The Good Side of Residential VoIP

One of the first things you may think of when you're counting the advantages of VoIP service is the lower long distance fees, particularly if you make a lot of calls for your business.

Those fees can really add up, and many VoIP providers have attractive long distance rates.

So long distance savings are a major advantage of VoIP, but they're not the only advantage, by far.

Normally, when people think of VoIP, they think of it primarily as a replacement for their land line. This is a good use of VoIP, but particularly when thinking about saving money on long distance calls, it's a good idea to compare VoIP to cell phone service, as well.

This is an area where VoIP has a real advantage, in that most residential VoIP providers let you use your existing phones. You don't have to buy a new phone, as you would when changing cell phone providers. This may not be a major consideration for most people, but it is important to consider how you'll be using your VoIP service and take into consideration the importance of keeping your phones.

If you run a business from home, and receive a lot of calls, you'll enjoy the voicemail features some VoIP providers offer. Comcast, for one, will email you when you receive a voicemail message, and you can retrieve your messages online. This is a nice feature for people who can't always answer the phone when they're working; they can check their messages quickly and without interrupting the workflow.

One question potential VoIP users express often is, "How's the sound quality?" This is a good question, as VoIP is relatively new and the very idea of sending voice over the Internet raises some questions about how that would work and how well it would work.

Most VoIP connections have excellent sound quality. Businesses have been using VoIP for a while now, and would not continue to use it if the sound was not stellar.

Fortunately, the sound quality of VoIP does not tend to degrade when used in residential settings, and most residential VoIP customers are very happy with the quality of their calls.

Finally, VoIP offers a choice in telephone service providers, which is very important to many people who have been dissatisfied with the level of service and support offered by the large telephone companies.

While smaller, friendlier phone companies are now offering residential service, many VoIP users switched to VoIP in part so that they could work with a different telecommunications provider and avoid the hassles their previous phone company caused.

VoIP is a great choice for many residential phone customers because of the cost savings, ability to use your own equipment, available features, and sound quality. Many also prefer to work with more supportive companies. Here is a great article on comparing VoIP providers that will provide a good starting point to finding a provider.

Overall, it is clear that there are many positive aspects of Voice Over Internet Protocol phone service. Over the coming years, we can expect a great increase in the percentage of residential phone customers who use VoIP as opposed to land line services.