VoIP Makes Long Distance Calling Cheaper.

Since VoIP uses the Internet to transmit calls, it does not need any special equipment or access point to make the connection. The customers won’t even need a traditional phone line to sign up for VoIP services. All they need is an Internet connection. Calls will be transferred across the Internet and the business owner could choose to take calls on his computer, or to use a special VoIP telephony device instead. Many VoIP providers are now offering unlimited long distance calling plans to their customers, enabling businesses to save a lot of money on their monthly phone bills.

Internet Conferencing Made Easy.

For businesses that need to make a lot of conference calls, VoIP is their cheapest solution. Instead of having to travel from one place to another to attend a conference, or having to make long distance calls to multiple people to make a phone conference, business owners can just sit in the comfort of their chair and use their computer to make Internet conference calls with a few clicks.

Value-Added Features.

When you use a VoIP telephony system, you can take advantage of many other value-added features such as 3-way calling, music-on-hold, personalized voice mail, auto-responder corporate directory and auto attendant. Plus, since this technology is independent of any location, you are free to pick any phone number you like. A business located in Europe may choose to sign up for a US telephone number to improve its image to its US customers. There is also no limit on the number of phone numbers you can sign up for.

If you are looking for a way to cut costs and improve your business operations, then VoIP telephone system is the way to go. You will have access to your calls anytime you want, so long as you have an Internet-connected computer with you.

Choosing the right VoIP service provider is also very important. You should take into account the reputation of the service when making a decision. If the service has too many bad reviews online, maybe you should stay away from it. Today, many VoIP service providers offer competitive calling plans to attract new customers. Many of them even offer free trials to let the customers try their service first.

When making a choice, you should put two important factors in mind: price and features. You should choose a cheap provider, however, this does not mean you have to sacrifice quality for cheap price. With enough research, you are sure to find a good business VoIP service with competitive rates.

Huge Savings to Switch to VoIP.

VoIP could save you a maximum of 50 percent of your monthly telecommunications costs. If your business has to deal with a lot of international customers on the phone, then VoIP is the perfect choice for you. You can save as much as 90 percent on your international and long distance calls.

Conferencing Made Easy.

If you have been spending a great deal of money organizing conferences for your business, you will find VoIP a true blessing. With VoIP, you will be able to communicate with each other entirely online through a broadband connection. You can sit in the comfort of your home and run a conference with other colleagues entirely online. You will be able to see one another, send files, share photos and much more.

High Mobility.

With VoIP, you can be located anywhere and still be able to make and receive calls. A business could be located in Europe and still be able to pick a US phone number as their main business number. This way, businesses worldwide can improve their credibility in their customer’s eyes by setting up a virtual office in the US and operate as a US business. You will be able to make and take calls wherever you are, provided  you have an Internet connection with you. One such user is San Diego business IP phone systems.

Above are some benefits of using a IP phone systems. If your business has yet to take advantage of the power of VoIP, it is time for you to try it and see how much you could benefit from it.

Your business will get a wide range of features that are incredibly useful and will boost work productivity immensely. Certain features that are specifically helpful for telecommuting employees are available with VoIP. Some features that VoIP systems offer to your Washington DC business is activity reports, call recording, CRM or Customer Relationship Management and conference bridges software integration.

Below are 3 ways that your business can improve productivity using VoIP.

Employees Can Take it with Them One way VoIP improves business productivity is that it enables employees to take their VoIP services on the road with them.  Wherever they go, they will have access to their calls. What this means is if you have employees that travel, they are able to have access to your business office line day and night through their VoIP telephone systems. This allows customers to connect with your employees when they need to without having to give cell phone numbers out. When customers are able to reach employees better when they need to, it increases productivity as a whole.

Added Features.

Other than simply saving money, small businesses are using VoIP simply for the extra features that traditional phone systems do not offer. Some of these features include dial-by-name directory, custom greetings, auto-attendant, follow-me calling, virtual fax, do-not-disturb, voice mail with email and web delivery, music on hold, unlimited mailbox space, no busy signals, various notifications, virtual calling card, integrated conferencing and day/night mode. This only lists some of the various features that are offered through VoIP which makes it such a suitable system for businesses in any industry. When you are in a good network, you can also benefit sometimes from no planned downtime which means you will not need to be concerned with losing touch with clients or employees during repairs on the network provider’s end.

Save Money.

VoIP enables businesses to save on maintenance, installation and monthly phone invoices. The best VoIP provider will provide you with a package that will fit your businesses usage. Typically, with a plan that is usage-based provides similar features as that of the flat-rate plan where you just pay for what you are using. If your business is using less than what it would normally be charged for with a flat-rate plan, the usage-based plan might be more suitable for your company to save money. You pay a flat fee each month for the flat-rate plan and are more suitable for businesses with normal phone use.

Making the Switch.

Once you decide on going with a VoIP phone system, you need to have the right Internet service. You will need more bandwidth to have all your communications running across the Net. Determine how many phones you need, how often and how many will be used at the same time and what the peak usage time will be. Contact your local cable or DSL company to determine which can provide you with the most bandwidth at the best cost. Have the new Internet service installed and buy or rent the appropriate modem.

Have Your Number Transferred.

