Source: www.voip-news.com

CTI Group and CommPartners Connect have partnered to offer VoIP call recording for small and medium-sized businesses called SmartRecord IP.

“SmartRecord IP is a shining example of how IP communications can deliver feature-rich, fully integrated, and value-added services to the SMB market that are unmatched by the traditional phone company,” says Mark Peterson, Vice President of Sales and Marketing for CommPartners Connect. “Our resellers are proving each day that not only does the value proposition of VoIP sell services, but applications like SmartRecord IP have great appeal to important segments of the SMB market and increase overall demand for VoIP. By responding to the demand for these value-added features and applications, we are enabling our resellers to meet customer needs and win more deals while driving growth of their VoIP business portfolio.”

According to the company:

SmartRecord IP is a hosted VoIP call recording application. With geographic redundancy and infinite scalability, it offers network operators, like CommPartners Connect, the ability to offer call recording directly from the switch, rather than as an afterthought. This integration with the CommPartners Connect BroadSoft applications platform allows SmartRecord IP to be more failsafe and secure than other add-on call recording solutions. SmartRecord IP also makes all recordings available on the internet through the use of a point-and-click web-interface, requiring very little training or support to implement this system into daily business processes.

“By partnering with industry leaders like CommPartners Connect, we believe we are providing our solution, SmartRecord IP, with the very best backbone possible to reach the VoIP market. Our hope is to make the solutions that have previously only been available to the biggest companies available to every company. The benefit that tools like SmartRecord IP can have to smaller businesses is astronomical and gives those smaller companies the ability to be competitive with their larger competitors. CTI Group hopes to level the playing field by offering all businesses equal access to monitoring and management tools like SmartRecord IP,” says Sid Rao, Chief Technology Officer, CTI Group, Inc.

Source: www.voip-news.com

Verizon Business has unveiled new service packages designed for the small to medium sized business market. The packages combine wireline and wireless voice and data capabilities and also offer security and network management.

“With these new offerings, medium-sized business customers can take advantage of Verizon Business’ proven enterprise-grade solutions, tailored to their specific needs and with local accountability,” said Ray Wierzbicki, senior vice president, SMB & conferencing and collaboration for Verizon Business. “We’re harnessing the power of IP technology to address the increasingly complex and unique needs of mid-market customers and help them get to where they want to go — on their own path and at their own pace.”

According to Verizon:

The new service packages help smaller businesses more readily adopt Verizon Business’ leading portfolio of IP solutions. By employing the right combination of services tailored to their business requirements, Verizon Business small and mid-sized business customers can immediately benefit from streamlined network management associated with converged voice and data networking and the ability to introduce new IP-based applications such as voice and video over IP.

Verizon Business has an unrivaled record of deploying new IP-based technologies and guiding its customers down the IP evolution path. For a retrospective and prospective view of Verizon Business IP innovation, visit: http://www.verizonbusiness.com/about/ipinnovation.

Of particular interest is the VoIP BizPak which contains VoIP with Internet Dedicated Access, Dedicated Toll Free and Managed Email Content services, along with Verizon’s equipment offerings.

Source: www.voip-news.com

Call centers are important to businesses of all sizes. They instill a sense of confidence in customers, since someone from the company is available to answer questions at reasonable times. But the cost of creating a call center used to be prohibitive to smaller companies.

That’s not the case anymore.

IP Telephony, and specifically VoIP, has allowed companies to create and implement call centers like large companies have without the high costs of running it. Not only can the equipment be much less than that of traditional call centers, but workers can even work from remote locations — lessening the expenses for physical space needed.

In fact, even AT&T offers VoIP call center technology now …

Source: www.voip-news.com

Cablecom, the largest cable-network operator in Switzerland, is going to use SmartNode 4630 Multiport BRI VoIP Router for its connect PBX ISDN VoIP and data service for SMBs.

“As a business service provider, we require innovative technology with the highest level of reliability, and SmartNode hits both targets. Partnering with Patton-Inalp enabled us to establish our voice service at the highest level of quality,” said Sacha Jooss, Cablecom Product Manager

SmartNode 4630 provides up to 5 BRI ports and 8 VoIP channels.

