Phone Tips To Get Things Done: Professional Phone

Phone Tips To Get Things Done: Professional Phone Skills

by: John Robertson

It happens all the time, you hear someone over the telephone and you make a generalization about the person you are speaking with. It may not be fair and it is akin to judging a book by its cover, but itกs true nevertheless.
Within 60 seconds, people will make assumptions about oneกs education, background, ability and personality based on their voice alone.
What type of impression is your กphoneก voice making? Indeed there are two areas you should be aware of when speaking. One is กwhatก you say, the other the กhowก you say it. Studies show that as much as 87% of the listenerกs opinion of you is based on your voice alone. That leaves only 13% allocated to what we are saying to make a positive impression. With numbers like these it is easy to see why your voice is so important in your career and personal life.
Today we live in a กvoice mailก environment. We are playing กphone tagก, leaving messages and listening to voice mails left by others. It may take as many as 34 tries before actual contact is made and you have a conversation. By the time you do connect, you can be assured that other party already has formed an impression about you.
The following are some tips that will help you improve your phone voice and technique.
1. THIRD RING RULE: Answer the phone by the third ring or make sure you voice mail is set to pick up by the third ring. Today people are not inclined to wait much longer and will assume you are not available and hang up. Remember, as much as we think we don’t like voice mail, we like the option of leaving a message.
2. PROFESSIONAL GREETING: Remember the 87% rule above and make a good impression. Be aware of what you are going to say in the greeting. Then practice and rehearse BEFORE you leave the greeting on your answering machine. Be short and to the point. Don’t drag out the greeting. It is obvious you are กOut of the office or away from your deskก otherwise you would answer your phone. Consider leaving such statements out of your greeting unless you are actually away from the office, then say so and leave a date for your return. I recommend that you leave clear instructions as to what information you need from the caller. Reminder the caller to leave their phone number, best time to return the call and a brief subject.
3. PREPARE THEN ANSWER: Have a note pad and pen by your phone at all times. Write down the callerกs name and use it during the conversation.
4. BE AN ACTIVE LISTENER: Take notes, ask for correct spelling, etc. 5. PROMPTLY RETURN CALLS: Make it your personal goal that you will be one that returns phone calls. This may very well be the most professional characteristic of all you can develop. Set a goal to return phone calls within 4 hours, it will make a positive statement about you and your image.
6. CHECK YOU MESSAGES: Check your messages several times a day. Learn how to dial in from a remote phone to get your voice mails. Many times the caller is facing a deadline and your information may be crucial for them to complete their assignment.
ITกS A TWO WAY STREET. When You Leave Messages For Others Remember These Tips:
1. SLOW DOWN: Don’t speak too fast. Slow down when you are leaving a message, especially if you have an accent. If you make your message hard to understand or if the listener has to replay it several times to get your message your reputation is slipping in their mind.
2. CLEARLY SAY YOUR NAME: Make absolutely sure the caller will understand your name. Consider spelling your name if hard to pronounce or is not a common name.
3. SLOW DOWN: When leaving your phone number go slow. Most likely the listener is writing down your number, make it easy for them to do so. Repeat the number. Consider saying your number at the beginning and end of your voice mail. People will appreciate this.
4. LEAVE YOUR NAME, COMPANY NAME AND REASON: Leave the listener with all the information they will need to know about you. Don’t make them guess. Always leave the reason you are calling. It is very unprofessional to just leave a message simply saying กgive me a callก
5. MAKE IT EASY FOR THEM TO RETURN YOUR CALL: Tell them a good time to return your call. Give them a date, time and phone number.
6. BE PROFESSIONAL: People do judge you by the tone of your voice. Increase your image by sounding professional in everything you do over the phone
Remember that you won’t be able to avoid phone tag, but you can definitely put things in your favor by doing several small things that will make a BIG difference in your image.
For more details on Business Communications, including effective email and voice mail use contact www.TrainingConnections.ORG.
(c) 2004 TrainingConnections.ORG

All rights reserved

About The Author

John Robertson is a Professional Trainer with over 20 years experience in Mid to Sr. Level Management in several Fortune 500 companies. His real world experience will bring credibility to your company. TrainingConnections.Org focuses on three major categories of Employee Performance Improvement; Leadership, Management and Sales Training. Contact us today for more information or check our web site.

http://trainingconnections.org/

mailto:[email protected]

This article was posted on July 10, 2004

by John Robertson

Finding Phone Answers For The Very Small Business

Finding Phone Answers For The Very Small Business

by: Chris Brennan

Startups, small growing firms and even homebased businesses are underserved by the telecommunications industry. But there are telephone systems that fit if you know where to look.

Telephone systems have grown in sophistication by leaps and bounds in recent years, but for the most part, very small businesses have been on the outside looking in. And with the recent evolution in Voice over IP telephony (VoIP), the gap between what small business needs and what the market is offering is only getting wider.

While galloping technological advancements have ushered in amazing new features and inversely lower prices for most office equipment, fullfeatured phone systems have remained largely out of reach for small companies. You can afford a photorealistic slimline desktop color printer now for a fraction of what it cost just a few years ago, and you can beam your appointment book back and forth from your wristwatch to your laptop for under a hundred bucks, but the prices of telephone systems have not decreased at the same rate. Most small companies are forced to cobble together telephone solutions with a combination of multiline telephones, answering machines and costly monthly telephone company services.

True phone systems are far more powerful, offering flexible automated call answering features, call messaging and call routing that can improve a company’s professional image, control communication costs and increase connectivity and responsiveness.

It is widely acknowledged that small business is the engine of job creation and economic health today. With a sophisticated, mobile workforce and limited resources for dedicated phone answering staff, small business needs advanced phone systems as much as its larger counterparts do. Yet according to a recent Yankee Group study, 58 per cent of small firms in the United States don’t have a phone system at all. More than 5 million businesses have fewer than 20 employees, so there’s a big market for phone systems, but the leaders in the phone industry have never been able to produce products to fit the bill.

Why? The answer lies in the size; small business is too small for the big traditional telephone systems, and the scaleddown solutions that the industry has produced so far still have price tags that are too big for small business budgets. Big phone systems just don’t work for very small companies, and the fewer the phone users, the more difficult the fit.

Private Branch Exchanges

Large corporations use Private Branch Exchanges, or PBXs, which allow many phone users to share a system with fewer telephone company lines, based on the idea that not everybody uses their local phone extension at the same time.

PBXs inherently offer the best telephone system functionality available. As anyone who has ever worked in a corporation knows, PBXs handle calls impressively with features such as ring groups, call cascades, auto attendants, voicemail and more. But PBXs have traditionally been massive systems for thousands of users. When PBX manufacturers started to turn their attention to small companies, they found it difficult to scale the concept down. The big companies that make PBXs are not focused on very small business, so they don’t fully understand the space.

