Many people ask us, “what is VoIP”? The acronym stands for Voice over Internet Protocol. Simply put, it is sending voice telephone calls over the internet. Although they originate via the internet, many times calls must still be terminated at the remote end (the called party) over a traditional telephone circuit. As of yet, not everyone is using the internet for their telephone services. In fact, many still use plain old telephone service (POTS) for their telephone lines. That means at some point, the call is converted from the internet back to the local telephone company for final delivery. At VisiCore, we do the same. Customers connect to the core telephone system via the internet, we deliver it to the public network via the internet and our carrier delivers the call, however they must, to match the technology on the far end. So for quite some time into the future, there will be a hybrid of telecommunications services. Maybe one day, it will all be over the internet but we don’t expect that to happen anytime soon.

Anyway, back to the subject of Why go VoIP? We have put together a few questions and answers below in hopes of clarifying why and how your company could benefit by converting to Hosted VoIP.

1.      What is the maintenance benefit of a Hosted Service?

a.      Since VisiCore owns the central telephone system, all maintenance and service is performed by our trained technicians. You no longer need to worry about employing a technician trained to:

i.    Program the system.

ii.   Maintain the software and perform upgrades of the system.

b.      You need not pay maintenance on the system. VisiCore does that.

c.      Since VisiCore maintains and constantly upgrades the system, you are assured of having the latest and greatest technologies at your disposal. We originally installed the system in 2005 and have performed both hardware and software upgrades on a regular base. Our system performs today just as if it were purchased brand new today.

2.     Our telephones are about to die but we can’t afford the capital expense of new equipment to convert to the new telephones we would need. What can we do?

a.      Our process is very similar to acquiring a new cellular telephone. Cellular service providers will provide the telephone for free (or for very little cost) if you sign up for a term of service. Under our current program, we give you the telephone for free provided you commit to service with us for 3 years.*

3.     Do I need telephone lines when using the hosted service?

a.      No, when the new telephones are installed, they connect to the world via the internet so your current telephone lines would no longer be needed. In many cases, the internet service you currently have for your business will support the additional telephone traffic. *

b.      In some cases, the operating cost of your new VisiCall Service could be less than you currently pay for your telephone lines. We usually ask for a copy of your current telephone bill so we can provide a comparison.

4.     I have more than one office. Is that a problem?

a.      This is probably one of the most sought after features from our hosted services. As we mentioned above, the telephones connect to our core telephone system via the internet. The telephone system doesn’t care where the telephones are located. All of the telephones appear to belong to the same company. We have several customers with offices scattered around the State of Washington. In one particular case, the customer has three locations. They have a single, centralized, answering position on the system. This means two of the offices need not have a receptionist. (Imagine their savings by employing only one person instead of three.) Anyway, the single answering point takes calls and simply transfers them to the appropriate employee be they within the same building or across the State at another office. The cost savings realized by one vs. three answering positions way more than covers the cost of the hosted services.

5.     Does VisiCore offer Automated Attendant services?

a.      Automated Attendant (AA) is available on the VisiCore telephone system. We have the ability to match some of the services you have experienced where a caller never actually gets to a real person. AA can be very useful, when used properly. Our expert installers will work with you to insure your AA is functional but doesn’t irritate callers.

6.     Does the VisiCore system provide Music on Hold?

a.     Yes, when callers are being transfered to another employee or are placed on hold. The VisiCore system plays music insuring the caller understands they haven’t been “cut off”.

7.     Does the system have Voice Mail (VM)?

a.     Yes, each telephone on the system can have its own voice mail box. That means no more taking notes from the centralized answering machine and hand delivering them to employees.

b.     The system even goes one step further. When a VM message is left for an individual, the VisiCore system will send a copy of the message via a .wav file to the users e-mail address. Many customers value this service because they can access their e-mail from their cellular telephone. Anyone on the road has immediate access to their VM messages without calling the VisiCore telephone system to retrieve it.

8.     Does the VisiCore provide more capabilities?

a.     We could go on to fill several pages of features the system provides. The best take away from this page is the VisiCore telephone system is a sophisticated telephone system that many very large enterprise companies might use to support multi-national locations all with enterprise required features. The benefit of going Hosted VoIP is your company too can have the many features of an enterprise system with little or no up front investment and, in many cases, pay less for the ongoing service than you currently pay for your telephone lines.

If you would like more information about VisiCore ‘s services, please click here:  

 *     Some restrictions may apply. Please contact your VisiCore representative for details.