“The SmartNode equipment works so reliably that management never hears from them, and that is a good sign. Selecting SmartNode enables us to meet the demanding expectations of traditional ISDN users,” said Jooss.

According to SmartNode’s manufacturer, Patton-Inalp Networks AG:

Cablecom’s decision was driven by Patton’s unique price-performance equation: SmartNode delivers voice quality comparable to ISDN combined with first-line stability and reliability in a low-cost, standalone form factor. A rich ISDN feature set allows users to use their handsets and PBX features exactly as they are accustomed.

Another deciding factor was the high-precision clock, unique to SmartNode, which eliminates interoperability failures with DECT, PBX and FAX communications that commonly occur when VoIP is deployed in ISDN environments.

Source: www.voip-news.com

With the release of the beta version of Skype for SIP this week, there is considerable interest — and there should be. The new money-saving service could make VoIP communications an even more desirable avenue for businesses to pursue.

But what does the release mean for the SMB market?

VoIP-News tackles that question in this feature. Here’s a snippet:

Though it sounds like a good deal, the new service is hardly a breakthrough for SMBs. SIP-trunking providers already offer many of the same benefits. For example, they provide cheap inbound and outbound calling and virtual inbound numbers (like SkypeIn numbers) in different cities and even countries. They also offer capabilities Skype doesn’t, such as emergency E911 calling.

On the other hand, SIP-trunking operators don’t provide free inbound calls from Skype users. Businesses that find that feature important will surely want the new service. Similarly, some companies may have been considering buying a Skype gateway, one of the boxes or software applications that connect an IP PBX to Skype’s service. The new service would make such a purchase unnecessary.

Source: www.voip-news.com

Canadian SMBs now have a new option in hosted business VoIP and virtual call center services. SimpleSignal Inc. has partnered with virtuallyanywhere.ca to deliver those services to business customers.

“We chose virtuallyanywhere.ca as our partner in Canada because of the excellent pedigree of its management team, which has over 60 years of telecom experience and relationships,” said Dave Gilbert, president of SimpleSignal. “Virtuallyanywhere.ca shares our vision for delivering hosted VoIP solutions that seamlessly integrate with leading business applications in the cloud, so that SMBs have the tools they need to be successful.”

The partnership will also offer SIP Trunking.

“SimpleSignal is one of the fastest growing service providers in the U.S. because of its innovative hosted solutions that are tailored for SMBs,” said Wayne Cook, co-founder and vice president of Operations for virtuallyanywhere.ca. “We are proud to deliver these same solutions to Canadian businesses. Our offerings feature the best technology available, including a virtual call centre, the Polycom Productivity Suite and functionality such as Simultaneous Ring and Remote Office.”

Source: www.voip-news.com

VoIP News – the UK blog – reviews Voipfone’s list of VoIP benefits for SMBs. Check it out here.

Voice Over IP Weblog reports that the new VoIP player, Jaxtr, is offering free calls — for now at least. Read it here.

Check out a video about Mozilla Messaging and VoIP integration on LF.

Source: www.voip-news.com

There’s a new VoIP solution that is intended to make the switch from traditional to VoIP-based phone systems easier. Launched by Telanetix Inc., Digital Phone Service is a turnkey approach to upgrading. It includes all of the hardware and software to make the transition and it can accommodate up to eight phones. The solution is intended for small businesses with two to five employees, which accounts for about 70 percent of the SMBs in the United States.

“Throughout our history, Telanetix’s focus has been improving the quality and affordability of communications solutions available to the SMB market,” said Tom Szabo, chairman and CEO of Telanetix. “IP infrastructure and technology has allowed us to create a full suite of offerings for the Small Business segment. We are now able to offer a full line of communications tools — from VoIP to telepresence — designed to enhance the productivity of businesses, regardless of their size.”

The equipment cost can be spread into a payment plan as well. Digital Phone Service is up to 50 percent less than the cost of traditional phone companies. It includes voicemail, conference calling, long distance and other popular features.

Source: gigaom.com

Source: snapvoip.blogspot.com

Speakeasy, a bestbuy company and where I usually go to test my broadband speed, has launched its Integrated Voice offering, a service that is cheaper than replacing traditional business phone lines and also an alternative to a rip-and-replace upgrade that many other companies are offering.

