Voice Over IP telecommunications, more commonly referred to as VOIP, allows users to make and receive telephone calls over a broadband internet connection. Already there are several well-known VOIP service providers, and individuals from all over the world subscribe to their services because of reduced costs and added convenience. VOIP services can help businesses just as much as they can individuals, though many business owners never even stop to consider whether VOIP may be a worthwhile investment for their company. If used properly, these services may be able to save business owners money while providing features that they might otherwise never have considered.

Unlike traditional telephone companies, Voice Over IP service providers don't rely on telephone lines to make their connections and transmit their calls. Instead, a broadband internet connection such as a cable, satellite, or DSL connection is used as the medium of transferring the call digitally over the internet. The recipient of the call doesn't have to have a VOIP connection, of course; calls placed in this manner can reach any telephone or cell phone that a normal telephone could. Since the call is being placed over the internet and sent, however, it is simply routed to telephone exchange that is closest to the recipient where the call is completed normally. This can make calls to locations around the world possible for a standard rate instead of premiums, and allows service providers to offer flat-rate monthly fees regardless of the local or long-distance service that is actually used.

Voice Over IP services have a number of advantages that can be beneficial to a business, including some options that may not be available with standard telephone companies. VOIP providers often feature a full range of telephone services included in their monthly charges, including caller ID, call waiting, call forwarding, and voice mail. Since the service is based over the internet, customers are also generally able to choose a telephone number from a wide variety of locations instead of just the area in which they live. This can be useful for those who expect to frequently receive calls from others in another city or town? by setting up their phone number in the caller's locale, all of the calls that they receive will be considered local calls for the caller and can end up saving them a significant amount of money. For businesses, this can allow branch offices or workers with a temporary setup on location to be able to have a number local to the main office to help curtail long distance and other telephone expenses.

Using Voice Over IP services can save businesses a significant amount of time, money, and human resources that might otherwise be tied up on a landline-based telephone. In addition to the reduced long-distance costs of calling branch offices from the main office, businesses that convert their total telephone system to VOIP can save on long distance and international calls from all business locations by paying only a flat rate for their telephone services each month. VOIP handsets and start-up packages can also be purchased from a number of common retailers, meaning that the days of waiting for telephone service to be installed and set up are a thing of the past. VOIP systems can also be expanded and maintained much more easily than standard telephone systems, since there is no additional wiring that must be run to add new telephones to the system. In addition to being faster, less expensive, and more convenient, all VOIP system maintenance can be done in-house by the same individuals who handle all IT and computer networking tasks? the days of having to outsource or contact the telephone company for maintenance are over.