Five ways to maximize business VoIP usage

November 1, 9:12 AMSan Diego Business Technology ExaminerMonique Myers

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VoIP phone systems, where calls are placed over a high-speed Internet connection, are a technology that has been around for awhile but just recently made major improvements in the usability, sound quality and service. Ifonetics Research reports business VoIP is expected to see a revenue increase this year of 24%. From video conference calls to offices in Beijing and Detroit to seamlessly transferring calls between office locations, VoIP phone systems affordably improve business communications. But are you really maximizing your current VoIP phone system usage?

Aside from using VoIP for interoffice calls, call forwarding and affordable long-distance calls, few companies really understand the benefits of a VoIP service. Here are six creative ideas on how to use your VoIP service:

24-Hour Customer Service: VoIP’s forwarding capabilities allows you to forward incoming calls between different customer service teams so if it’s 12 a.m. in the United States and you want a live person to answer, you can forward to the UK where it is during business hours (8 a.m.).

Podcasts: You can actually record a phone call or phone conference to later post on a blog or review internally with your team later. If one of your employees missed a conference call, instead of debriefing him/her, you can just send the podcast.

Learning Tool: Interested in learning about new marketing techniques or advances in your industry? Find a lecture or study session that allows you to call in. Like a webinar, VoIP meetings are expanding to include wider audiences. You could even learn a new language to better relate with international clients with free VoIP applications like Italki.

Multi-Office Collaboration: VoIP also promotes instantaneous collaboration. Using VoIP add-ons such as Yugma, which allows desktop sharing or Google Docs in conjunction with VoIP promotes live collaboration regardless of employee location.

On your cell phone: Due to pressure from the Federal Communications Commission regarding 'Net neutrality, cell phone providers must permit VoIP applications. Soon affordable international calls will be available throughout the United States as long as you are within the mobile provider’s coverage. (This is currently not 100% available.)

These additional VoIP uses push the envelope on VoIP features. VoIP telephone systems are the communication giant of the future, embracing all of the additional perks is one way to capitalize on your investment. Do you know of any other ways to use business VoIP phone systems?