SEATTLE, February 5, 2008—Speakeasy (www.speakeasy.net), a Best Buy company, (NYSE:BBY) and one of the nation’s leading providers of voice, data and IT solutions, is expanding its product offerings with Integrated Voice – a more cost-effective replacement for traditional business phone lines. Speakeasy’s new Integrated Voice business phone lines are ideal for companies that have between two and 12 telephone lines and want to keep their existing voice equipment while reducing the cost of their phone services. Pricing begins at just $19.95 per line, with long distance charges of just $0.029 per minute, saving many businesses up to 35% on their phone lines.

This phone line replacement combines voice and data services over a T-1 or high-speed DSL Internet connection, where bandwidth is dynamically allocated between voice and data for best voice quality. Integrated Voice is a convenient, cost-effective solution that allows customers to work with their existing PBX or key system and broadband connection. Customers can choose Speakeasy broadband service with voice quality technology, or use their own broadband connection. This service is available nationwide, and provides substantial savings over competing Integrated Access solutions. Speakeasy developed this solution in response to the needs of small businesses for flexibility, choice and a simplified solution for their business communications.

"We have a long history of listening to our customers and innovating around their needs," said Bruce Chatterley, Speakeasy’s president and CEO. "With the addition of Integrated Voice, we can now offer customers a choice between a service that works with existing phone equipment, or a full-featured next-generation hosted voice service."

Integrated Voice is available now nationwide. To learn more, visit: www.speakeasy.net or call 1-800-556-5829.

Source: snapvoip.blogspot.com

IW, Information Week’s David Berlind Interviews AllWorx CEO George Daddis Jr. about AllWorx’ 6X Voice-over-IP (VoIP) "switch" for small-to-medium businesses.

Something David also noticed is that when using the 6X’s, if you don’t answer an incoming call, the call gets pushed out to your cell phone. If you don’t answer your cell phone, the 6X pulls the call back for pickup by its own voice mail system.
Allworx’s devices (the 6X and the handsets) also support the standard for Power-over-Ethernet (PoE). The 6X itself is available from Allworx for $600.

Source: snapvoip.blogspot.com

San Diego, CA – July 30, 2007 – Switchvox, a leading provider of IP PBX phone systems for small- and medium-sized businesses (SMBs), today announced the availability of Switchvox SMB v3.0, the latest version of its IP PBX that now supports real-time sales and customer service applications.

Switchvox customers can now analyze and manage sales leads through Switchboard panels designed to work directly with their customer relationship management (CRM) programs. Detailed information from SugarCRM and Salesforce.com automatically pop-up on incoming calls via the Switchboard, Switchvox’s real-time call control panel, eliminating the burden of having to access records manually. The integration of Google Maps makes it easy to identify the location of inbound calls, helping to more easily adapt to potential leads.

Switchvox SMB v3.0 also features customizable Switchboard panels, where developers have access to a toolkit and the ability to build custom panels to fit the specific needs of the business. Additional features include:

• Integration with external voicemail servers: Switchvox now has support for third-party, SIP-based voicemail servers, like those made by Esnatech
• Sound packs: allows organizations to select from professionally recorded male and female voices that best complement their business
• Upgraded operating system: increased capacity to handle more concurrent calls with faster hardware systems
• Firedialer 2.0 upgrade: now includes automatic updates and support for local and international numbers

"With the integration of key CRM applications, our SMB customers are able to take the guess work out of their sales strategy. They now have the ability to manage incoming and outbound lead generation, and even locate prospects with Google Maps," said Joshua Stephens, CEO of Switchvox. "This is a key element that had been lacking in the industry which allows smaller businesses to take full advantage of communications technologies available to them in one simple package."

Switchvox builds its products from open source software and uses open standards. The company’s products are sold as turnkey solutions that include server hardware and pre-installed Switchvox software. Switchvox provides an easy-to-use and manage system that allows companies to make calls using traditional analog lines, as well as VoIP services.

The new Switchboard panels for SugarCRM, Salesforce.com and Google Maps integration are available immediately and free of charge for a limited time. Switchvox SMB starts at $2,495 and can be purchased from Switchvox directly or through its network of channel partners. Further information on Switchvox can be found at www.switchvox.com. Information on the Switchvox reseller program can be found at www.switchvox.com/resellers.