The result has been a little like a major auto manufacturer stripping a car of two of its wheels and most of its body and then trying to enter the bicycle market; the results are ungainly and overly expensive. Small business phone systems from the major PBX manufacturers tend to be intimidating and difficult to use, difficult to install and usually require technical staff or consultants and expensive, proprietary phones.

Limited Small Business Solutions

So where are small companies without phone systems getting their voicemail? How are they handling incoming calls? How do they integrate teleworkers and mobile workers? They may use Centrex services; telephone company voicemail and separate lines for each phone user, which add a big boost to the monthly phone bills. While telephone companies all over the country are all too happy to offer increasingly complex business services, the additional billing can add up over time to prohibitive levels.

And there’s no real integration with offsite workers other than simple call forwarding. The proliferation of cell phones in the majority of small businesses has, paradoxically, made staying in touch with customers and collaborators even more difficult. Businesses have to give customers and coworkers different phone numbers for the office and mobile phones, each with separate voicemail systems, both of which are costing the company extra money every month.

Finding Phone Systems that Fit Small Business

Not all of the news is bad, though. A select few companies have realized that the very small business is underserved, and they’ve been producing small business systems that make sense. There are excellent systems to be had in the market, if you know what to look for. The smart new generation of small business phone systems have all of the features of their larger counterparts without the big business prices.

When shopping for a system, look for the ability to easily install and configure it on your own. Installation can cost a significant percentage of the total cost of traditional phone systems. Userconfigurable systems allow you to control the way your phone system works without having to pay the manufacturer or a thirdparty technician to do it for you. The best of the new small business phone systems enable you to do it yourself and save.

Another important feature to look for is cell phone and remote phone integration. If you have teleworkers and mobile workers, you need to be able to collaborate smoothly without giving out dozens of different numbers to your clients. There are small business systems on the market that can connect all of your phones through one central system with one number.

Expandability is crucial too. Make sure that the system you buy today can grow to accommodate the changes in your company tomorrow. And the changes in the industry — with the emergence of Voice over IP technology and new advanced Internet telephony services, your phone system needs to be ready to connect to the IP network while maintaining your connections to the traditional telephone network. Look for hybrid systems that are built with SIP standards to ensure compatibility and avoid obsolescence.

One promising entry in the field is the TalkSwitch system by Centrepoint Technologies. TalkSwitch is a hybrid phone system that offers IP and traditional telephony, and it’s designed specifically for businesses with as few as one and as many as 32 phone users per location. Available online and through resellers, system integrators and interconnects, the compact, userfriendly TalkSwitch is a prime example of the next wave of systems that provide the power of PBX at prices that small business can afford.

Copyright 2004 Chris Brennan

About The Author

Chris Brennan is a communication specialist focusing on small business issues.

http://www.ctrpoint.com

[email protected]

This article was posted on March 20, 2004

by Chris Brennan

VoIP 101: Voice over IP for Beginners

VoIP 101: Voice over IP for Beginners

by: Rich McIver

For those who have never heard about the potential of VoIP, be prepared to radically change the way you think about your current longdistance calling plan. VoIP (Voice over Internet Protocol) is very simply, a method for taking ordinary analog audio signals and turning them into digital signals that can be sent over the Internet.

So what? Well, for those of you who are already paying a monthly fee for an Internet connection, this means that you can use that same connection to place free long distance phone calls. This process works by using already available VoIP software to make phone calls over the Internet, essentially circumventing phone companies and their service charges.

Interestingly, VoIP is not an entirely new thing. In fact, a number of providing companies have been around for some time. But it has only been with the more recent explosion of highspeed internet access usage, that VoIP has gotten any attention. Now the major telephone carriers are setting up their own VoIP calling plans throughout the US, another testament to the potential of the technology.

How VoIP Is Used

While there are a number of ways that VoIP is currently being used, most individual callers fall into one of three categories: ATA, IP Phones, and ComputertoComputer.

ATA or Analog Telephone Adaptor, is the most common way of using VoIP. This adaptor actually allows you to hook up the phone that is already in your house, to your computer, and then your Internet connection. What the ATA does, is turn the analog signals your phone sends out into digital signals that can be sent over the Internet. Setting up this system is quite simple. It simply requires that you order an ATA (its an adaptor remember), plug the cable from your phone which would normally go into the wall socket into the ATA, and then the ATA gets plugged into your computer, which is connected to the internet. Some ATAs include software that has to be installed on your computer before its ready, but basically itกs quite a simple process. Then you are ready to make some calls.

The next type of VoIP usage utilizes IP Phones instead of your home phone. The IP Phone looks just like a normal phone, with all the same buttons and cradle, the only difference is that instead of having a normal wall jack connector, it has an Ethernet connector. This means, that instead of plugging in your IP phone to the wall jack like you would with a regular analog phone, it gets plugged directly into your router. This option allows you to circumvent your personal computer, and it also means that you will not have to install any software, because its all built in to the handset. In addition, the fact that WiFi IP phones will soon be available, which will allow subscribing callers to make VoIP calls from any WiFi hot spot, make this option an exciting possibility.

The simplest and cheapest way to use VoIP is through computertocomputer calls. These calls are entirely free, meaning no calling plan whatsoever. The only thing you need, is the software which can be found for free on the internet, a good internet connection, a microphone, speakers, and a sound card. Except for your monthly internet service fee, there is literally no cost for making these calls, no matter how many you make.

For large companies, VoIP also offers some very unique possibilities. Some larger companies are already utilizing the technology by conducting all intraoffice calls through a VoIP network. Because the quality of sound is comparable to and in some cases surpasses that of analog service, some international companies are using VoIP to route international calls through the branch of their company nearest the callกs destination and then completing it on an analog system. This allows them to pay local rates internationally and still utilize the same intraoffice VoIP network that they would if they were calling someone in the next cubicle over.

Other Advantages of VoIP

While your current longdistance plan covers you for only one location, say calls made from your office, with VoIP, you can make a call anywhere that you can get a broadband connection. That is because all three methods above, unlike analog calls, send the call information via the Internet. This means you can make calls from home, on vacation, on business trips, and almost anywhere else. Anywhere you go, with VoIP you can bring your home phone along with you. In the same way, computertocomputer connections mean that as long as you have your laptop and a connection, you’re ready to go.

There are also some nifty benefits to having your calls transmitted over the Internet. For example, some VoIP service providers allow you to check your voicemail via your email, while others allow you to attach voice messages to your emails.

