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Important Considerations When Choosing Your Voip Service Provider


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Old 14-09-2013, 16:32
blake_shadow
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Voip has changed the way the game is played, and ever more and more people are becoming aware of its importance.

But with so many service providers out there desperate for your business it is important that you choose the right service provider for your needs and not just the cheapest. Firstly will you require unlimited monthly minutes?

Secondly, what functionality will you require and are you likely to require the use of a range of features such as call waiting, call forwarding, conference calling, etc? Many companies will charge extra for features which you can get as standard elsewhere.

Thirdly, what is their customer support like? It is easy to get a feel for the quality of service they offer by doing a little online research.

Finally, how much down time have they had in the past 12/18/24 months? Once again this should be easy to deduce from a quick search online, and will give you a good indication of how reliable their service is. This is a crucial element because even a few hours downtime could cost your company a significant amount of money, completely off-setting the savings you are making from Voip!
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Old 23-09-2013, 09:39
noise747
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I have sipgate, i only got it so a couple of people can phone me on landline as I don't have a proper landline.

The one good thing about it for me is that unless I use it to make calls it is free, I topped it up around 16 months ago with £30 and still got most of that left. Reliability is fine, when ever I needed to use it, it have worked and people have called me with no problem.

I am not saying it is right for everyone, but it is right for me
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Old 23-09-2013, 11:40
neo_wales
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For home use I don't see the point of using it. I get local, national, international and mobile calls from from land line as part of my talk talk package.
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Old 23-09-2013, 12:14
noise747
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For home use I don't see the point of using it. I get local, national, international and mobile calls from from land line as part of my talk talk package.
Some people may want a second line in the home, maybe not such a big thing these days as Mobiles have got cheaper to use over the last 3 years or so.

Some people may just want a different number to hand out.
Some like myself, i admit there are not many, but there are some, don't have a normal landline and get their broadband another way. these wireless systems like I am on. Seems to getting more popular for people who don't have a decent fixed line service, just take a look at Vispa and see how much ground they cover now.

Just because you can't see a reason for it, don't mean other people can't.
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Old 23-09-2013, 14:00
neo_wales
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Some people may want a second line in the home, maybe not such a big thing these days as Mobiles have got cheaper to use over the last 3 years or so.

Some people may just want a different number to hand out.
Some like myself, i admit there are not many, but there are some, don't have a normal landline and get their broadband another way. these wireless systems like I am on. Seems to getting more popular for people who don't have a decent fixed line service, just take a look at Vispa and see how much ground they cover now.

Just because you can't see a reason for it, don't mean other people can't.
Think on that next time you start blasting away at W8/Google/MS et al lol

I have used Skype in the past but its not great really, Vispa looks OK but its slow and expensive.
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Old 23-09-2013, 21:29
noise747
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Think on that next time you start blasting away at W8/Google/MS et al lol
No, because what I say is what mainly affects me. i know full well that there are people that like windows 8, trusts google and likes MS.

I have used Skype in the past but its not great really, Vispa looks OK but its slow and expensive.
Skype is not VoIP, tbh, it is a hybrid thing, based on a non-standard system that uses peer to peer. the quality I get via sipgate is as good if not better than normal phone call, as long as I am not pushing my broadband.

You mean Vispa is not cheap, there is a difference. TalkTalk, sky, EE, Plusnet and even Bt to a certain degree are cheap, they have so low in price that they got to get their money from the phone service and any extras they can sell.

While Vispa got faster packages than what my ISP have got, vispa do have data limits, while mine don't. Don't forget that people with wireless services can get rid of their home phone, so that knocks out about £15 a month. it is great that companies are starting these wireless services, ok they are doing it to make money, but it gets many people who have awful broadband and get better broadband.

If you lived around here, you will know what broadband is like here, ok it is better now with FTTc, but some places will never get FTTC and so many people out in the sticks here.

i am lucky, I got a choice, a lot of people don't, so I don't mind supporting a local company as long as they do the job I want, for a price i am willing to pay.
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Old 26-09-2013, 00:02
Gari P
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I have used sipgate for years. I have only topped up once or twice and the credit has lasted for years .. literally.

Customer service has been excellent on the very few occasions I needed to contact them.

True, most people use mobiles for everything these days, but mobile coverage isn't best here. Also, VOIP is good for those 0845 and 0800 NGN calls.

There has never been any down time that I know of.

I don't care for the additional services that you mention (call waiting, call forwarding, conference calling) I don't even use voicemail!
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