More businesses are leaving conventional landlines behind and getting onto Voice over IP phone systems, and considering the level of attraction for various reasons, this isn't all that surprising. Fortunately, business VoIP providers and IP telephony as a whole are improving daily, moving closer towards implementation that addresses all issues and covers all bases. The following guide is in an effort to go over some of the pros and cons of VoIP, helping small businesses commit to something they would benefit from, or perhaps shy away from a technology that is neither feasible nor applicable.

​Making VoIP Work
​There are two ways of powering your VoIP service, and that's cloud hosted service or self-hosted service. If you're dealing with a major provider such as Fonality or Nextiva, odds are all calls are being directed to you and software clients are being handled with utmost devotion. If it's BYOD, then even better if it's plug-and-play certified and supported by your provider. Requiring no additional hardware and simply paying a flat-rate for service is the best and easiest way to go. 

The second kind of support in self-hosted service, will require an on-site VoIP system. With this, you'll need an IP-based PBX to route calls to the appropriate phones on your network, in addition to a PSTN gateway. This hardware is the most intelligent choice for large offices making the switch to business VoIP services that have an infrastructure in place that makes it expensive or impractical to switch entirely over to VoIP right away.

With either method, basic settings may be changed from your phone while more advanced options are usually able to be manipulated from using your provider's online account interface. 

​Pros of VoIP
There are many benefits to using VoIP, but rather than drag them all out in laborious fashion, here are some quick bullets to get a sense of how it can help:

• Business VoIP service costs significantly less than traditional phone service
• Hosted services might require no new hardware investment
• Subscription fees are low, and often contract-free
• In-network calls over data never hit public phone lines, so the term 'long distance' (not international) is negligible when it comes to VoIP. Go a step further by setting up your office phone for simultaneous ring with your cell, and answer calls to the business in real-time, even if you're not at your desk. 
• Many hosted VoIP providers also offer mobile apps that use your data connection, so you're never truly "out of office", staying connected and preserving minutes on your cell's minutes plan.
• Adding an extension requires no new hardware (unless desired), and is simple as getting a software key from your provider.
• Customization - Greetings, virtual receptionist, voicemail, the amount of rings before going to voicemail, call hunting...only a few among the laundry list of basic to complex features you can implement to boost your business and give it that professional and personal flair. Sometimes these extras are extra, but not an amount that's going to break the bank.
• Price Flexibility and Options - If you only want a single line and cheap calling to operate your small business, then by all means, opt for a residential VoIP plan. When your customers call, they won't know the difference...but you will when the monthly bill arrives. Some plans are as little as $5 per month for unlimited nationwide calling, though it's best to read through the terms of use carefully as some consumer-focused plans forbid using residential lines for commercial activities. Use some discretion, read carefully, save money. 

​Cons of VoIP

​VoIP, like any technology, has it's downsides. The good part, is that the negatives are few and especially infrequent in some cases:

• Power Outage = VoIP Outage [The best way to remedy this, is have calls routed directly to your cell. Unfortunately, VoIP will be disabled until power is restored]
• 911 service is not always offered, and if it is, it will most typically cost extra or result in high base-subscription fees. 
• Connecting to mobile phones might incur extra charges, in addition to calling less major foreign countries. Among providers, per minute rates are competitive for this reason.
• A poor network will indubitably mean likewise calling quality. Quality of service exists to mitigate the effect of this, but is supplemental rather than a saving grace. It will be useless in slow, erratic, overly busy networks.

​Selecting a VoIP Provider
​First and foremost, determine how many lines you might need and the responsibilities those particular lines should have based on the demand of your office infrastructure. The great part about VoIP, is that you may always add or remove features, making integration of the perfect system a trial and error process that won't require getting locked into a long-term contract that is a financial burden. Adding a $5 feature that you find wasn't working out so well, can be seamlessly eliminated in favor of something better, effective immediately once the term you already paid for is over. VoIP is a mix & match kind of service, fully customizable and affordable - if a business is sure of it's needs, then it will surely save money. Also, focus on what the provider is offering and what comes standard.

Shop around, make comparisons - educate yourself and make decisions that will have a lasting and positive impact on your business. Check out business VoIP comparison charts and read VoIP Reviews to see how one company might be a better offering than the other at close glance. Again, it's all about needs and company procedure, so base the ultimate decision on what will be most beneficial to your business in the long-term and run with it.