How VoIP Works

The current phone system relies on a reliable but largely inefficient method for connecting calls known as circuit switching. This technique, which has been used for over 100 years, means that when a call is made between two people a connection is maintained in both directions between callers for the duration of the call. This dual directional characteristic gives the system the name circuit.

If, for example, you made a 30minute call the circuit would be continuously open, and thus used, between the two phones. Up until about 1960, this meant that every call had to have an actual dedicated wire connecting the two phones. Thus a long distance call cost so much, because you were paying for pieces of copper wire to be connected all the way from your phone to the destination phone, and for that connection to remain constant throughout the call. Today, however, your analog call is converted after leaving your house to a digital signal, where your call can be combined with many others on a single fiber optic cable. While this system is certainly an improvement over the past copper wire system, it is still quite inefficient. This inefficiency is due in part to the fact that the telephone line can’t distinguish between useful talking and unneeded silences. For example, in a typical conversation while one person is talking the other person is listening. Thus the current analog system uses roughly half its space sending useless messages like this silence. But there is also more information, even down to pauses in speech, which under a more efficient system can be effectively cut out rather than wasting the circuit space. This idea of only transmitting the noisy bits of a telephone call and saving a great deal on circuit space, is the basis of PacketSwitching, the alternative method to circuit switching that the VoIP phone system uses.

PacketSwitching is the same method that you use when you view a website. For example, as you read this website, your computer is not maintaining a constant connection to the site, but rather making connections to send and receive information only on an as needed basis (such as when you click on a link). Just as this system allows the transfer of information over the Internet to work so quickly, so also does it work in the VoIP system. While circuit switching maintains a constant and open connection, packet switching opens connections just long enough to send bits of data called packets from one computer to another. This allows the network to send your call (in packets) along the least congested and cheapest lines available, while also keeping your computer or IP phone, free to send and receive messages and calls with other computers. This way of sending information, not to mention data compression, makes the amount of information which must be transmitted for every call at least 34 times less for VoIP than the exact same call in a conventional telephone system. For this reason, VoIP is so much cheaper than conventional calling plans.

The Future of VoIP

While most analysts believe it will be at least a decade before companies and telephone providers make the full switch to VoIP, the potential for the technologyกs use today is already quite astounding. A report by the Forrester Research Group predicts that by the end of 2006, nearly 5 million U.S. households will be using VoIP phone service. With the savings and flexibility that the technology already offers, and new advances just ahead on the horizon, we can expect those numbers will only increase in the future.

About The Author

Rich McIver is a contributing writer for VoIP Now: Voice over IP News ( http://www.voipnow.org ).

This article was posted on March 15, 2005

by Rich McIver

VoIP Telephony Basics

VoIP Telephony Basics

by: Jeremy Maddock

VoIP (Voice over Internet Protocol) Telephony is the process of routing voice conversations over an Internet Protocol network, rather than through traditional circuitswitched telephone lines. The voice information is converted into digital data packets and then transmitted over an IP network, such as the internet, or a local area network.

The main advantage of VoIP is the fact that it is highly efficient, and thus very affordable. The cost of transferring digital information over an IP telephony network is significantly less than that of transferring analog information over a traditional telephone line. Because of this, VoIP users can make long distance and international calls to anywhere in the world, at any time of day, for a fraction of what an ordinary phone company would charge.

Although call quality was originally a problem for VoIP customers, this issue has improved greatly with today’s progressing technology. Because of the fact that VoIP traffic goes over a broadband line, there is enough bandwidth available to allow for very good sound quality.

As anyone familiar with telecommunications would probably tell you, VoIP Telephony is revolutionizing the way that people around the world make phone calls. More and more people are seeing the benefits of VoIP, and the number of users worldwide is growing at an astounding pace.

If you have a broadband internet connection, and a touch tone telephone, you are fully equipped to set up your very own broadband phone system, and start making use of VoIP Telephony to save money on all your long distance phone calls.

For more information on the benefits of VoIP, and how you can start using it to save money on your phone bill, please visit http://voiptelephony.teleclick.ca/connect/ …

About The Author

Jeremy Maddock is the owner of a successful telecommunications news website – http://www.teleclick.ca

This article was posted on September 10

by Jeremy Maddock

What is Broadband Phone?

What is Broadband Phone?

by: Aki Majima

A broadband phone is one that makes phone calls over the Internet using the IP protocol. Several large broadband phone companies have come to the forefront in recent months offering the ability to make phone calls with a regular phone, that are routed over Internet Protocol using broadband Internet access. The most popular method of using voice over IP among the household users of this technology is connection to IP telephony via a digital adapter. This is the device that is connected between a broadband modem and a normal house phone to gain access to the broadband phone line. The digital adapter unscrambles the digital voice data that is received via the Internet and converts it to an analogue signal that can be heard and understood with regular nondigital phones.

Without a doubt, voice over IP is the future in telecommunications and long distance communication. Making phone calls over IP is much cheaper than either conventional phones or cellular communication. The technology is extremely efficient and it is very easy to implement due to the fact that it uses the infrastructure of the Internet, a communications structure that already exists.

As internet telephony and its surrounding technology become more and more refined over the coming years, so will the technology that gives us access to it. Even over the coming twelve months, we will see a change from the use of a digital adapter to convert digital data from the web into analogue. Instead, we will see an increase in the availability of digital telephones and USB phones that plug directly into a USB port and that can make and receive phone calls digitally. You will also notice other mediums produce products that will attempt to bridge the gap between old technology and new. While other companies will keep their eye on the digital future and come up with more advanced variations of voice over IP to take us into the future.

The above article is copyright 2005 by Aki Majima.

About The Author

Aki Majima is a successful author and publisher of http://www.phoneserviceexplained.com. Informing and recommending the best route to take when dealing with your phone service needs.

This article was posted on January 24

by Aki Majima

Take Advantage Of Internet Phone Calls (VOIP)

Take Advantage Of Internet Phone Calls (VOIP)

by: Colin Brin

Voice Over IP (VOIP) is a relatively new technology. Voice Over IP allows people to leave behind the old and very traditional analogue phone networks and now adapt in favor of the very new and very progressive Internetbased calling system infrastructure. Using this technology for your communications actually works out cheaper for you in the long run as it means you won’t need to pay for calls if the people you are calling and speaking to are also using the same VOIP system.

Voice Over IP runs on several different types of infrastructure. This is the main reason why you should take the time to do your homework and find out how it works and what is involved, before you even consider setting up a Voice Over IP network at your home or place of business. When you do your homework you will see that invariably VOIP offers lots of advantages over and above the standard traditional telephone based analogue service that most people are currently using. Letกs take a moment to examine some of the advantages of using Voice Over IP.

