5 Ways To Save Money Using VoIP

If you’re like me, you’ll have had a few people ask about VoIP. Of course they don’t call it VoIP, instead they’ll ask about Vonage after seeing an advert in the paper. Or maybe they’ve heard about a friend who has been saving money with their internet phone and they want to know more about it.

I get asked quite frequently, but like most ‘new’ technologies Average Joe is reluctant to drop what they know. A lot of people I’ve spoken with doubt the quality of internet phones and get caught up in the technical jargon. Thus it helps to have a few points on the tip of your tongue to help convince those ‘almost-adopters’ to take the plunge and switch to VoIP.

1. Save on international calls
   It isn’t unheard of for families to have a son or daughter who live overseas. As such you should make it clear that they stand to make considerable call savings if they move to VoIP. Point out that they can use a service such as Skype or SightSpeed to make free calls to that foreign family member. The idea of being able to keep in touch for free, and without having to go out and buy a phone card, should entice them and has been the clinch-factor in many VoIP switchers I know.
2. Family homes with multiple phone lines
   Many families will have multiple phone lines so that they can hold more than 1 conversation. Typically there will be a phone line for the main contact number, another line for the kids to call their friends and some even have another for faxing etc. I personally know of several families where they have 3 or more lines, which to me is overdoing it a bit. In the UK and many other countries you have to pay for line rental, which can cost about $20 per month before you make a single call. So if you want to save money, why not drop all the excess line subscriptions you have and consolidate everything into one line? Even if you make very little use of the VoIP phone, that family will save some serious money each and every month!
3. Businesses with heavy call loads
   Business in our time is all about communication, and that means being able to make cheap phone calls. The problem is that with globalization flattening the world, a business will most likely have a considerable volume of international calls which are expensive if you are making them via PSTN. So in the business world, a switch to VoIP can bring some very significant savings.
4. Telecommuting
   It’s all the craze and it shows no sign of abating, telecommuting is here to stay. A business that can employ telecommuters really needs to use VoIP because these types of footloose businesses are entirely dependent on communication, both internally and externally. Instead of making calls via PSTN, chatting via IM and faxing, a telecommuter should be an extension of the office. This means that any calls coming into the office can be redirected to the correct extension without the caller being cut off. It simplifies things, and keeping it simple is what it’s all about. Being able to employ telecommuters saves a business money on so many fronts. For example, that telecommuter doesn’t need a company car, doesn’t require you to rent more floor space and doesn’t distract other workers.
5. Reduce reliance on cell phones
   There’s an interesting trend emerging, the dual mode cell phone that can place a call via the cell network when the cell network is available or route the call via the internet if it detects a WiFi network. If you live in an area with good WiFi coverage then you could save quite a bit of money with one of these dual mode phones. We all know just how costly wireless carriers tend to be. So if you can route the call via VoIP and save why not try it?