Free VoIP: Does It Exist and Is It Good for Business?

VoIP, or Voice over Internet Protocol, refers to the delivery of voice communications and other services over an internet connection. While VoIP was first developed by telecom companies in the 1990s to make telephone calls cheaper, it emerged as a legitimate option for business communications. VoIP service Arlington is often an alternative for business owners because it lets them control costs and fits in with their marketing strategies. However, with all these advantages, there’s a question of whether or not free VoIP exists – and if it does, is it good for business?

Free VoIP talk

There are free VoIP services that exist. They’re mainly intended for personal usage, but some can be used for business purposes. You can just download some apps from the internet and make free calls or use your laptop or wireless device to access the internet. However, if you consider using this service for business communications, you need to be aware that there are some limitations to these free VoIP services. Here are the four main issues you ought to know about:

1. Free VoIP Apps Only Work When Everyone on the Call is Using Them.

When you have a free VoIP app, it means you’re making calls through internet connections. This means that people on the other side of your communication have to be ‘on the same page’ as you are. Let us say you’re using a free VoIP app, but your partner isn’t associated with it. The app will only allow you to make a call with someone using it too. Because of that, if you want to make calls to anyone outside of your circle, free VoIP will be of little use to you.

2. They’re Completely Dependent on a Strong Internet Connection.

Free VoIP works when you have an internet connection that’s strong enough to handle the data transfer needed to route your calls. If a phone company has blocked VoIP lines or the connection between you and the other caller is too weak, free VoIP can’t do its job. The main reason for this is that free VoIP uses broadband connections – which are very heavily reliant on your internet speed.

3. There’s No Direct Way to Make Calls to and from Landline Phones.

With free VoIP, you can’t make a direct call to a landline. If you want to talk to anyone who isn’t using free VoIP, too, the only way is to have both parties download the same app and get connected. This limits the possibility of making quick, easy calls to friends and family, but it’s still possible to make calls to non-VoIP users under the right conditions.

4. Don’t Expect a VoIP E911 Feature.

With free VoIP, you can’t benefit from the E911 feature that would let you dial a 911 emergency number, and this is because the VoIP technology comes from the internet connection. But if you use most of the VoIP services, you can get this feature, especially if you have the VoIP phone service from a major telephone company.

So, is Free VoIP Good for Business?

Free VoIP is great for business if it’s used correctly. The biggest issue with free VoIP is that it can’t be used as an all-in-one communications system, which means business owners have to buy a second phone line in addition to the line they use for a free VoIP if they want to have a regular phone number. This means free VoIP office phone system can’t replace a traditional business phone line, but it’s a great supplement to it. Free VoIP is also useful for conducting conference calls, which is something that’s not as easy to do over a regular business line.

Some of the Advantages of Using Free VoIP Include:

Free VoIP can be a lot cheaper than paying for your internet phone line.
Most free VoIP services offer some sort of call recording software and even unlimited storage space.
Free VoIP is perfect for international calls as long as you don’t mind the time delay.
Free VoIP is great for high-volume conference calls.
Free VoIP is ideal for businesses that use a lot of clients from different locations, as long as they all have access to the internet.

Despite these issues, free VoIP still has plenty of uses. For example, people in foreign countries use it to call overseas since they don’t need to worry about phone card charges or long-distance charges on their monthly bills. It’s a great communication tool for people traveling or away from their home country for a long time. Another reason why free VoIP is so great is that it’s integrated with other social media tools like Google Talk and Windows Live Messenger. So, if you are looking for free VoIP solutions, simply combine them with your existing social media profiles to get the most out of them.