The main advantage of Voice Over IP is to be honest the cost the cost benefit goes directly back into your pocket. And because Voice Over IP uses the infrastructure of the Internet to make outgoing calls, you will never need to pay your traditional phone provider to maintain a telephone line or for phone and line rental. In addition, many Voice Over IP service providers allow customers to make long distance calls that attract minimal or no long distance charges at all. Many service providers even offer customer VOIP packages that allow you to opt for discounted internet call rates so you can save even more.

But what about this for a benefit? If you have Voice Over IP software installed on your PC and you want to speak to someone who is also uses Voice Over IP, then you are able to talk for as long as you want without having to pay a single cent. This is because your voice is actually transformed into digital data packets rather than audio, and the data is transferred in a similar fashion to that of email. Voice Over IP also makes it very easy and cheap to conduct conference calls and video calls.

There are, of course, some minor disadvantages to using Voice Over IP and you should consider these before you embark on setting up Voice Over IP. Since Voice Over IP is a relatively recent and largely untapped technology, Voice Over IP is prone to experience more errors than using a normal phone would. In addition, if you experience a power failure, then you would be unable to make a call, like you could with a traditional analogue phone. In any event, Voice Over IP is something that you should investigate for your own home and business needs and you should consider it soon while the rates are cheap and the deals are good.

About The Author

Colin Brin is the owner of AB Voip which is a premier source of information about Voip. For more information, go to: http://abvoip.com

This article was posted on August 08

by Colin Brin

BT Broadband

BT Broadband

by: Neil Shevlin

Approximately 4 million people in the UK use ADSL with an extra 2 million using a cable connection, meaning 6 million people in the UK have an alwayson internet connection. Of these over 1.7 million are subscribed to BT’s broadband package, making them the UK’s main broadband provider.

Back in August 2000 BT first launched its highspeed internet connection to customers. Initially only available to around one third of UK households and costing £500 a year it was the first step in many to Broadband Britain.

There are currently only 2 ways to connect to ADSL in the UK. Recently a technique called Local Loop Unbundling means you don’t need to have a BT phone line, but at the moment only 1% of people on broadband in the UK use this method. The only other way to connect transforms an existing BT phone line into a highspeed digital line. This is only available with a BT phone line though, so even if you don’t subscribe to BT’s package your ISP still has to pay BT money to maintain and connect your line. Because of this BT has been able to dictate the availability of broadband in the UK for a few years now.

For fear that UK telecoms watchdog Ofcom would breakup the company because they held a monopoly by owning all the phone lines and means to connect to broadband, BT has agreed to offer rival companies access to the ขLocal Loopข, which is the network of telephone lines around the country. By doing this BT could stand to lose many customers as other companies can offer their broadband directly and without having to pay BT expenses.

Since the introduction of ADSL in the UK many potential customers found their local exchanges were simply out of date and the lines too old to be able to handle this new technology. Campaigns run countrywide as BT will only upgrade exchanges if there is adequate interest. ADSL is still not available in many villages and more rural areas of Britain but BT is vastly expanding and upgrading its network to try and cover all the country, Broadband is currently available in more than 96.6% of all UK households.

BT’s standard package is 2Mbps with a 1 GB monthly download limit. This means you can only download 1 GB’s worth of content, be it WebPages, music or movies, a month. This is more than enough for typical WebPages, but excessive music downloads will result in your account being suspended or limited for the rest of the month. You can upgrade your broadband to a 15 GB monthly limit for a little extra a month. BT also offers Pay As You Go dialup and unlimited dialup contracts.

BT Broadband also offers a variety of packages and upgrades designed to suit every user. You can upgrade to a gaming account to play xbox and PS2 games online, you can setup parental filters for your children, and there’s protection against spam, junk mail, popups, virus’s and online intruders.

One of the main reasons people will continue to signup to BT is its reliability. They have broken the mould of all ISPs having poor customer service and are incredibly helpful with setting up your connection.

BT are aiming to trail their 8Mbps connection soon, intending it to be in common use by the end of the year. BT’s ultimate goal is making broadband available throughout the country, including rural areas.

About The Author

Neil Shevlin is the owner of UK Cheap Broadband which is a great place to find broadband links, resources and articles.

For more information go to: UK Cheap Broadband www.ukcheapbroadband

© Copyright 2005

Please feel free to copy and paste this article and itกs resource information.

This article was posted on August 18

by Neil Shevlin

VOIP QUESTIONS AND ANSWERS

VOIP QUESTIONS AND ANSWERS

by: Raymond Klesc

Voice over Internet Protocol, or VoIP, has grown in popularity recently and with that rise in popularity has come a number of common misconceptions and confusion. Global Value Conncet ( http://globalvalueconnect.com ) has complied this simple guide to address some of these most common questions and concerns.

What is VoIP and what does it stand for?

How do I make a VoIP phone call?

What equipment do I need for VoIP phone calls?

Are there any differences between making a local call or a long distance call?

Who can I call if I am using a VoIP service?

Are there any advantages in using VoIP phone service?

Will I be able to dial 911 emergency services?

Will I be able to use my computer while making a VoIP phone call?

Will I be able to take my phone adapter with me while traveling?

Does my computer need to be running in order to use VoIP service?

How will I know when I receive a phone call over my VoIP service?

Who regulates VoIP services?

What are the computer system requirements for VoIP?

Are free trials normally available?

How can I improve the sound quality?

1. What is VoIP and what does it stand for?

VoIP stands for Voice over Internet Protocol and it allows you to place telephone calls over a data network like the internet. It operates by converting your voice signal from your telephone into a digital signal that can then be transmitted over the Internet. The digital signal is then converted at the other end back to a voice signal that the other party can hear. When you use a phone with an adapter the calls are placed just like a regular telephone. You first hear a dial tone then the call is made. You are also able to place a call directly from your computer using a conventional telephone or microphone.

2. How do I make a VoIP phone call?

Making a VoIP phone call is no different from using a regular land line telephone. You pickup the receiver and listen for the dial tone. You can then dial your number as you always have in the past. The call connects to your highspeed Internet connection and travels to your local telephone companyกs equipment to a VoIP provider which transport the signal through the Internet to the local provider of the party you are calling. They relay the signal to your parties telephone. As an alternative, you may also place the call using your computerกs hardware and software, entering the number through your keyboard. The signal is then sent through your cable modem to your local telephone carrier.

3. What equipment do I need for VoIP phone calls?

Your existing incoming highspeed Internet connection should be sufficient but the higher the connectivity the better the signal.

In terms of hardware, you can hook up an inexpensive microphone to your computer or connect a phone directly to a VoIP telephone adaptor (ATA). Or you can use a phone specially made to work with Internet Voice. This is called an SIP Phone. Each SIP phone is a network endpoint, and voice is routed via its IP address. It allows a DID (direct inward dialing) number to move with a user. You can move, add or remove stations and never have to call your interconnect/PBX service company. SIP phones also allow full use of advanced features like voice mail to email and auto attendant.

