Ball State

» IP telephones

By China at 4:56 PM

I was surfing the Internet the other day, looking for new technology, and stumbled upon VoIP. I wondered, "what in the world is VoIP? It doesn't sound like anything I've ever heard of!". Of course, nobody else I knew at school had heard of it, either. Not wanting to waste an opportunity to be at the forefront of some new, exciting technology at my school, I researched it.

VoIP stands for Voice over Internet Protocol. Using this service, you can basically talk on the phone over an internet connection versus over a phone line. What are the advantages of such a service? It eliminates aggravating phone wiring, which can clutter workspace and looks tacky. You can use this service either through a compatible computer or an IP telephones.

While everyday people can use VoIP, it is ideal for businesses as it can greatly decrease the wiring and complication of intraoffice and outside communication. Each employee can have their own line, and it is possible to see who is on the IP phones and when. And if you are concerned about you or your employees becoming competent with their ip phone, you can purchase Microsoft Response Point. It allows you to work with VoIP without spending hundreds of dollars on training and gaining expertise. It also allows you to work not only with the phone service but with email as well, streamlining business operations.

Still not convinced this is the absolute best thing to happen to telephone communication since the cordless phone? Think about it this way. If you own a business, your main goal is to decrease your costs and increase your profits, right? Of course, there are certain costs you cannot avoid, such as equipment costs and human resource costs and the like. This is a simple way to not only decrease your costs but will decrease the annoying look of telephone cords around an already cluttered workspace.

Personal users, do not be discouraged by the emphasis on business...VoIP is for you too. Imagine being able to perform all calls from your computer versus having to install a phone line in your dorm room or apartment. And I know this is a plus for college students who have gone out of state for college and thus are faced with long distance charges (especially students without cell phones). And it has voice mail capabilities that sync with your email...how much better can it get than this?

If you are looking for a way to streamline operations in your business or even in your personal life, this is the perfect opportunity to do so. In addition, it's much cheaper than conventional telephone methods. VoIP is sure to take over as a service growing in popularity in the following years. Why not be at the forefront of technology and give it a try?