VOIP as commonly deployed today moves your phone numbers from the existing telecommunications service provider and shifts those to a data network with links to the Internet and then traditional telephone networks. Businesses can save $30 or more per line per month with this simple shift and even more if they are heavy international callers or use conferencing extensively.

Proximiti provides VOIP services and importantly, leading edge premise based equipment to deliver these services but now can also incorporate important wireless savings as well. This moves VOIP from interesting, a smart move at the right time, to a compelling move to make right now.

Proximiti’s 3600 HKS equipment for example, can route an incoming call simultaneously to an employee’s desk phone and cell phone. The Mitel 3300 can do this as well on a premise based platform. Before turning to how Proximiti can help you deliver this capability, let’s quickly review "twining" and what this "convergence" means to a typical business. Twinning allows for instant connection of incoming calls to employees in and out of the office but if in the office and the employee is away from their desk, they can then shift between their cell phone and desk phone while on the call.

Here’s how it works:

A key customer calls one of your sales staff and she’s in the back office chasing down paperwork for another client. She receives the incoming call on her cell phone and returns to her desk where she sees that line 1 is lit. She then can simply pick up on the desktop phone and the cell phone connection is dropped with no interruption in the call (it’s like a conference call). She will have higher quality service than with her cell phone and importantly for your company, a lower cell phone bill. Customers will quickly appreciate only having to remember one number to get to their key contacts. So while your company is saving on VOIP from your traditional telephone company, you might save 100% more by having fewer wireless minutes used.

And the Proximiti equipment has a number of great other features including voice mail, conference calling capabilities, a LCD display with a company directory, hunt groups for call routing, auto attendant functions and many others. But the ability for the Proximiti service to manage employee cell phones as a managed extension will pay big benefits in productivity while allowing you to reduce wireless minutes of use.

Proximiti’s Fully Managed Solution: Providing Wireless Services In Addition to VOIP & Data Services

In the previous example, Proximiti works with the business to set up the new equipment and VOIP services; however, no changes are made with the wireless carriers or employee cell phones. So incoming calls to employees to the main number or direct inward dialed numbers as part of the Proximiti system can be fully managed end to end including integration with wireless phones.

Scenario Comment Benefit Savings Bring Your Own Wireless Phones Company keeps existing wireless service Inbound calls to main number can be routed by receptionist to any cell phone or to both a desk phone and cell phone Can be 25% or more on monthly wireless spending Use Proximiti Wireless Services Whether a call comes to main number of cell phone, full twinning works allowing for easy call handling Called party can use any phone for any type of inbound call Can be 50% or more  

In this first version of the service, incoming calls to a wireless phone on the wireless number cannot be integrated as the wireless carrier controls the call routing and has no real incentive to reduce wireless minutes of use. This first version of service can provide substantial savings to a company without affecting existing wireless service contracts or involving replacing wireless phone equipment, etc.

Proximiti also offers a fully managed wireless service, however, where it provides wireless phones, network services, one integrated mailbox for the office phone and wireless phone, call routing that works as described above for both incoming calls to a cell phone or desk phone, allowing an employee to drop the wireless leg if at their desk, and greatly reduce your wireless minutes of use.

Proximiti offers important other control type features for companies using its wireless services These control features include maximum spending limits on a per phone basis, great rates on international calls if necessary for certain employees, and numerous other benefits.