4. Are there any differences between making a local call or a long distance call?

There are many different calling available for VoIP. The calling rates and fixed plans will vary from one vendor to another depending on the service you select. Please make sure to read all of the fine print associated with any plan that you choose.

One thing to keep in mind, however, is that VoIP can blur the difference between local and long distance by issuing a local number for your Internet phone. This allows you to make LOCAL calls to your home area code from that phone, regardless of where you are geographically. All you need is an Internet connection to plug in your phone, it doesn’t matter what Internet provider you use, and you can call your local area code from anywhere in the world without paying long distance rates.

5. Who can I call if I am using a VoIP service?

Your calls can be made to any local telephone number, mobile phone, long distance number, or any international number. You may even use the service to speak with more than one person at a time. More importantly, the person you are calling does not need any special equipment; just a regular telephone.

6. Are there any advantages in using VoIP phone service?

If you are using a broadband internet connection, you don’t need to maintain and pay the additional cost for a regular land line just to make telephone calls. With VoIP you’re able to talk to many people at the same time. You can set up conference calls with your colleagues, staff, family and friends. VoIP allows you to reduce interconnect/PBX fees by enabling you to add, move and remove stations from your network without calling your service provider. In addition, you don’t have to buy an expensive phone switch to set up your network. VoIP also offers many advanced calling features from caller ID and call forward to voicemail and distinctive ringing to call tracing and reminder calls, among many others. You can also manage your features through the Internet; login and customize services that normally you would have to rely on your provider to change for a fee of course. Voice over Internet can lower longdistance fees by assigning a local telephone number to your VoIP phone. You will then be able to take your phone anywhere in the world, plug it into any broadband connection regardless of specific provider, and you can make LOCAL calls to your home area code. Parents can keep in touch with children at college; churches can contact missionaries all over the world; and businesses can connect branch offices in different cities.

7. Will I be able to dial 911 emergency services?

Some Internet Voice services have difficulty seamlessly connecting with the 911 dispatch center or identifying the location of Internet Voice 911 callers. Check with your local VoIP provider to determine if they can provide this service in your area.

8. Will I be able to use my computer while making a VoIP phone call?

Yes you most certainly will be able to use your computer while making calls on your VoIP network.

9. Will I be able to take my phone adapter with me while traveling?

You should be able to use your VoIP service wherever you travel as long as you have a highspeed Internet connection available. Your adaptor should work the same as when you are at home or in the office as long as you have access to a highspeed Internet connection.

10. Does my computer need to be running in order to use VoIP service?

Your computer does not need to be turned on but your broadband connection must be active in order for VoIP to functionproperly. However, if you are not using an adapter and choose to use a microphone or headset with your computer then your computer must be on.

11. How will I know when I receive a phone call over my VoIP service?

Your VoIP phone will ring like any other telephone.

12. Who regulates VoIP services?

The Federal Communications Commission (FCC) has worked to create an environment promoting competition and innovation tobenefit consumers. Historically, the FCC has not regulated the Internet or the services provided over it. On February 12, 2004, the FCC found that an entirely Internetbased VoIP service was an unregulated information service. On the same day, the FCC began a broader proceeding to examine what its role should be in this new environment of increased consumer choice and what it can best do to meet its role of safeguarding the public interest. In November 2004 they ruled that States do not have the jurisdiction to impose taxes on VoIP services, another victory for the consumer.

13. What are the computer system requirements for VoIP?

The specific requirements of any VoIP system must be checked with each individual VoIP provider.

14. Are free trials normally available?

You need to check with your selected VoIP provider to determine if a free trial is available. Most VoIP providers will provide some kind of free trial or conditional free trial period. If you are dissatisfied for any reason you should return the equipment in their original packing boxes together with all shipping paperwork and packing slips to ensure they will honor their warrantee.

14. Will I be able to use VoIP behind a firewall?

You need to ask your network administrator regarding any special setting that are required to function through the firewall.

15. How can I improve the sound quality?

Speak with a headset instead of a microphone. Better still, use a phone with an adaptor.

If you are using a microphone, hold it away from the speakers to avoid having the sound from your speakers recirculate into your microphone causing feedback.

Lower the volume on your speakers.

Check with your sound card manufacturer to be sure you are using the latest drivers.

Use a direct phone jack. A split line or extension cord between your phone jack and computer can distort the sound causing an echo.

Global Value Conncet ( http://globalvalueconnect.com ) offers a wide range of VoIP products and services from the most reliable vendors at the most competitive prices. If you are in the market for VoIP services or curious as to what it may cost or how you may benefit then stop in and check out our products and services at: http://globalvalueconnect.com/VoIP.htm

Copyright 2004 Raymond Klesc

You have permission to publish this article electronically or in print, free of charge, as long as the bylines are included. A courtesy copy of your publication would be appreciated send to [email protected]

About The Author

Global Value Connect ( http://globalvalueconnect.com ) has been providing the best value in telecommunication products and services for the home or office since 1995. If you want to cut your telephone bill in half register today for our free eBook entitled ‘telephone Bill Saving Tips for Home and Officeก and is available at: http://globalvalueconnect.com/Saving_Tips.htm

[email protected]

This article was posted on November 27, 2004

by Raymond Klesc

Can We Talk? I Mean Honestly? I’ve Got Some Good N

Can We Talk? I Mean Honestly? I’ve Got Some Good News and A Warning for You Too

by: Dee Scrip

1. Have you ever found an incredible buy somewhere and couldn’t wait to rush home and call all your friends to tell them about it? It is such great news and you know it will save them a ton of money.

2. Or have you ever been warned about a sinister person lurking under someone’s car at night waiting for their next victim to arrive? You are so concerned that you feel impelled to warn all your friends as soon as possible so they won’t become a casualty because of lack of knowledge.

Well, if your answer is ขyesข to either one of these questions, perhaps you can relate to what I am about to tell you…

You see, I’ve found the most awesome bargain since Alexander Graham Bell first invented the telephone! And I can hardly contain myself from sharing it with you because I know once you try it out, you are going to absolutely love it, and especially since it will save you a ton of money.

Well, here it is! Some ingenious person combined the features and convenience of the telephone with the power of the Internet, and came up with a computer phone. It intrigued me so much that I had to try it. And guess what? Now I am making all my phone calls from my computer! Plus, I have been pocketing almost 80% in savings after comparing the costs with what I was paying when using a traditional phone. It is a really simple concept too. How cool is that!

