eReports -01/04 Soft phones article

Your Phone has left the Building!

Being able to work on the go has always been a significant requirement in the business world. Whether traveling to a client or trying to squeeze in an extra hour of work from home, access to the office environment is important for everyone. Great progress has been made in this area, with remote access options for email and document management systems now almost universal. But taking the office phone out of the office had never been an option, until now.

With the expanding implementation of IP Telephony systems (see IP-based Phone Systems in the eReports November 2003 issue for an introduction to IP Telephony) the ability to take the office phone on the road is now a reality, thanks to a technology known as soft phones. A soft phone is an application that can run on your laptop or home computer. Combining this software with a headset or handset speaker and microphone, the soft phone turns your computer into your office telephone, no matter where you go. Plantronics and Clarisys are vendors who provide headsets and IP handsets that are compatible with many of the soft phone applications offered today.

The soft phone application actually looks like a telephone on your screen. To use the soft phone, you simply type in the phone number and place the call. Many of the soft phone products allow for integration with other applications, allowing you to pick the phone number from a contact management application. Speed dial buttons and codes are the same on the soft phone as they are on a regular phone. Several vendors market soft phone software, including Cisco and IP Blue. The average cost for a soft phone license is around $150. While this may seem a little pricey at first, when you subtract out the cell phone costs for your road warriors and consider the improved client service the soft phone offers, the price tag becomes quite reasonable.

You should also realize a significant savings in long distance charges. For example, if your office is in New York and you are in a hotel in San Diego, you can place local calls to New York using the soft phone to connect over the Internet from your hotel room, through your New York office switch and to your client. Taking this a step further, the soft phone combined with a high-speed Internet connection, makes it possible for you to call your entire client base as though you were sitting at your desk. And since the calls will be generated from your office's local or long distance carrier, you will not be charged exorbitant long distance rates by the hotel.

Trying to get work done from a hotel room is often a challenge, especially when you need to speak with co-workers or clients. And this problem is even more pronounced when traveling internationally. Using a laptop and a high-speed Internet connection in the room, the soft phone allows you to place and receive calls as if you were sitting in your office. Deciphering calling card access codes and searching for decent cell phone reception are a thing of the past.

Another great use for soft phones is setting up temporary office sites. Because soft phones allow you to keep your regular phone extension all you need is an Internet connection to your office and you’re talking in no time. No more struggles to get phone service installed, find the necessary equipment, and get new phone lists distributed.

If both you and the person you are calling are using soft phones, you can take advantage of the collaboration features that many of the soft phones provide such as the ability to share a desktop, document or white board space.

As an extension of IP Telephony systems, soft phones provide the final link in the quest to have full functionality and connectivity while away from the office.

¹ Please note the services and products mentioned in this article do not necessarily reflect KKL's recommendation of the products or services listed. This listing is done for informational purposes only.