Business phone service can be as simple as
a single phone line on up to the use of T1's or other types of circuits to
handle higher call volume. Depending on the nature of the business and the
expected call volume, phone service for business can become quite complex and
require the use of more sophisticated solutions to deliver phone service.
For smaller businesses, standard POTS
lines are used to terminate into a phone system that then routes calls out to
individual extensions. POTS or "Plain Old Telephone Service" is the
same exact type of phone line that would be used in the home. To accommodate
the call volume, business phone service would use multiple POTS lines to
provide the capacity needed when installing for use by a business. Although
suitable for small, stand alone businesses, this type of setup is not practical
for larger businesses where thousands of calls may be made each day.
ISDN is a common type of circuit used for
business phone service. ISDN or (Integrated Services Digital Network) allows the
transmission of digital signals to travel over traditional copper telephone
wires. Suitable for most types of communication transmission, ISDN has become
somewhat of an industry standard for most phone service for business. This type
of circuit can be used for voice, video and data transmission. Each ISDN T1
gives you 23 outside lines. There are 24 channels in an ISDN circuit with the
last channel being used for switching signals and data such as caller ID. Each
ISDN circuit can be configured for outbound or inbound traffic as well as being
assigned long distance or local capabilities depending on the needs of the
business.
When speaking about business phone
service, the term "trunk" usually comes up in conversation. A trunk
is the term used when talking about grouping circuits or phone lines together.
They are configured in the business phone system as a "trunk group"
where each of the members of the group is called a trunk group member. Each
trunk group member consists of one line in which a call can be made or
received. In the case of the ISDN, 23 trunk members are configured for each
ISDN T1. Trunk groups can have as little as 1 trunk group member up to 100's of
trunk group members depending on the type of phone lines coming in and the
capacity of the phone system.
Most business phone company providers
offer various packages that are geared to a particular business's needs. The
type of service provided is implemented using considerations such as call
volume, the type of phone system being utilized and any features that the
business might need or want. VOIP is fast becoming a commonly used technology
that allows businesses to leverage their network for the transmission of voice
conversations between locations. This type of setup allows the business to save
money on long distance costs as well as create a telecommunications environment
where multiple locations use one phone system.
VOIP can be implemented through either the
use of dedicated circuits in the business's network, or can be used over the
internet. However, since the internet is not controllable, a VOIP system should
be configured on a private network. This way the business can control traffic
priority and insure that the voice conversations are given priority on the
network. VOIP requires higher bandwidth and a properly configured QoS setting
to insure that in times of high traffic demand, that the voice traffic receives
the highest priority and is routed first.
New to the world of business
communications, SIP is the latest signaling protocol for VoIP and data
networks. SIP is a specialized protocol whose sole purpose is to control the
network session. SIP controls the opening and closing of a network session in
much the same way as HTTP. A large benefit of SIP is its ability to control
many different types of media within the same communications session. A user
could surf the net, watch an online video and make a phone call all on the same
communication session. This means that SIP has a larger trunking capacity than
many circuits in use today.
Phone service for business should have
some provision for disaster recovery or redundancy in the event of an outage.
Redundancy utilizes a backup system in the event that the main system fails.
Larger businesses typically have a duplicate system in a remote location that
becomes active in the event of loss of connectivity of the main system. In
those businesses with many locations, each location should have the ability to
operate as a standalone system in the event of a network outage that prevents
it from communicating with the main telephone system. This way, each of the
locations still has the ability to communicate with the outside world and
engage emergency services if necessary. This is done through strategically
installing circuits and network connectivity through the business phone
company. Having redundancy minimizes the risk of loss of communication in the
event of a natural disaster or inclement weather where the main phone system is
located.
To further minimize potential risk, it's also a good idea to make sure
that the company providing business phone service has also taken measures to
insure business continuity in the event of major power outages or loss of
communication.
Business phone service can take many forms
as well as offer businesses more cost effective ways to provide communication
for their associates. No matter what the size or the complexity of the business
is, there is a suitable solution that can provide features and benefits that
allows the company to save money and improve communication with both the
customers and the employees. When assessing business phone service needs,
determining how the company uses communication and what they find most useful
are going to be key in determining the type and capacity of business phone
service needed. Whatever solution is decided upon should offer a significant
return on investment in terms of better communication and cost savings for the
company's overall communication costs.
I suggest you take the time to visit the
website of Steve Mike levy at http://www.BusinessPhoneSystemsfinder.com
and learn more about the changing world of Business Phone Systems.
If you're looking to purchase an Office
Phone System you may also receive access to instant price quotes at: BusinessPhoneSystemsfinder.com/choosing_business_phone_systems.php.
Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Steve_Mike_Levy
Article Source:
http://EzineArticles.com/6495714