Vonage for business

Tuesday 17 January, 2012

By Duncan - duncan@consumerchoices.co.uk

Businesschoices.co.uk takes a look at what Vonage can offer to businesses in the UK

Vonage is a proven alternative to traditional business phone services , providing inclusive domestic and international calls for a monthly charge.

It works a little differently to many phone services. Rather than delivering calls over a telephone line, Vonage routes calls through your business’s broadband connection. This type of communication is referred to as voice over internet protocol (VOIP).

Although it’s net-based, there’s no need to turn on any computers. All that’s required to use Vonage is an active broadband connection, a touchtone phone and a special adapter, which Vonage supplies. When the adaptor is attached to a phone, and the account activated, you can make and receive calls as you could with any other phone.

Vonage features

All Vonage account holders, regardless of how much they spend, can use 20 call features. Some of these are standard things that you’d expect from a business phone service - the ability to call emergency services, for example.

The features are activated by either dialling specific numbers on the phone, or activating them through your online account. Here’s a brief list of what’s available and what the features do:

• Voicemail Plus - takes messages and lets you play them back through both the phone, or on a computer. You can also choose to have messages emailed to you
• Caller display - displays name and phone number of incoming callers
• Call waiting - lets you accept an incoming call when already using the phone
• 1471 - dial 1471 and Vonage will redial the last call made to you
• Ring back - automatically redial engaged numbers
• International call barring - prevent any international calls
• Call diversion - send incoming calls to up to six different numbers
• Call transfer - direct calls to any other phone in the UK
• Call hunt - if you have multiple phone numbers, this rings the other line if the dialled phone is in use
• Anonymous call block - bars calls from anyone that’s blocked their user ID
• Do not disturb - sends all incoming calls to voicemail
• Ring lists - sends incoming calls between multiple phones until someone answers
• Withhold caller display - block your identity when making calls
• Three-way calling - connect with two phone lines on one call
• SimulRing - when activated, rings your Vonage line and up to five other numbers (regardless of provider) simultaneously
• Vonage to Vonage calls - calls to other Vonage lines are always free, regardless of where they are
• Vonage Access - call any Vonage line or 800 number without incurring long distance or international charges
• Online account - check details of your account, including call histories, voicemail and billing information, over the internet
• Click-to-call - dial contacts from Microsoft Outlook
• Travelling with Vonage - carry Vonage adapter to use your number from any location

Vonage call plans

Vonage offers four main call plans, and the one you should choose really depends on how much international calling you intend to do. Whichever you choose, Vonage offers a 30-day money back guarantee.

V-Plan UK - This is the cheapest plan Vonage offers, and costs just £3.99 a month for the first three months. After than the price goes up to £5.99 each month.

For your money, you get unlimited calls to UK landlines (subject to a fair usage policy, of course), and unlimited calls to other Vonage users.

V-Plan 2 - Vonage calls the V-Plan 2 it’s “most popular” call plan. This option costs £5.99 a month for the first three months, and £8.99 every month after that.

The plan gives you unlimited calls to landlines in 26 destinations, including the USA, Canada and many countries in Europe. It also allows unlimited calls to mobile phones in six destinations, including the US, Hong Kong and Thailand. Note that the UK is not on this list.

Calls to landlines and mobiles in other destinations will incur additional charges, although some countries, such as India, enjoy reduced rates.

V-Plan 3 - This plan is a good choice for anyone that needs to make a lot of international calls. Vonage charges £6.99 for the first three months. After that the prices is bumped up to £10.99.

For that money, you get free calls to landlines in 42 international destinations and mobiles in seven destinations. As with the V-Plan 2, you'll also receive reduced rates to some countries, including India and Pakistan.

V-Plan 4i - The V-Plan 4i is the most expensive plan Vonage offers, but it’s also the most expansive. For £14.99 a month for the first three months, then £19.99, you get all the benefits of the other plans (such as the 30-day money back guarantee and free Vonage to Vonage calls) and landline calls to 48 destinations, including India. In addition, you get unlimited calls to mobiles in eight destinations, which also includes India.

Extra fees

It’s important to remember that, whichever call plan you choose, you’ll face a one-off line activation charge of £9.88 and a delivery fee of £8.99. The first adaptor (which supports two phone lines) is free, but extras will cost as much as £40.

There are charges for additional services too, such as adding a fax machine or changing a number, so make sure you calculate your upfront cost when initially signing up.

You should also be aware that if you wish to disconnect your Vonage service in the first year and after the 30-day money back guarantee, you’ll have to pay a not insubstantial disconnection fee of £23.99.

A full list of Vonage’s additional charges can be found on its website.

Should I use Vonage?

When you sign up with Vonage, all standard landline calls in the UK are included - there are no extra costs. As a result, it can be a cost-effective way of managing communications.

If you have a business that operates globally, or requires regular communication with people overseas, a VOIP service like Vonage is also great way to save some money. The different call plans incorporate different countries (see above), and chances are the ones you call will be included somewhere.

Other than the upfront cost of line activation (and any additional adaptors you require), you pay a fixed monthly rate. Only calls to certain international numbers and mobiles are charged (again, check the call plan), so it’s easy to predict how much you’ll spend on the phone each month - great for budgeting.

Another big plus is that Vonage’s adapter is portable, so you can carry it with you when you travel on business. So long as there’s a touchtone phone and a broadband connection available, you can use your phone number from any location, even overseas.

Calling over broadband may be cost efficient, but there are some potential problems. Vonage is entirely reliant on your broadband connection to work. Lose that connection, and you also lose your phone. For businesses in urban areas, where the broadband coverage is likely to be fairly good, it’s unlikely to be more than an occasional inconvenience. But if you live in an area where broadband coverage is patchy (as it is in large parts of rural Britain), Vonage or another VoIP service may not be for you and you may want to consider sticking with a good old-fashioned telephone line.

Compare Vonage to other providers

Before signing up to any telephone solution, be it VOIP, landline or mobile, you should make sure you’re getting the best value for money. Use the Businesschoices.co.uk comparison service to find the best deal in your area.