From Enterprise Nation Homeworking website.
“Voice over Internet Protocol (VoIP) technology is set to increase in popularity among small firms in the UK as they seek to cut costs, an expert has declared. According to Ian Godfrey, director of VoIP distributor ProVu, aside from the cost benefits available to small businesses, the new technology can also give firms the chance to establish a new business model.”
http://www.enterprisenation.com/content/technology/TopStories/article_46_813.aspx
Also, the National Business to Business Centre in Coventry has an article on a West Midlands based DVD and Video production company that uses VOIP to keep costs down and manage calls when they are away from the office.
http://www.nb2bc.co.uk/images/showcase/file22.pdf
At ASL we have been using VOIP for all our incoming and outgoing calls from our office for about a year now. It has some really innovative features like emailing the answerphone messages to us when we are out of the office. (as WAV files).
Chris
ASL Computer Services
ASL Computer Services 
Agreed, and with a virtual pbx you have even more features with your voip system if you would need them. So VoIP is very much becomming a good smb option.
Chris,
Given the tags on this post, I presume you are using Skype for business calls. I’d be interested to hear how it’s working for you as a business user with, presumably, a number of staff making and receiving VoIP calls. Feel free to email me if you’d prefer to take this offline.
Colman
Colman
We use SIP based VOIP accounts with hardware IP phones for all incoming calls to our office and for the majority of outgoing calls. We like having a real phones on the desks which ring and can be answered by picking up the handset, and they don’t rely on a PC being turned on all the time.
Skype is great for specific uses; Video conferencing and three or four way conference calls are two business uses that spring to mind. We use Skype in this way, but not as our main business VOIP solution.
If you want VOIP for multiple people try looking at some of the virtual pbx systems. for example voipfone.
Chris
Chris,
Thanks for the response. I am actually selling a VoIP PBX (asterisk-based) but was interested to hear real-life accounts of Skype use within a business as I didn’t think it was suitable for anything beyond personal communications. I guess you reached that conclusion too 🙂
Do you have your own PBX or do you use a ‘virtual’ one ?
Cheers,
Colman
Colman
I agree with you. Skype is probably the best VOIP solution for individuals wanting to use their broadband for free calls (and video) to friends and relatives worldwide for free.
But for business use we would recommend either:
– Single SIP based VOIP account
– Virtual PBX VOIP account
– In house Asterisk system
depending on the size of the business and telephony requirements.
Chris Moody
ASL Computer Services