What's the big deal about Voice Over IP (VoIP) and what is it?

VoiP stands for Voice over Internet Protocol.  Simply put, it is the process of transmitting voice signals over the same connections we use to network our computers together. The VoIP that you hear about in the media for the most part is "not ready for prime time" as far as most businesses are concerned. This is the type of VoIP where your phone lines (your connection to all the other telephone in the world) are replaced by VoIP lines. If you have more than 2 lines this is not the solution for you - yet.

The other type of VoIP is "application-centred" and there are basically 2 uses:

1. If you have multiple offices, VoIP allows you to network them together in ways that were never possible before.

2. If your company has staff who work from home or travel, VoIP allows them to have the same presence on your phone system that they do when in the office.

Our phone systems from ESI have a VoIP feature set that is in its third generation. If you have a well managed network we can provide tremendous flexibility that was just not possible a few short years ago. If you don't have a well managed network, we can help you make it so.

 

When do I know that I need a new telephone system?

Most companies review their telephone system needs when they move into a new location or grow and require signifiant additional telephones or find new features are not available on their existing systems. Products from ETC Telecom can expand to meet your growth and feature requirements.

 

Can I use my existing telephone handsets?

Unlike the residential marketplace, business telephone systems connect through a wide range of interface specifications. So your home handset will not operate on the business system. Each business system offers features according to a proprietary interface, that means handsets for different business systems are not compatible