VoIP is an acronym for Voice over Internet Protocol, it is also referred to Internet Telephony or IP Telephony. This technology allows phone calls to be made over Internet. This is a free or cheaper way of phone calls. VoIP converts analog voice signals to digital data that can be transmitted over the Internet.
VoIP calls can be made on Internet using VoIP service. VoIP has many advantages over the traditional phone services. People use it for free or at lower cost. If you have a computer system, mobile device with quality Internet connection, you can communicate for free using VoIP. You can make calls at home, at work or at any place by using VoIP software.
How VoIP Saves Your Money
1. PC to PC
VoIP is a revolutionary technology, use your PC (with speaker or headset) with an Internet connection & make free calls. You need to choose a PC-based software (softphone), download it & install it. After that, you can make or receive your calls for free.
Softphone is a piece of software which can make calls to other computer & can also recieve calls from other computers. Some most common VoIP softphone services are:- Skype, Gizmo, VoIPStunt, PeerMe, Fring, Yeigo, iChat, iCall, Nimbuzz etc.
Downloading & installation for the software is free, & you can make or receive thousands of local or international calls without paying a penny.
2. Mobile Devices
You can also make free calls from your mobile device by using VoIP service. For this, you need a mobile device which can support the service, the caller on other side using the service like Yeigo, Fring, and most important, your device needs to have a quality Internet connections (e.g. 3G or Wi-Fi).
3. PSTN or Landline Phones
Many people & small businesses use PSTN phone service or land-line phones. VoIP can be used with landline phones, it has lower cost than traditional phone calls. You have to choose service plans from service provider depending on your needs & nature of communication. You can also save your money on international calls with VoIP service. Service providers offer very good service plans for small businesses. This type of service needs Internet connection & ATA device (phone adapter).
ATA. ATA stands for analog telephone adapter, which allows to connect a landline phone to your computer or Internet connection. It has to place between phone set and Internet router. ATA is analog to digital converter which convert analog signals from phone set into digital data for transmission over the computer network or Internet.
How Can VoIP Improve Your Voice Communication?
Voice over Internet protocol (VoIP) allows you to make phone calls over the Internet. It converts analog voice signals to digital data which can be transmitted over the Internet. Here are some reasons to choose VoIP & how it can improve your personal & business voice communication.
# Save Your Money
If your are using PSTN service, you have to pay for each minute you spend communicating on the phone. You have to pay more money for international calls which are more costly. So if you want to reduce your expenses & save your money, switch to VoIP. VoIP makes phone call over the Internet, you just have to pay your Internet bill for this service. You can communicate as much as you wish on VoIP.
Using VoIP service you can save up to 40% on local calls and up to 80% on international calls as compared to PSTN line. It is clear that VoIP is very cost effective for personal & business use.
# Affordable hardware & software
If you want to use VoIp service for voice communication, you only need a speaker & sound card besides your computer & Internet connection. You can download the different softwares from the Internet , install them & use.
Some examples of such softwares are Skype, Gizmo, Yeigo, Nimbuzz etc. These software packages are easy to understand & operate. So with VoIP, everything takes place over your Internet connection.
# Interesting & Useful Features Reach
With your traditional phone service, you have to pay for extra features like call forwarding, call waiting & more. But VoIP can make your experience very sophisticated & rich for your business & individuals. You can make call all over the world with your VoIP service.
You will get a lot of interesting & useful features with VoIP at zero cost. Some features are Caller ID, Voicemail, FAX, Call blocking, Call waiting, Call forwarding and some more features.
# User-Friendly for Businesses
Company employees are more web & mobi savvy, they get irritate dealing with complicated problems of phone system. VoIP technology is more friendly for your employees as they using web & mobile device. Call forwarding & other features are very simple, they can access voice-mail from email on mobile devices.
So, its easy-to-use features deliver good experience to your employees and which help to enhance your business.
# Fax over IP & Other Media
If you are using PSTN service, you must pay high cost for long distance fax service. With VoIP, you don’t need for a fax machine for sending & receiving fax. It deliver your fax in very reliable way.
VoIP is based on Internet Protocol (IP), so with voice communication it can also handle other media types such as transfer images, video along with voice & video conferencing calls & more.
# Customer Support
With traditional office phone lines, you are restricted to your office region. With VoIP, you can talk anywhere there is a computer and a fast Internet connection. You can provide web based customer support with VoIP technology & minimize problem-solving time period. With web based customer support, you can improve your customers satisfaction & enhance your market reach as compared to your competitors.
