As a small business owner, you've got to stay flexible and that's why Voice over Internet Protocol (VoIP) for small business is such a great way to go. By switching to an Internet-based phone system on your own network, you'll stay connected at work and at home, you'll have better security and you'll have easier access to the information you need, right when you need it.

Verizon (News - Alert) has launched a new VoIP service for small- and medium-sized businesses (SMBs) called Virtual Communications Express. The cloud service integrates with Google (News - Alert) Apps to offer click-to-call functionality from e-mail, calendar and chat, and offers telepresence, visual voicemail and other features common in unified communications and private branch exchange (PBX (News - Alert)).

Virtual Communications Express is aimed at smaller organizations, between 20 and 70 employees that may be reluctant about adopting heavy-duty communications deployment, as the service is easy to configure and doesn’t require any design or certified engineers.

"I think the main thrust of this is to bring PBX features to companies that don't have the budget or in-house resources to manage a full-fledged PBX or UC system," said IDC analyst Matt Davis, in a statement. According to Information Week, Davis sees the new service as a "market-building exercise" for Verizon, citing IDC research that shows reluctance among SMBs to embrace virtual PBX or other hosted communications services--even though those platforms are often intended for companies with limited financial and technical resources.

The service allows a user to answer calls to their office line from their iPhone (News - Alert) and make calls from their mobile devices via the VoIP service that appear to be from their office number on caller ID.

IDC's Davis noted that the likes of AT&T (News - Alert) and Comcast are also treading in the SMB market for cloud-based communications, adding that the challenge is to provide advanced technologies that actually deliver on ease-of-use promises. "This is where Verizon may have an advantage over companies that don't have a deep customer support capability," Davis said.

When it comes to VoIP and customer service, there are many ways VoIP can help; there is simplified customer relationship management (CRM) integration, VoIP offers many cost savings, phone, e-mail and Web contacts can all be on a single platform, users can easily route contacts to the best agent anywhere on the corporate network and continue to leverage legacy investments.

Another aspect of VoIP that is increasingly being adopted is call management and recording. In fact, in some industries and professions, such as call centers, financial services and the legal community, call recording is mandated by law/industry regulation. Many organizations are turning to call recording systems in increasing numbers for training purposes, for regulatory compliance and for enhanced customer satisfaction. VoIP call recording is made easy with SIP Print, a provider of VoIP call recording and management systems for businesses of all sizes globally. Its telecommunications solutions offer seamless integration, maximum performance and efficiency and regulatory compliance for customers.

To learn more about how VoIP and call recording solutions can benefit your business, click here.