VoIP Calls

Like the infamous WAP ‘Internet access’ on mobile phones beforehand, ‘free calls’ via VoIP has been over-hyped and ultimately been disappointing in its early incarnations due to variable call quality and the lack of resilience in services. Business customers generally do not understand the implications of getting to the so-called ‘free call’ panacea. It’s true that free calls can be established via VoIP services such as Skype but it relies on both the caller and the called party being connected to a Skype service as the whole call is carried by the Internet. If a Skype user makes a call to someone that doesn’t have Skype then they will incur call charges as they will have to break out of the Internet and on to the chargeable, traditional networks. The same goes for business based VoIP services.  If a business has multiple sites, free calls can be established between the sites if the business has VoIP enabled hardware or a hosted solution deployed at each site. The business will be charged for all calls that go ‘off-network’ meaning that they will incur call charges for calls that terminate on the traditional networks e.g. calls to their customers and suppliers who are using traditional telephone lines and calls. VoIP really comes into its own when you are travelling abroad. Most good business class VoIP services have a soft phone capability which allows you to make calls via a broadband connection using a headset plugged in to your laptop. These services usually allow you to present your telephone number wherever you are in the world meaning that you can work anywhere and your contacts will be none the wiser to your whereabouts. Most compelling though is the fact that if you make a call to anywhere in the UK from abroad you will only incur a local call charge thereby circumventing the traditional international networks and related international call charges.  You will also benefit from free calls back to your offices or wherever the VOIP service has been deployed. If you would like to find out more contact us.

Traditional Calls

BT are masters at spin. They employ slick marketing campaigns which offer potential customers free calls as well as capped calls to mobiles. However only a very small proportion of customers have the right call profile to benefit from their offers and most end up paying more for calls than they originally anticipated, whilst being locked in to long term contracts which compound the problem. BT also charge a call set up fee for every call as well as a minimum call charge on top of largely uncompetitive rates. My advice is to read the small print very carefully, do not contemplate signing a long term contract and shop around. Most alternative service providers such as Columbus Telecom offer a simple and transparent tariff, giving you ultra competitive rates, no call set up fees and no minimum call charges. On top of that you will be billed to 4 decimal places so you pay for exactly what you use and nothing more. Further discounts can be achieved if the call service is taken in conjunction with other services such as lines and broadband and everything is billed on one concise, easy to read online invoice each month. You will also benefit from free billing analysis so you can see how much you can save before you make a decision on which service you would like to take. If you are paying more than 1.2 pence per minute for local and national calls and 8.9 pence per minute for mobile calls then contact us for advice.