Small to Medium Sized Businesses (SMBs) are in a constant struggle to control their overhead. Voice over IP (VoIP), along with IP telephony applications and their capabilities provide a technology that offers SMBs a choice of solutions that can lower telecommunication costs and in all cases, enhance productivity. Additionally, using VoIP will allow businesses to take advantage of future application development. The main benefit of VoIP technology is that it is a cost saver. For many businesses, this is enough of a reason to consider implementing VoIP. Cost savings comes in many ways. By converting voice into packets and transporting these packets over an IP network, be it a private WAN or the Public Internet, business owners are able to avoid the PSTN and associated tolls.

In the case of multi site branches, employees can utilize the company's data network and eliminate all costs associated with intra-company calling. Furthermore, they can have all locations served by a hosted solution (XStream), enabling extension dialing between geographically dispersed locations. By simply dialing a co-workers extension, you can speak to a remote colleague as if he or she were in the very next cubicle. VoIP enables seamless call transferring to experts across the floor, across town or across the globe.

If the data network reaches a remote location, so too do the telephony applications that employees at the corporate office enjoy. Productivity enhancing applications such as conferencing, voice mail, unified messaging, and click to dial are all enabled across a hosted VoIP solution. Management of the system is simplified, web based and implemented with the click of the mouse.

By combining separate voice and data into one network, VoIP enables cost savings from a network infrastructure perspective as well. There are no large capital outlays and no need to run two separate cables for voice and data. Additionally, network administrators need manage only one converged network.

VoIP also reduces the cost and complexity associated with moves, adds and changes. Many VoIP solutions allow administrators to mange the system via a web based browser interface and enable managers to enact changes to an employee's phone and voice mail system remotely. All this is accomplished without the need to call the phone manufacturer or third party contractor to send a representative out to make those changes. It may not take much work physically to move a phone or set up a voice mailbox, but imagine the time and impact a small business will gain owning the control of these functions.

Another benefit of VoIP is that a Hosted Voice Communication Solutions (XStream) from Streamline Networks is scaleable and you pay only when and where you grow. SMBs can migrate to VoIP slowly, employee by employee or department by department, in order to maintain a healthy measure of control through the transition without the burden of up-front capital expenses.

Streamline has conveniently bundled voice, productivity applications and internet access into one Simple Service Package that will fit almost any business

Contact Streamline Networks today for a free, no obligation consultation or call us at 781-863-1035 x3 .

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