to the segments of this guide:
What is Voice over Internet Protocol?
Examples of internet enabled voice calls
Is VoIP an effective option for your small
business telephony needs?
Self Assessment by Small business to determine if VoIP is
suitable
The benefits of VoIP for a Small Business
Limitations of VoIP and other issues
Ways of improving the quality of sound of VoIP calls
Criteria for selecting a VoIP provider
VoIP Numbering System and local number issues
Security issues and measures for VoIP
VoIP Costs, Plans and other pointers
Where do failures occur in a VoIP service?
Small business consumer issues
Future developments required by consumers for VoIP services