Unless you want to have a new phone number, which is not recommended if you have been in business for any length of time, you will need to contact your current phone company and ask them to port our number to the Internet provider. This is generally a simple phone call but be prepared if they ask you to sign a form stating you requested the change. There are companies that try to change your phone service without your permission; the legitimate companies often require a signature to do so. Set a date for your service to be switched, allowing for time to buy and install any new equipment.

Decide on Equipment and Have it Installed.

Depending on your needs, you may choose to have VoIP desktop phones installed, utilize existing cell phones or have your calls all come through computers with a “soft phone” application. When you decide to use computers or cellphones, your system becomes much more variable and mobile. Employees may be able to log into the system from home or anywhere they can access the Internet. Having desk phones keeps the routine running almost normally, people will not need to learn new communication procedures.

Integrated Communications.

When you use the Internet for your phone use, you will also be able to keep all your other methods of communication together. Have your voice mail, email, instant messaging and text messaging all running through the cloud based phone systems. Have meetings with a video conference to make sure everyone knows what is going on and keep teams working together on documents or projects no matter where they are physically located.

Using Internet Protocol for your phone and other communications is the best way to keep up with your competition. Clients and customers will have more access to you and your business. They will feel more confident in dealing with you when they know you can be reached at almost any time. Work projects will not fall behind because someone needed to be elsewhere; they can log in and work from a remote location. Once you make the switch, you will not believe you can get so much more work done.

1) Customer Reviews.

Reviews are a good way of finding out what a business is like. You can go onto the provider’s website and see what other customers have had to say about them. From this, you can gain a little more insight into what the business offers you. If there appear to be more bad reviews than good, then it may be best to avoid that particular company. This is of course going to be left up to your own judgment, so make sure to read all of the reviews carefully.

2) Features.

VoIP often gives people a number of different features to its users. These features will include not just network telephone calling, but video conferencing and instant messaging. All of these features will need to be present on a good VoIP system. As well as this, it is possible to get systems that will be able to call landlines. These will of course cost you money, but the costs are going to be significantly lower. You will need to make sure that you know how much these costs are going to be. This will enable you to find out what the best way of communicating with your clients will be, as well as how much you can budget for your communication costs.

3) Data.

VoIP systems will require a certain amount of data to run, and this mean that you may have to get more. Of course, the amount of data that you buy will depend on how much you are willing to use. You do not want to spend too much money on something that you are not going to use frequently. It is therefore a good idea for you to get only the amount of data that you will require for your calls. If your business does end up expanding in the future, then do not fear. Many VoIP systems are quite flexible, so you will only have to add more to the system.

4) Look for Deals.

If you can find any discounts, then make sure to grab them while you can. You will also need to look at the short-term implications of this, but you will be surprised at what you can do if you go scouting for lower prices. This is especially true if you are starting up your own business. Contact Center Phone Systems to choose the apt Voip systems for you!

Even Tony Stark had to make the Mark I Iron Man armor in a cave from scratch! This guy can go up from here… Next step? Rocket boots!

Posted with a request received from Maya Expo. The original article can be found here…

More than half of a human body is made up of water. Water is the essential constituent of blood, lymph, digestive juices, urine and perspiration. Adequate water intake cleans out the body, and promotes healing processes. Without water, your body simply cannot function. We all know that. Check out some more reasons to drink enough water:

- Studies have shown that drinking at least five glasses of water a day can significantly decrease the risk of cancers of the colon, bladder and breast.

- A mere 2% drop in your body’s water levels results in short-term memory impairment, trouble with basic maths and difficulty in focusing.

- When dehydrated, your body produces cholesterol, which surrounds the cells to protect the fluids within them. In the long term, this can damage general health.

- Water suppresses the appetite naturally and helps the body metabolize stored fat. Dehydration can slow down metabolism since it springs the body onto starvation mode and holds onto fat cells that contain high levels of fluids.

- Drinking water helps maintain muscle tone by giving muscles their natural ability to contract.

- If you allow your body to become dehydrated during exercise, you lose the ability to sweat and cool off, which can raise body temperatures to dangerous levels.

- Feeling of anxiety and confusion, having dry skin, increased heart rate, and decreased blood pressure can all be signs of dehydration.

Aim to drink little and often throughout the day so you never get to the stage where you feel thirsty. Alcohol and drinks that contain caffeine cause, rather than protect against dehydration. Choose plain water! Also, you can supplement your fluid intake by eating soups, and raw fruits and vegetables, containing high levels of water, such as broccoli, lettuce, carrots, watermelon, and apples.

Reference: Floyd, E. (2005). 1001 little health miracles.

Now multi-core Android phones can be PCs too. Ubuntu for Android enables high-end Android handsets to run Ubuntu, the world’s favourite free PC desktop operating system. So users get the Android they know on the move, but when they connect their phone to a monitor, mouse and keyboard, it becomes a PC.

Watch Ubuntu founder Mark Shuttleworth explain Ubuntu’s mobile strategy & what it offers industry partners.

Here’s an excerpt:

19,000 people fit into the new Barclays Center to see Jay-Z perform. This blog was viewed about 62,000 times in 2012. If it were a concert at the Barclays Center, it would take about 3 sold-out performances for that many people to see it.

Click here to see the complete report.