VoIP, which literally stands for Voice over Internet Protocol, really is one of the newest and least costly ways to provide your business with an effective and efficient phone system. Individuals who employ Business VoIP enjoy all the benefits and flexibility that often come with this kind of telephone service. What most individuals don’t realize is that there are two kinds of VoIP: Business Phone and SIP Trunking. If you’ve been looking into all the different VoIP providers out there, you probably have come across the term “SIP”. Perhaps you’re wondering what exactly SIP is and how it can help your business? Allow me to introduce you to SIP.
Essentially, SIP trunking is the method by which all calls made between your office and branch offices can be automatically converted into packets that can be sent over the internet connection. This process is referred to as SIP trunks. Essentially, SIP trunks are links that provide phone numbers with extensions so that they can be easily accessed. You will have multiple phone lines connected to your office internet connection. However, each VoIP provider uses their own method for providing this service.
One of the most common methods of providing SIP services is through hosted PBX systems.
Hosted PBX services generally offer a wide range of features such as voicemail, faxing, call forwarding, auto attendant, and more. These types of business phone solutions are typically offered through a connection to the internet. For example, if you were able to go to the hosted business phone system and sign in through your desktop computer, you would have access to your hosted pbx services.
SIP trunks are also offered through IP telephony services.
Simply put, an IP phone system offers users the ability to make local or toll-free calls to any part of the world. With this type of service, calls are routed through the internet and forwarded to the appropriate destination. In some cases, the destination is the regular business phone number you would use to make a call. However, many businesses opt for hosted VoIP services that allow them to use their own unique telephone numbers.
It should be noted that the majority of VoIP providers do not offer unlimited calling plans. Generally, there is a per user per month cost for unlimited calling. Many companies may charge a monthly fee for unlimited long distance or conference calling. In general, however, these fees are much less than what you would pay for traditional landline calling plans.
Most VOIP services also include features such as video conferencing, web collaboration, and file sharing. This feature is especially useful if employees are based in different geographical locations. By using the SIP trunks provided by these VOIP services, they can easily connect to each other, even if they are thousands of miles apart.
One aspect that business VoIP service providers often neglect to consider is the maintenance of voicemail. Many providers include a voicemail application with their service. Unfortunately, many users do not take advantage of this application and forget to download it each time they utilize their computer’s voicemail feature. When an important voicemail message is left unanswered, a user can actually sign up on the voicemail system and track it as it is being delivered to them. This ability is especially handy for business owners who spend a great deal of time away from the office but need to communicate with their employees. By setting up an automatic voicemail delivery service as part of your business voice services, your employees will never be without your voice.
For additional features like caller ID and more, you will need to purchase additional SIP trunks for each computer on your network. The best part about having a SIP trunk is that each phone will be assigned a unique IP address based on the type of service they have signed up for.
- This allows each number to be distinguished from all others in the same manner as a unique phone number.
- Your business VoIP service provider will provide you with all the information you need to configure this feature for your clients.
- However, if you feel that knowledge is not enough, many VoIP providers also provide SIP trunks to their customers at no extra charge.