When I first tried the computer phone out, I found I didn’t have a built in microphone on my computer. That was a bummer until I discovered a microphone for a computer only costs $5.00 at a local store. And, all I had to do was plug it into the back of my computer so that I could talk. That alone was thrilling just from the simple fact that I am basically computer challenged.

Well, let me tell you, after I plugged that baby in and talked to a few people, I was off and running telling every friend I had about this incredible find! And now I am telling you too! You’ve just gotta try it! You are going to absolutely love it! I promise you!!

Even some of my friends on dialup connections to the Internet were able to use it too!

I don’t want you to become a casualty of computer phones either. So here’s my warning…

I found out there are a lot of computer phone (VoIP) companies out there offering their wares. But along with that, I heard a lot of clients using their services were given a virus or worm, and some poor folks even had their personal and confidential information accessed by some unscrupulous hackers who sold it to other villainous individuals information like their social security numbers, their birth dates all the makings for your personal identity to be stolen.

Being the naturally curious person that I am, I wanted to find out how that happened. Here is what I unearthed.

Over 90% of the VoIP computer phone providers were operating on unsafe lines – the kind hackers can easily access. How so? Because these computer phone providers were operating from publicly open and interpretable industry standard codec (codes) and industry standard protocols (IP addresses) to lower their costs. And being publicly accessible meant that hackers were lurking nearby just waiting for another innocent victim to prey upon.

I know it is hard to believe there are these types of criminal entities out there, but unfortunately, the harsh reality is that there are.

So, now I am thinking – how can I protect myself from these pathetic misfits while I am using my computer phone. Guess what? I found out how! It was just a matter of finding a computer phone provider that did NOT operate on these publicly open and interpretable industry standards.

In fact, here is some more good news I want to share with you too.

I found a computer phone provider that operated on its own proprietary highend encryption codec (code) hosted on its own proprietary patented technology. You want to talk about being optimally safe and secure…well, you’ve got it! Not only that, this one you can try out 7 days for free.

My thoughts are, if someone is so confident about their product that they would let me try it for free first – before even deciding if I wanted to purchase it, then they must have the real deal.

Personally, since I have been using the computer phone, I have kept in closer contact with my family scattered throughout the country, and I have made quite a lot of new friends in many other countries – all of which I talk to as long as I want absolutely free. Way too cool !!

Well, these are my great finds and warning for you. As an update: I have since become a computer phone solutions provider and can promise you that these computer phones are absolutely amazing in quality and safety, and are light years above the ขcompetitionข if you can call it that.

Why not try one out for yourself? It is free and you will have nothing to lose. Actually, you will have everything to gain, including putting some of that hard earned money back into your own pocket.

Here ya go – try it out 7 days for free at http://www.whypay4calls.com/gtp/to.pl?l=ARTFREE

Oh, and I almost forgot. I have put together a little Report entitled ขWhy Hackers Love Computer Phones – Shocking Inside Informationข which is absolutely free also. Here’s the website for that: http://www.whypay4calls.com/gtp/to.pl?l=ART04

© Dee Scrip – All rights reserved.

About The Author

Dee Scrip is a well known published author of numerous articles on VoIP, VoIP security, and related VoIP issues.

http://www.whypay4calls.com/gtp/to.pl?l=ARTFREE

This article was posted on February 09

by Dee Scrip

The Most Beautiful Cell Phone Wallpaper

The Most Beautiful Cell Phone Wallpaper

by: Dominic Ferrara

Nowadays teenagers are crazy about personalizing their cell phone and about being able to make the difference. For that, they use different and complicated ringtones, logos, reminders and so on. The latest fashion in ขpersonalizing your cell phoneข is the wallpaper. Different cell phone wallpapers can be downloaded from Internet, but at the same time they can take pictures and save them as cell phones wallpapers. Almost any cell phone user has become an artist and he wants his cell phone wallpaper to stand out and to show his personality and his taste.

The use of the cell phone has become less important, the main thing is what is fashionable. That is why the ringtones, cell phone wallpapers, tassels and hand painting of phones have appeared all over world. Ringtones are the most beloved choice in downloads, but cell phone wallpapers and screen savers are ขtoo hotข in teens’ preferences. They are symbols of the users status, clues that show if the user is up to date and happening.

Cell phone wallpapers can define what you feel, or what you desire. They are an important component of the communication process. Technology offers us now larger screens and better resolutions, and this increases the need for high quality expressive cell phone wallpapers. The multitude of assortments has given the cell phone wallpapers a special place and they are expected to get even further in future.

About The Author

Dominic is the author of this article. This article may be reproduced on websites subject to credit being given to the author, and a link to this website. If you would like more information go to http://www.ringtoneresources.com.

This article was posted on April 16

by Dominic Ferrara

Headsets

Headsets

by: Phillippe K

People at home and in office settings are using cordless headphone sets more often than not because they allow a person the kind of freedom that corded phones and even cordless phones can’t. Even though a cordless phone allows a person to move about freely, he or she is still faced with the challenge of keeping the chunky phone against their ear in order to be able to listen and speak to the person on the other end. A cordless phone isn’t as convenient as a cordless phone headset because the user still needs to use as least one hand or very awkwardly hold the phone in place between their cheek and shoulder. Either one hand or a cramped neck is required for a cordless phone while neither one is required when using cordless phone headsets.

Cordless phone headsets come is a wide assortment of designs created for use at a variety of different tasks. Cordless phone headsets aren’t only for use in the home and the office anymore. People with cellular phones or even when using the computer can choose to use cordless phone headsets now. Knowing what a person wants in a cordless phone headset can make choosing the right headset that will work properly and be effective for what they are intended to be used for.

When selecting from the number of cordless phone headsets available, it is a good idea to recognize the benefits provided by having the freedom to be able to speak on the phone while moving about freely along with being able to use both hands. People who use cordless phone headsets are able to do more at once including multitasking. In fact, research has shown that people who use cordless phone headsets are almost half as much more productive that people who don’t use them. It is much easier to take notes, use the computer and look for relevant documents while using a cordless phone headset. The clarity of a person’s voice is improved while using cordless headsets because the microphone always stays in one place and some microphones even have technology that removes background noise during phone use.

Different cordless headset styles allow a person to select the perfect headset for both comfort and function. The most traditional type of cordless phone headsets are the headsets that have the curved bar that goes over the head like a headband and has either one or two speakers. Overtheear headsets are simply placed over the ear with a speaker inserted just at the opening of the ear. One of the smallest types of cordless phone headsets is placed directly in the ear. Other types of cordless phone headsets include monaural headsets that have a single pad for one ear, headsets that wrap around behind the head and other creative technologically advance models.

