Thread: VoIP Small Business

I didn't know whether to put this in the business section or technology.

I am looking to implement Small Business VoIP in an office and will consult with AT&T in the near future about it more precisely for specifics. However I wanted to see if any members on L4P use it for their small business, what company they use, I image they use the Cisco phones. I am looking at a 5 line system, but have lots to learn. Any insight is appreciated.

It really comes down to what you're willing to spend.. If you're thinking about going cisco, i can tell you off the bat that it will be expensive, but worth it.
A few questions to ask though, How many phones ? Multiple office locations ? Will the company grow into a larger company ?

Cisco is amazing when it comes down to voice. They offer many small business solutions, like their Cisco Unified Communication 500 Series. It basically does everything you need, Voice, Data, Wireless, VPN Access, Firewall, and much more. The only downside is you don't get too many features.
A better solution would be Cisco Unified Communications Manager Express. That offers a web interface and is easier to manage.
However if you wanted to go all out ( which would be awesome ) go with Cisco Call Manager. I've support Call Manager, and it is amazing!

The phones themselves aren't difficult to choose, cisco has everything from a simply voip phone with a few lines, to voip phones that support wireless, video chat, applications, and much more

I am cisco voice certified so i had to learn all this before the exams lol
Hope this helps

I don't know how much help I can be with small business but I work with Cisco Call manager and Unified Messaging. It's great but I'm sure there are better and cheaper solutions out there for what you have in mind.

5 lines, one office, not likely expansion, cost is a concern, but need some degree of quality, the phones have to work. Its a new office space and the phones are only going be used for calling, voice mail, and call forwarding after hours. David do you mind going in a little more in depth with the Cisco Unified Communication 500 Series?

For your needs, it seems like the 500 series would be a great choice. I haven't worked on a 500 series, but from what i've seen, it great and easy to support and setup
basic out of the box features :
- 8 PoE ports (power over ethernet, meaning you dont need a power supply at the desk where the phone will be)
- Does voicemail, auto attendent, greetings, music on hold, voicemail to email notifications
- Configuration Assistant ( an application you can use to setup the system instead of doing it through the command line)
- Call forward, transfer, park, shared extensions, etc

It costs about $2,000 (could me more or less depending on additional features & licensing).
For the phones themselves, you have many options. From a really basic phone like their 6900 series , to the better 7900 Series which is touch screen and full color. Then theres the 9900 Series which support video chatting and much more.

I can't speak on whether this is cost-effective on that small of a scale, but we were considering a $180k Cisco solution and after a few conversations and a demo with XO Communications we're now highly considering this: Hosted PBX / Hosted VoIP Solutions - Providing Enterprise Cloud Communications | XO

I'd definitely recommend checking it out.

i use cisco phones and my provider is vocalocity. The service has been great, but every once in awhile the phones reset.

Hosted Office Phone System? | Hosted PBX | Business VoIP - FonAngle

Talk to Chris. Tell him Jared from Texas recommended you. I've done my homework. Waste your time doing your own or take my advice and just call Fonangle lol.

Originally Posted by BogeyBoy82

Hosted Office Phone System? | Hosted PBX | Business VoIP - FonAngle

Talk to Chris. Tell him Jared from Texas recommended you. I've done my homework. Waste your time doing your own or take my advice and just call Fonangle lol.

Thanks, I will check them out.

Well, I am using Hosted VOIP services from The Real PBX. You can get a 5 line phone system at a low price. Are there any other requirements or is that it?