Owning a business in Lakeside, MI means having to install a telephone service provider at one point or another. Calls from customers and vendors are still the number one way that the public will get in touch with you. The most reliable type of phone service is important to have for your business. You'll want to choose a company that offers dependable service for an affordable price. Customer service is also something you should factor into your consideration. So before you make the decision of what phone company to choose from, evaluate the various providers and everything they have to offer. You'll have the choice of either a VoIP phone service or the more traditional analog telephone service. You should understand exactly what the differences are between the two before you make your choice by comparing and taking into account the different rates and features. Decide which features and price range will work well for your business.
| Provider | Plan Details | Monthly Rate* | |
|---|---|---|---|
 | RATED #1 BY INDUSTRY EXPERTS
| $19.99 | Details  142 Reviews |
 | Business phone service - no internet required
* 8.3% discount if paid for the year upfront | $17.41* | Details  7 Reviews |
 | Engineering for the Small Business
* per user per month | $9.95* | Details 1 Reviews |
 | Alliance
* 12% discount for subscribing and paying for a year upfront | $19.97* | Details 13 Reviews |
_2.png&contenttype=png "Talkroute Logo") | The phone system built to do business anywhere
* $5 per additional user | $19.00* | Details 1 Reviews |
_2.png&contenttype=png "Verizon logo") | Get 99.99% network reliability with Fios.
* Per month. Plus taxes, fees and equipment charges. | $69.00* | Details  11 Reviews |
VoIP (short for 'voice over internet protocol') is a relatively new means of communication that presents business owners in Lakeside, MI with an alternate choice to standard landlines. Though VoIP has been around for over 15 years at this point, lately its use has become much more commonplace, and an ever-growing number of corporations are switching over to it and giving the boot to their regular POTS (plain old telephone service). In addition, new businesses - particularly smaller-sized start-up companies - tend to opt for VoIP for their professional communications demands. The quality of calls made over VoIP is no different than that of an old-fashioned telephone line, even for calls that take place over the Internet. It is advisable to verify that you have a solid business network connection for dependable VoIP reception. You might want to try out Wirefly's Internet Connection Speed Test to find out if your present connection speed is compatible with VoIP.
The fundamental distinction between VoIP and POTS comes down to how phone calls are sent and received. With a POTS system, phone calls are transmitted primarily through an analog data frequency. With VoIP, every phone call is electronically encoded and sent over the web instead. Communicating over the Internet is much more cost-effective than doing it over a standard signal, enabling you to take and make calls at cheaper rates. If you place a lot of calls to overseas countries, you'll notice that VoIP carriers bill much less for international calls than regular phone service providers. Numerous companies also offer fixed rate plans that let you make limitless calls to various countries without adding on per-minute fees.
A commercial VoIP plan may include any communications function that you could ever need for your Lakeside, MI enterprise. A stockpile of unique features will be at your disposal, including multiple lines, ring groups, call waiting, caller ID, innumerable voicemail features, and much more.
Most professional VoIP companies in Lakeside, MI have a selection of plans developed to accommodate the demands of organizations of all sizes. It doesn't matter if you're a small, single-line business or a huge firm with hundreds of lines; you can always find a VoIP system that will satisfy you.
The rise in popularity of VoIP services, especially among smaller businesses and startups, means that there are many providers in the market who are competing to convince you that they are the best choice. Choosing a provider may seem difficult, however, the popularity of VoIP and the number of providers in the market can work to your advantage because it means that the chances of finding the perfect one are higher.
The most important thing to establish before choosing a provider is what your communication needs are. Small businesses will not need a big package with many add-ons, while bigger corporations will benefit from these. Asking yourself how many lines you will need, or which features you will use on a regular basis will ensure that you do not pay for unnecessary items. It is key to consider the predicted growth of your business, this will help you figure out the type of contract you sign as well as assist you in evaluating how much you can spend on a phone service provider.
After you have established all of the above you can look into what the VoIP providers in Lakeside, MI are offering. Consider which services they provide and if they are affordable. Remember that with the number of providers in the market, investigating the company's reputation can save you a lot of frustration and money. A good phone system can be crucial to your business's success so make sure that you hire a service that has a good record in terms of reliability and customer service.
Traditional phone services carry all calls over the PSTN, which is the public switched telephone network. The PSTN network is what has been in use for about a hundred years and was the very first phone network to be used. It is available all over the country and is made up of satellites, cables, telephone lines and mobile networks. Most customers think of this type of service when they are considering a business phone service, only because it is what they are used to.
However, a PSTN phone service can cost more in Lakeside, MI than VoIP service. This is mostly due to the fact that the PSTN infrastructure is old and requires ongoing maintenance to it. Since PSTN is analog, it makes it harder to send data over longer distances.
Making a long distance call with PSTN means that the data sent will have to make numerous stops at locations along the way. Data flows through equipment that is owned by a number of different companies, causing this type of call to be more expensive. While much of the infrastructure that is used to carry, switch and route the telephone calls is completely digital, the “last mile', as it is known, is still an analog connection made between the customer and the local central office.
Most Lakeside, MI businesses use a PBX, or private branch exchange, to route the calls that go through their office. A PBX system allows different calling features to function correctly, such as multiple extensions, call forwarding, voicemail and more. It is an important part of the phone system.
A traditional PSTN phone system can utilize the PBX either from the user's premises or from a remote location. But an analog PBX has a big drawback, and that is the expense. When you set up a complete business phone system that includes a PBX, you will need various types of hardware that you will be required to purchase to get started. This expense falls on the business owner and the initial investment can be anywhere from $1,000 and up. Other factors, such as installation and configuration, are also not included in the initial price. Any maintenance that must be done on the PBX will also be the business owner's responsibility. Hiring a professional to come out to look at any problems can cost at least $100 an hour, if not more.
A traditional PBX may also breakdown or parts of it can become obsolete, again a problem that can be very costly to fix. Many of these systems do not support more than a few lines at a time, so upgrading to more if your business grows will add on the expense of having to purchase additional hardware. You'll get stuck paying for costly repairs for years to come if you choose this type of phone system for your business.
