Remembering Dick and Myra Larkin - National Association of ...

your monthly phone bills. Using technologythat has been refined over thelast half decade, this new breed of serviceprovider combines the phone serviceand the phone system into one easy todigest package. You still have advanced,feature-rich phones on your desk, but theactual system that powers it is off-site, ina data center with high levels of redundancyand security.What does that mean for you? Simple,it’s less expensive, and if it breaks, there’sno need for expensive service calls ormaintenance contracts. It is simply notyour problem at all! The provider haspeople sitting next to the system to fix itquickly. You can do all the things that yourcurrent system can do, plus you can integrateyour voice mail with your email, haveyour phone set to have callers find you atvarious numbers so you never miss a call,manage your settings via the Internet, andsee your bill and historical information inthe same Web portal. Instead of having abunch of phone lines from the local telephonecompany, the hosted phone systemdelivers your phone service as well, andtypically wraps it all together in a nice,flat-rate package. No more complicatedphone bills with charges that require atranslator to understand what you’re paying.All of your local and long distancecome together, taking advantage of theInternet and VoIP (Voice over InternetProtocol) technology. Easy to use, easy toset up, little or no capital outlay, and quitepossibly, less expensive than what you payjust for your phone bill alone.A three seat hosted solution should costno more than $120 per month (plus applicabletaxes), and that amount includesunlimited local and long distance calling inNorth America, advanced voice mail features,including integration with MicrosoftOutlook and having your voice mail sent toyou as email, and all of the advanced phonesystem features. No hidden fees or charges,and no cost of maintaining equipment.Depending on your exact needs, rates maybe lower in some cases.In order to capitalize on all that ahosted solution can do for you, you shouldbe aware of a few things. First, you willneed to maintain your broadband (highspeed) Internet connection with your currentprovider. This connection is how youwill connect the phone on your desk tothe phone system at the data center. Mosthosted providers will recommend that youpurchase certain types of phones that theywill send to you pre-programmed. Whileyou don’t need to use the phones they suggest,as they are typically working off of ahighly defined standard, but the reliabilityof the system is greatly increased if youuse the suggested equipment.In the past with VoIP technology, reliabilityhas been a concern that has keptsome customers from embracing it. Overthe past two to three years, the quality barhas been raised substantially by the providersof such services, and Internet ServiceProviders have enhanced their networksto carry voice traffic over the Internet withfewer instances of dropped calls. Today, thequality that hosted solution providers canoffer rivals that of the traditional phonecompanies, and usually costs less.If you want to eliminate the hassle ofsupporting your phone system, and quitepossibly saving some money, you shouldseriously consider a hosted phone systemtoday!Author: David Politis, Vocalocity, Inc. Forfurther details or specialized agent pricing,go to www.vocalocity.com/allstateSummer 2009 Exclusivefocus — 47