A Phone or Not a Phone? Softphones are not really phones at all, but rather PCs loaded with VoIP (Voice over Internet Protocol) software that enable voice-to-voice communication from your computer. Using your PC as a phone has several advantages, such as reducing costs of deployment while still providing all of the high-end features you find in a hard phone. And your phone goes wherever your laptop goes—to wireless hotspots, on commercial flights equipped with Internet service, or to your wired hotel room. You can make and receive phone calls from anywhere you have Internet access. The sound quality is clearer than a mobile phone, and chances are the call will also cost less.
PCs send voice signals over data networks rather than over conventional telephone lines, saving money on long distance calls. When you send and receive calls as data, or as packet-switched calls, you don't have to pay the international cost to transmit the data. You pay only the local connection cost to your ISP.
In addition to savings on long distance, businesses can save money by not purchasing a telephone in the first place. They can also save considerably on wiring and cables. Contact centers are now regularly using Internet telephony for customer services and sales calls, lowering capital expenditures and overhead. Wireless computer headsets are a time and money saver which ultimately increases your businesses efficiency and profitability.