When cordless phone headsets are used with cellular phones, research has shown that they are far safer than using one hand to drive while using the other hand to hold the phone. Not only are cordless phone headsets safer to use, they are more convenient and provide freedom unlike any other phone has before.

About The Author

Phillippe K is the webmaster and owner of กDiscountHeadsetsBestBuy.comก and has been researching and reporting on Headsets Solutions for years. Click Here ==> http://www.discountheadsetsbestbuy.com/

[email protected]

This article was posted on September 13

by Phillippe K

Internet Faxing Service Review

Internet Faxing Service Review

by: Ellen Farrell

The Internet is reshaping every form of communications medium, and faxing is no exception. The latest twist: Internet faxing services that let you send messages to any fax machine from any Web browser or email, and others that give you a กpersonal fax phone number,ก then forward any documents sent there to your email inbox.
The Fax Machine Workhorse in the ก80s and ก90s.
It enabled you to send a document to anyone, anywhere, at any time, and know that it was received instantly. It was a godsend in the 1980s and everyone had to have one. But it has become an expensive bit of machinery that will cost you money every time you use it. Smart organizations are now reducing or eliminating the fax machines they use in favor of electronic services. The fax machine costs you in paper, toner, phone bills and repairs. It is like a taximeter in that regard, and the bill keeps growing and growing. Currently most of the documents that you fax are created on a computer. If you fax them through a fax machine, you must print out the documents, manually create a cover page, and you must go to the fax machine to send the documents. Every time you receive a fax, you must retrieve it from the community fax machine, rather than having it delivered directly to your PC workstation like any other document. Many people still use fax machines today. The alternative is to use fax services from companies that provide Internet fax services.
Fax Machine Costs
The fax machine is considered a simple tool by many, which is probably why they haven’t replaced it yet. Anybody can stick a document into the auto feeder, dial a phone number, and send the document at 14.4 or 33.6 Kbs. But it costs to send a fax.
Among the actions employees must take to fax a document, labor is the greatest hidden operating cost. Labor is a key factor because your staff is more expensive than phone calls, and it makes the biggest difference in fax costs. Most businesses neglect to factor in the costs of actions such as employees walking to the machine, waiting to use it, the faxing process and the employeeกs return trip to their desk. All of this takes time. And in the world of hidden fax operating costsyou guessed ittime is money. Also, keep in mind that it isn’t unusual to find executives with sixfigure salaries performing some of the same faxrelated tasks as clerical workers. When that happens, those labor costs can be as astronomical as some of those sixfigure salaries. Costs also incurred are lease and maintenance charges for fax machines as well as sending charges for making fax phone calls. These depend on the rates you pay and the speed at which your fax machine and the machines you send to can distribute faxes.
How Internet Faxing Works
Ever heard of eFax? You sign up for a fax number. When people send you faxes, they’re autoforwarded to your email Inbox, where you can read them, trash them if they’re junk, or print them out only if necessary. Not only do you save paper and ink, but you don’t need a fax machine or a second phone lineand you get your faxes wherever you happen to be in the country.
Together, in principle, these Internet fax services offer all the advantages of fax a universal system for quick and convenient distribution of anything you can put on paper without making you spend your money on a fax machine, fax supplies or fax phone fees.
In the business world, any time that you can save money, your customers will ultimately save money too. That is why Internet faxing is a good idea. Internet faxing is the practice of using your email (or a website) to send and receive faxes. The speed and efficiency of email, coupled with the lower costs of sending broadcast faxes via email is more desirable than making lots of phone calls.
Sending and Receiving faxes over the Internet with your regular fax machines sounds cool, but so far, todayกs standard fax machines do not yet know how to speak Internet you can’t use them over the Internet. Some of the newer models will have this capability, but it will take time to gain worldwide acceptance. In the meantime, there are a number of services that bridge the gap between traditional faxes and the new world of Internetbased communications.
A number of companies, such as eFax, Faxaway, Internet Fax Provider and MaxEmail, allow you to send or receive faxes over the Internet. These services are either free or charge a monthly fee.
However, many of these services are limited in what they can do:

Require people to dial a long distance number to send you a fax [eFax, MaxEmail]
Attach their own advertising to your outgoing faxes to cover their cost [eFax]
Don’t offer fax numbers in all local area codes [eFax, MaxEmail]
Don’t work for handwritten faxes (unless they are scanned in) [all]

Still, Internet faxing provides many advantages. Convenience and better resolution are the two main pluses. They allow you to send and receive your faxes entirely with your email service the best thing to happen to the business world in the last 10 years. You can send and receive faxes anywhere you can access your existing email account: from your home, office, clientกs office, hotel, airport or cottage. Or even better, a webbased interface that keeps track of everything youกve done with your faxing business and allow you to do cheap and efficient broadcast faxing.
Some of the advantages of Internet faxing:

To send a fax, simply send an email. It will automatically be converted to a fax and delivered immediately
To receive a fax, simply check your email. All faxes sent to your fax number will be forwarded to your email
Web fax For people who need to fax their information to thousands instantly. Send thousands of faxes in minutes from our website Broadcasting.
Avoid tying up your computer or telephone lines
No software to download or hardware to buy
Easily distribute press releases, product and pricing information, newsletters
Sending to International phone numbers is cheap the charge is based on the destination country
Easy and convenient faxes are sent and received over the Internet from the office, at home or on the road. Your Internet กFax Machineก is available 24×7 and is never busy.
TollFree is cost effective some virtual fax numbers are toll free so that no matter where your customers are, they will not pay any additional long distance charges and your North American clients and contacts can reach you free of charge.
Privacy You are the only person to see your faxes, giving them the same privacy as your email.
Portable You can receive your faxes at multiple email addresses simultaneously and you can send and receive faxes while traveling.
Receive faxes directly in email Faxes are receivable and retrievable anytime, anywhere. Faxes are not misplaced and privacy is ensured.
Send faxes directly from email. Eliminate manual faxing. Faxing is integrated into workflow and faxes are delivered faster and at less cost.
Immediate Implementation No unique client/server or software is necessary, only standard email capability. Minimal to no user training.
Unlimited scalability Support as many users as required without purchasing additional fax machines.
Combine multiple document types into one fax Fax multiple documents as easily as sending an email.
Account code tracking Budget and cost management is simplified.
Automatic retries for busy or incomplete deliveries Eliminates need to continually check progress of a fax.
Email notification of incoming faxes Users know immediately when a fax has arrived.
Delivery confirmation via email Users always know when their faxes have been delivered.

