Voice over Internet Protocol, or simply VoIP, is one of the â??inâ? things in telecommunications industry these days. Many large businesses have already shared their success stories in their implementation of VoIP into their networks to help their day-to-day operations. Even residential users enjoy this technology because of the cheaper call rates VoIP providers are able to offer.
But what about small and medium-sized businesses? By theory, VoIP implementations should be applicable with whatever type of user, whether residential or business, as it is basically just switching from the old analog telephone system to digital technology. However, it is not as simple as that when it comes to implementations and evaluating the costs involved, which is what all businesses are concerned about.
VoIP was very much welcomed by large companies because of the significant cost savings the technology gave them. Small businesses, on the other hand, are not as accepting because of several factors to consider. For one, small businesses do have a wide variety of needs that may not be accommodated by set bundles of VoIP providers. Also, since small businesses have significantly lesser headcount than large corporations, the cost savings may not be as much; they can even end up spending more if the VoIP implementation was not well-planned.
Thus, careful thought and strategic planning is the key to make VoIP solutions work with small businesses. Here are some ways to implementing VoIP to a small business network:
1. VoIP for Internal Calls only. IP-based calls are only free, technically, when routing is within the same network. For small businesses that make lots of inter-office calls, and not so much long-distance calls, IP-based PBX for internal calls will be a good option to look at.

2. VoIP for some Outbound calls. The services of VoIP providers normally include installing a Graphical User Interface that helps their clients manage routing of different phone calls. With the GUI, the business can set up all long-distance outbound calls to be routed through the VoIP network, while calls like 911 will go through the standard analog line for a more reliable connection. This implementation takes advantage of the cheaper long-distance call rates offered by VoIP providers while still maintaining the analog line for important calls that need reliable and totally clear connection.

3. VoIP for Inbound Calls as backup. These days, inbound calls are being charged as well because of the use of the Direct Inward Dial (DID) feature of VoIP. This may not really sound cost efficient if used as the main line for all inbound calls. However, if this feature will be implemented only as a backup in case there will be a sudden influx of calls, this may even bring in more revenue. In this case, the standard phone line still remains as the main line for inbound calls as there is usually no charge for this. The DID number will be used to forward all further incoming calls should all the analog phone lines get busy. This means customer still gets through to the lines without changing the number that they dial.

4. VoIP All-the-Way. Some small businesses would want to completely revamp their telecoms infrastructure and switch everything to VoIP. This is fine as long as the change has been planned well and the impact on the business carefully considered.

There is no harm for small businesses to try out VoIP as long as it is done gradually and it has been well thought of. There are several Small Business VoIP providers that can help prospects in coming up with the right solution for their specific business needs.