written by on 06/04/2011
We were running VOIP in conjunction with our old broadband line with an old analogue phone system.
We had received the benefits of having numbers at any location and added home office phones to the network which has saved me a fortune on Saturday morning commuting and also always being there to take an order!
However we had herd horror stories of VOIP, and took some convincing, but when our business moved, having the support of NTA for 8 years, we took their designed system and have never looked back. The old system gave us the choice of routing calls over VOIP or a traditional copper connection. We had 4 lines and broadband all running on a Broadband service. This did give problems about once or twice a week with call quality. This caused frustration with Staff and a problem for me. I refused (good advice) to put in a new system knowing that we were moving. As a new service we were all on guard at the office waiting for old problems to arise, and kept error logs. However they were never needed with our new system working faultlessly after 5 months! In this time, the only error we have had is BT disconnecting an analogue line in error (our credit card machine) as they had notice from the old owners of the factory that they had shut down. The VOIP system that we have had installed has been exceptional, and been the best business investment for a long while.
I am a cost cutter and do not have a dedicated broadband/VOIP line - we use an FTTC connection for phone and broadband. This has given us all Direct Dial in lines that we can divert to mobiles via a very easy to use website. As Managing Director with a keen interest in IT, I have often become a technician, but now with the website management software and training online people run their own phones and we offer a far better service. Working from home has become great, and we are selling more - who would have thought that we could get more sales so easily?
I think that we are saving cash on the bills and it is so easily managed we can always call and do not get a call centre!
Thank you NTA; please contact me if you would like further info Gareth Phillips www.futureglass.com T 01376 440404