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VoIP FeaturesOne primary benefit of VoIP is the array of VoIP features that are available as part of your standard plan...and for a small fee the option to add enhanced features. I've tried to categorize the list of VoIP features below in two categories 1. Standard and 2. Advanced….but please do not get hung up on the categories themselves because some providers may offer a feature that I have listed as advanced as part of their standard service and visa versa. So be sure to look at the feature list of a particular VoIP provider that you are interested in so you have a clear understanding of the features they offer. Click on the VoIP feature below to go directly to the description for that VoIP feature or you can scroll down the page.
Standard VoIP Features: 3-Way CallingAbility to connect two additional parties onto the same call so that all three of you can talk. Area Code of Choice Ability to create a list of phone numbers that you do not want to receive calls from. Call Forwarding Forward calls to your cell, work or whatever phone you would like. Most VoIP providers allows you to change your call forwarding option through your web account. Some also allows the ability to change forwarding via your phone. Caller ID with Name Ability to view the callers name and phone number. You will need a phone with the Caller ID feature or a caller ID devise. Call Return Ability to automatically redial the phone number of your last incoming call by pressing one or two keys on your phone. Call Waiting Allow you to accept a second call while you are on the line. You are notified by a tone that a second call is incoming. You can put the first caller on hold and accept the call or forward the caller to voicemail. Call Waiting ID Shows the name and phone number of the second caller. Last Number Re-dial Allow you to call automatically the last number you dialed by pressing one or two keys. Local Number Porting Allows you to move your current phone number over to your new VoIP service provider. 411 Directory Assistance Allows you access to the national 411 directory for phone numbers, addresses, etc. Normally you will pay for each call. 911 Service Your VoIP service provider directs your 911 calls to a general access line at a Public Safety Answering Point (PSAP). You must then clearly provide your name, address and phone number after stating the nature of your emergency. This is a different 911 process than your regular phone service. Your 911 calls with a regular phone service provider routs your calls to a Emergency Response Center and automatically providers your address, phone number and name when your call is answered. See "Enhanced 911 Service (E911)". Voicemail A voicemail box will take messages for you left by the caller. The caller has the option to leave you a voicemail if you do not take a call or on the line with another caller. Normally you access your normal voicemail box via the phone. See "Enhanced Voicemail". Travel Internationally Bring your VoIP adapter when you travel and receive and make calls just as if you were local. Callers will not have to pay high international rates to reach you. You will need a broadband internet connection.
Advanced VoIP Features: Additional Phone NumbersAbility to ad extra phone numbers that ring your main line. For example you could have a local New York number a local Chicago number etc. that would ring into the same line. Normally there is a cost of $4 to $5 per month per phone number. These numbers are also called Virtual Phone numbers. Anonymous Call Blocking If the inbound call does not have an originating phone number than the call is blocked. Caller ID Blocking Allows you to block your phone number on the caller ID when you call others. Call Logs This feature is part of an account web based interface. It will show you a real time call log of the inbound and outbound calls of your account. Normally shows the date, time, duration and the callers phone number. Call Recording Allows you to record a phone call conversion. Once the call is complete the recorded call is sent to your account as a .wav file. Call Transfer After you have accepted a call it provides you the ability to transfer the call to another phone number and with some services to voicemail. Softphone Software that you load on your computer allowing you to make calls from your computer to other phones. A PC headset with microphone is required. Contact Lists Ability to assign a specific name to a phone number. When that phone number is used to call you the specific name will be displayed on the caller ID. Online contact List Create a contact list on line with names and phone numbers. Ability to call from the contact list using a softphone just by clicking on the number. Distinctive Rings Ability to assign a distinctive ring tone to a phone number when you have multiple Virtual phone numbers assigned to one account. Do Not Disturb Ability to forward callers directly to your voicemail when you are not available to take calls. Enhanced Voicemail Ability to listed to your voicemail either through accessing your account through the phone or using your web account provided by your VoIP provider. The voicemails in your account are .wav files that you click on to play. Some VoIP providers allows you to forward voicemails to an email address of your choice as an attached .wav file. Also provides the ability to create a greeting/message per phone number if you have multiple phone numbers assigned to your account. E911 Service E911 stands for Enhanced 911. With Enhanced 911, your call is routed to the Public Safety Answering Point (PSAP) supporting the service address you registered with your account. The emergency operator receives the name, address, and origination phone number of the caller. With this service, the caller does not need to orally give their location to the operator. You are responsible for maintaining the correct address associated with your account. Fax At this time there are only a few VoIP providers that offer inbound and outbound faxes. The ones that do offer a separate regular (twisted wire) phone line that you hook up to your fax machine. Normally the cost per month is around $10. Find-Me Follow-Me Normally this feature work in two separate ways. One is where you can enter several numbers and the system will call each number sequentially after so many rings. For example it will call your home phone first then cascade to your cell phone and so forth. The other option is where it will call more than one phone number at the same time. If you use this option it would call your home phone and cell phone at the same time using the above example. Line Busy/No answer Forward If you phone line is busy or you do not pick up after a set number of rings the call is forwarded to another phone number. 7-Digit Dialing Allow you to dial only seven digit of the phone number in your local calling area therefore eliminating the need to dial the three digit area code. Message Notification Ability to receive notification of new voicemail messages by phone, email, pager, text message, or Instant Messaging (AOL IM, Yahoo IM, MSN IM or ICQ). Repeat Dial if Busy Feature will repeat the number dialed until the line is open. Normally the system will ring you once the call is being connected. Speed Dial Ability to assign speed dial numbers to phone numbers you frequently call. Normally the speed dial is two to three digits and is set up via your web interface provided by the VoIP provider. Toll Free Number Service provider provides you with a toll free number. There is normally a minimum per monthly charge plus a per minute charge to use this service. It provides anyone in the US to call your number for no charge to them. Unlimited International Calling Allows you to call anywhere internationally at a flat rate month charge. Unlimited US/Can Calling Allows you to call anywhere in the US and Canada without long-distance toll charges. Web Portal Ability to manage your VoIP service on the web via a portal provided by the VoIP provider. Maintain your account information, review billing information, set account features.
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