Everybody knows that tough economic times require small businesses to be creative about the ways in which they spend money and acquire new customers. Yet perhaps some of the best savings for small businesses can be almost too easy. By switching from phone company telecommunications solutions to any of the number of business voip providers, who provide calling at a fraction of the price that the phone company charges, small businesses can save roughly 50% on their phone bill – a bill that is usually upwards of $60 per phone per month at small and mid-sized businesses.

When shopping for new phone service, there are a few very important factors to consider, besides price. First, consider whether your business has the resources and know-how to host its own PBX phone system. While hosting a PBX network in house can save money over the very long term, it is far from a core competency for most businesses, and the initial investment in hosting hardware is hard to recoup. Therefore, most businesses will want a hosted VOIP solution. Next, solutions run the continuum from bare bones service and dirt-cheap calling to full-service implementation and support at a much smaller discount from the phone company. Consider your needs. If you’re like most small businesses and do not have a dedicated telecom IT specialist, you should choose a voip business that is known to be a provider of excellent customer service. (Jive is often considered to be the best in this camp.) Last, consider what kinds of phones each company offers. Many of the voip solution companies offer phones that are quite complicated for those who are not tech savvy, or only offer 2 or 3 different phones. Choose a company that offers a number of different phones for different needs. It is crucial that offerings include phones that are compatible with sidecar attachments, conference call phones, and executive phones that have embedded technology that clarifies and richens the otherwise tinny-sounding voice produced by the IP transmission.