How to Start a VoIP Business

You can offer many VoIP services, all under your own brand with Telinta’s hosted softswitchPerhaps the most important question we hear is “How do I start my own VoIP business?”  One question usually leads to another…

What type of VoIP services should I offer?

You can offer many VoIP services, all under your own brand.  The first step will be to determine what type of customer you want to serve.  Regardless of which services you choose to offer, our experience over the years has taught us that it is usually better to start off with one service to keep your VoIP business focused.

Should I sell VoIP services to Businesses, Consumers or both?

Many business customers like the flexibility of Hosted PBX, since it does not require owning their own PBX equipment.  Many consumers call home to a specific country, so they are often easy to find by using media focused on that country’s language and culture.  Popular consumer services include Calling Card & Pinless, Residential VoIP and others.  Mobile VoIP, which uses a convenient smartphone app, is popular among both businesses and consumers.

How do I get local phone numbers?  International phone numbers?

Phone numbers, also called DIDs, are an important part of most VoIP businesses.  Your DID providers can offer phone numbers for most cities and countries.  This enables your users to receive calls from the PSTN, which are converted into VoIP format, and sent to our cloud-based softswitch.  With Telinta, you can use any DID provider you need, as many as you need.  Not sure what provider to use?  We can introduce you to a few.

What VoIP Termination carriers should I use?

Your VoIP Termination carriers are a vital part of your business, since they carry calls made by your users back to the PSTN in order to reach the called party, anywhere in the world.  You may want to have at least one carrier with global coverage, called A to Z carriers.  But you may wish to also use another carrier which focuses on the specific countries your users frequently call.  For increased reliability and redundancy, we always recommend having more than one VoIP Termination carrier.  We can teach you how to configure your call routing, enabling you to decide which carrier will carry which type of call, when, to where, and for how much…  With Telinta, you can use any VoIP Termination carrier you need, as many as you need.  Not sure which carrier to use?  We can introduce you to a few.

How do I bill my customers?  How do they pay me?

Billing is perhaps the most important aspect to your VoIP business.  You will need billing capabilities which are fully integrated with the services you offer.  If you are offering prepaid services where customers purchase minutes in advance, you will need “real-time” call detail records to make lightning-fast calculations while each call is in progress.  With Telinta, you can create your own customized invoices, calling plans, bundles, subscriptions and more.  You can accept payments online via credit/debit cards, PayPal and other methods.  And of course, you are in full control of your pricing.

Can I have resellers?

Resellers are a great way to grow your business.  With Telinta, you can have resellers — and your resellers can also have their own resellers too, all offering VoIP services under their own brands.

What is the first step?

While other decisions may be more complex, this decision is easy!  Contact Telinta and let us explain how we can help you get started, train you, and provide 24/7 live technical support whenever you need.