It's hard work running your own businesses. As well as being an expert in your own right, you also need to handle or oversee all the paperwork, finances, cash-flow, and record-keeping. One of the best ways to help yourself and your SOHO is to make your phone calls over your existing broadband connection. Find a good VoIP provider, and you can be sure that your ‘small office, home office' – at least when it comes to telephone calls – runs as smoothly as possible.



Here are 10 ways in which Voice over Internet Protocol (VoIP) can most benefit anyone who runs a SOHO (Small Office, Home Office).

1. Save money. You're probably aware by now that using VoIP slashes the costs of making telephone calls. If you've got a cable broadband connection (such as Virgin) you can cancel your cable phone line but keep your cable broadband connection. This means your VoIP phone line becomes your main phone line without the need to pay line rental anymore. If you're an ADSL broadband customer (such as with BT), you can't cancel your phone line without losing your broadband connection. But if you still make a lot of calls, you can still save thanks to the unlimited call packages available from VoIP providers.

2. Cheap second business line. If you decide that you need a second line, with a second work number dedicated to your SOHO business, it's easy to set up. Whether you're a cable or ADSL broadband customer, you can easily find a VoIP provider and start making calls to other landlines or mobiles using your existing broadband set-up.

3. Predictable monthly bills. VoIP offers unlimited, anytime calls to landlines and sometimes, mobiles. This means that you always know what your bill will be. No unpleasant surprises, no bill shocks. You can manage your SOHO budget much more smoothly.

4. Choice of dialling code. When you sign up to a VoIP provider, they will usually give you the option of choosing a dialling code that suits you. If your customers are in a different part of the country, you can choose a code that's local to them. So when they need to speak to you, they pay only the cost of a local call.

5. Online account and record keeping. Free, detailed online records mean that you can check whom you called, when, and for how long, at any time.

6. Choice of packages. When you sign up, you can choose the package of countries that that suits you best. Do you just call UK numbers? Or do you need to include European destinations? Perhaps you make most of your calls to the US or India? Whatever your SOHO needs, there will be a package to suit you. And you can change or upgrade whenever you want, as and when your SOHO business grows.

7. Always be contactable. You customers will know they can always get hold of you. Most VoIP providers throw in an armful of free features, including many that traditional landline providers would charge for. From call waiting to ring-back, 3-way calling and call forwarding, you can rest assured that there's everything you need to make sure you offer top-class customer service.

8. Unlimited anytime calls. You can call customers back confident that you can talk for as long as they need you to, without worrying about the telephone bill. If you offer to call customers back when they ring you, you will add value and make your business stand out in terms of customer relations.

9. Call clarity. Your customers won't know you're using a broadband telephone unless you tell them.

10. Easy to set up. If you've got a broadband connection and a DECT telephone, all you need to do is find a good VoIP provider and sign up. They'll send you the adaptor you need to connect your phone to your broadband (using either your computer or your router) and you're ready to start making cheap calls through the internet.

So if you run a small business, or you are self-employed and work at home, using broadband to make phone calls makes sound business sense.