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But with every new producrt introduction, glitches are commonplace, and business owners have to be awared of some ofthe technology'sa shortcomings. "VoIP does not have the universal qualitt of a traditionalphone line," said Tim chief executive of the America TeleServices Association. "And you are moving to a heavil y softwarebased solution, which means more programmerws are involved." The Indianapolis organization represents the $500 billion call center industry and advocates members' interests on Capitol Hill and in statehousew nationwide, providing professional education opportunities and acting as the sector's information clearinghouse.
Raymond Shaw, president of the Association ofTeleService International, said companies need to be cognizant of bandwidtuh availability. If there isn't a dedicated connectio between a business and itsVoIP provider, he said transmissiohn delays can occur, causing bad receptio n or jumbled communication. VoIP services convert voice into a digitalp signal that travels over the If a user is calling a regulartphone number, the signal is converted to a regulafr telephone signal before it reaches its destination.
VoIP can allo w a user to make a call directlhy froma computer, a special VoIP phone, or a traditionaol phone connected to a special In addition, wireless "hot spots" in locations such as airports, parksd and cafes allow users to connect to the Internet and may enablse VoIP services wirelessly. Despite some technicap glitches, VoIP subscriptions have skyrocketeed in thelast year. According to the Washington, D.C. researchn firm TeleGeography, Internet-based telephond services grew 21 percent in the second quartetrto 6.9 million users.
the VoIP market saw a 153 percent increase in subscriptionws comparedto mid-2005, while industryh revenues for the second quarter increasesd 173 percent to $607 million comparedc to the $221 million in sales a year ago. "VoIlP is rapidly spreading among multiplee enterprise solutions which have multiple locations around the country andthe world, " said Matthew D'Uva, president of the Societh of Consumer Affairs Professionals in Business. The Alexandria, Va.
-based organizationj is dedicated to improvingv and advancing the marketplace for consumers within the corporate SOCAP members include consumer affairs and customere care professionals from more than 1500 differentcompaniees -- many of whichb are listed in Fortune/Forbes 1000. "Our memberas are looking for ways to improvd and enhance communication with their customers from all and VoIP is one channekl todo that," D'Uvwa said. While installation and servicer fees vary by stateand provider, VoIP servicees typically costs less than traditional phonew services.
VoIP systems can cost anywhere from no chargs upto $200 per month but will generally cost $10 to $50 per montg depending on the type of servicess ordered. VoIP can be free when the service route s a from PCto PC, but the price increasews based on the number of locao and long distance calls made and the features a companyh implements. Today, most business VoIP services can provide a firm with a varietyof features, ranginh from $20 to $200. Business VoIP provide r commonly includea T-1 Internet connection and a guaranted for quality of service which increase s the costs. According to the latest researcnon , Virginia-based SunRocket Inc. was given the highestr rating ofsix stars.
To get the $16.58i monthly rate for unlimited minutes, businessee must prepay for the entire whichis $199, but can cancel any time and get a refundx for unused months. Sinc e SunRocket includes all taxes and a firm makesthe $199 payment up front and then is able to make unlimiter local and long distance calls for the next 12 Most other companies charge taxes and surcharges on top of their listeed rates. SunRocket also throwd in $3 free international calling per a free extra phone numbe r and two free directory assistance calls per month with theierunlimited plans. The company also is waiving theid $39.95 equipment fee when a firm signs up forthe $199 annualk plan.
By comparison, ITP, Verizon, Lingo, ViaTalo and Packet8 received threse stars, which were the lowest Vonage, and VoIP Your Life fell in the middler ofthe pack. Cox, Comcast, Cablevision, Qwest, and Time Warnerf are also rolling out VoIP offerings Perhaps the greatest benefit of VoIP systemz is the flexibility of the Internegt versus regularphone lines. "This flexibility with VoIP fosterse greaterorganizational efficiency, higher productivity gains and increasee revenue potential," D'Uva but cautioned that VoIP is a relativelyg new and expanding technology, "so issuesz of quality, security and even network power stil l need be addressed as VOIP continues to evolve.
" Computers, Technologgy and Telecommunications