Quick Summary of the 4 big services

Efax (http://www.efax.com/) Undisputed leader in the field of Internet faxing. Offers free version. Free version doesn’t provide you with a local number. Regular service is expensive. Offers many other products remote control of computer, etc. Requires proprietary fax viewer software to view faxes. The most local area code numbers available in the US.
Faxaway (http://www.faxaway.com/) Competitive regular service. Web faxing not supported. Many customizable features and options for sending. The personal fax number they assign you is not local they are all in some location where the area code is not local to you just like the free eFax service not too useful for your customers.
Internet Fax Provider (http://www.internetfaxprovider.com/) Offers tollfree numbers which can be used anywhere in the US with the first 50 faxes per month included in the monthly rate very convenient for the people sending faxes to you they will not pay any additional long distance charges. Best rate for broadcast faxing. Many customizable features and options for sending. Comprehensive Web faxing features.
MaxEmail (http://www.maxemail.com/) Offers local numbers in the US. However, you will find that only the major cities are covered. No web faxing available. Good receiving plans.

These fax services use the Internet to mimic real fax machines that is, they deliver your fax to a recipientกs fax machine, anywhere in the world, just as if you had dialed it yourself. Most of these services charge anywhere from 10 cents to 20 cents a page. Thatกs more than youกll pay to send a fax across town, but itกs much less than you would pay to dial an overseas phone number, even for a short fax.
Most major efax vendors offer additional features, including broadcast faxes, the ability to route incoming faxes to you as email attachments and monthly billing.
On the sending side: Most Internet faxing vendors allow you to send faxes by attaching files to an email. When the Internet Fax server gets the email, the emails get converted into a fax coversheet with the recipientกs fax number pulled from the ‘to:ก address. The attached files then get converted to TIFF or PDF files for easy viewing by the recipient. The service will then deliver the converted fax to the recipientกs standard fax number.
On the receiving side: Most Internet fax vendors will provide you with a phone number that you can then give to your customers. This number can be a local number (if you are located in or near a major US city) or a toll free number (available everywhere.) People will send you faxes to that number in the standard way. The service will then convert the fax to a PDF or TIFF image (or in the case of eFax, a custom image for viewing w/ their software) and send to your email as an attachment. You can then view the fax with any standard Windows Image viewer.
In the future as more fax machines include builtin Internet connectivity, faxing might give email a run for its money as a cheap, convenient way to send documents. Until that time, however, efax services will provide the best alternative to picking up the phone and sending faxes the oldfashioned way.
Conclusion
In summary, after reviewing all of the major Internet faxing service vendors, I have found the best service to be the one provided by Internet Fax Provider (IFP). IFP has the best rate plans and offers tollfree numbers that include 50 free faxes per month. I don’t go over 30 faxes per month, so it certainly makes sense for me because with the toll free number provided, my customers don’t have to pay long distance charges when they send me a fax. IFP also has the best broadcast sending rates and regular sending plan with the most features. And it was the simplest to use (you don’t have to use all the available options.)
For free Internet faxing, I found that eFax offers the best plan. But of course, it puts limitations on the service and you don’t get a local fax number. Also, if you live in a big city and you would like a local fax number, then eFax is the best solution. That is if most of your customers are local, because if not, they will pay toll charges when sending you a fax.
Internet Faxing Services Reviewed
The following services provide some type of Internet Faxing:
CallWave

http://www.callwave.com

Installable software helps consumers and businesses get more out of their wireless phone, home phone, and Internetconnected PC by กbridgingก calls between these devices.

More of a cell phone solutions provider requires custom software.
Data On Call

http://www.dataoncall.com

The company offers a comprehensive suite of fax services including electronic faxing (inbound and outbound), web/fax integrations, developer APIs, fax broadcasting, fax on demand, and custom applications.

Only offer 858 area code and toll free. Expensive. Broadcasting at 8cents/min.
Digital Mail

http://www.digitalmail.com/

Email to fax and fax to email services. Users receive a unique phone number, accepting voice mail and faxes.

Difficult to understand, No price structure setup
EasyLink

http://www.easylink.com

Small Business Integrated Desktop Messaging Email to fax, fax to email and desktop faxing. The service was previously named FaxSav.

Large corporate solutions not meant for small businesses or individual users.
eFax

http://www.efax.com

Send faxes, Receive faxes, anywhere you can get email.

They have a free service with limitations. Standard service is expensive.
FaxMate

http://www.faxmate.com

Email to fax, desktop to fax, broadcast fax, and fax to fax via the Internet. Its U800 service allows users a personal tollfree number, which automatically forwards faxes and voice mail to email.

International send rates are standard. $30/mnth, $0.15/min
Faxaway

http://www.faxaway.com

Internet fax & unified messaging service. Faxaway gives customers faxing tools at their desktop.

No local numbers available. Competitive rates and many features and options.
FreeFax

http://www.freefax.com

Send via web, receive as email

Ad supported. Only webbased interface available.
IntelliFax.com

http://www.intellifax.com

Allows you to send and receive Internet faxes. Provides middleware for other Internet fax vendors.

Limited local numbers available. Good send rates. Limited features and options.
Internet Fax Provider

http://www.internetfaxprovider.com

EmailtoFax, FaxtoEmail, Broadcast faxing. Best Internet faxing solutions and rates available in the US. Simple to use with powerful options.

Offers toll free numbers with 50 free incoming faxes included.

Best rates for broadcasting service. Webbased interface included.
Interpage

http://www.interpage.net/subfaxing.html

Offers a variety of Internet and Telecommunicationsbased services including EMail Paging, Web and EMail Fax Services, Remote Site Monitoring & Internet Voicemail. Focus is not on faxing services. Competitive rates meant for large corporations.
MaxEmail

http://www.maxemail.com/

Allows you to send and receive faxes via the Web or email and includes voicemail. You can receive notification of incoming faxes and voice messages directly to your digital phone.

Expensive service. Offers local fax numbers, but not as many as eFax and not as convenient as a tollfree number with free service.
Our Fax

http://www.ourfax.com

OURFAX, is the worldกs first, easy to use, ad supported 100% FREE service, that allows any email user in the world, to send faxes directly from their email address, to almost any fax machine in the world.

Free Ad supported, Amateur website
SuperFax

http://www.superfax.com

Super Fax is a small internet fax device that replaces your fax machines, receive your faxes, and emails them to you, on your email address.

$495US per unit. Still need a fax line
ZipFax

http://www.zipteam.com/zipfax/

ZIPFAX.com will allow you to send from your desktop email to fax machines. It offers text only with no attachments.

You must prepay for online postage with a minimum opening balance of $9.99. Rates are 14 cents per page for most US states.

About The Author

Ellen Farrell former telecommunications specialist in Telecom. Have reviewed many telecomunications products for large and small business. Worked with large Telecom service providers in marketing and development. Currently review technology for business development in Northeastern US.

[email protected]

This article was posted on July 13, 2004

by Ellen Farrell