It was only a few short years ago that the Internet became a true cultural phenomenon, making its way into American households in a big way. Since then, it has been a driving force in the world of communication, repeatedly reshaping the way we communicate with friends, loved ones, and business partners. From instant messaging and email to social media, the list goes on.

More recently, a new and exciting technology has emerged that is poised to introduce yet another paradigm shift to Internet-based communications technology. VoIP phone services are taking the world by storm, offering free or hugely inexpensive ways to send and receive voice and video calls.

If you’re still new to VoIP, it stands for Voice over Internet Protocol. What that means is that it uses your high-speed Internet connection to send and receive telephone calls. In other words, VoIP lets you talk to the other side of the globe just as easily as if you were sending an email.

The average Internet user discovered VoIP back in 2003 when Skype was first introduced to the world. It offered users a way to place voice and video calls to each other using nothing more than their existing Internet connections.

Since then, business owners across the world have turned their attention to VoIP business phone systems as a highly appealing alternative to the traditional phone systems that they’ve been shackled to forever. Thoughts of the word telephone have long carried with them images of copper wires, clunky corded phones, and huge monthly bills. VoIP is introducing a much simpler, much more appealing reality for businesses everywhere.

Ever since Skype proved the value of VoIP to the average citizen and to the business owners of the world, the cloud phone system industry has grown by leaps and bounds, with new VoIP providers springing up all the time. The new question, then, is this: which provider should you trust with your all-important business needs?

A current industry leader in the burgeoning field of VoIP business phone systems is Broadview Networks. Broadview is proud to offer their OfficeSuite system, an easy-to use cloud phone system that has been, to date, trusted by more than 100,000 business people. OfficeSuite includes everything that your business needs to build its Internet based communication network, including the latest handsets and mobile apps, unlimited calling, convenient and advanced features, and networking options for multiple sites.

As office telephone systems go, it doesn’t get any simpler than OfficeSuite. Installation is quick and easy, owing to its software-based nature, meaning that once-expensive installations of cables and new phone lines is now effectively a thing of the past. What this means for the business owner is that growing pains with new employees or new offices are greatly reduced; you and your employees can focus on productivity instead.

Mobile convenience is among the chief advantages of turning to a VoIP service. You can now use just about any desktop or laptop computer in the office to send and receive calls as well as your smartphone or tablet. Businesses that need to send employees into the field are now better equipped than ever to stay in touch with each other.

Furthermore, voicemail can be retrieved on any connected device, meaning “I didn’t get your message” will join “The dog ate my homework” on the list of unlikely excuses. Businesses either adapt to new trends or they fall by the wayside. VoIP is a turning point for businesses everywhere; don’t be left behind.

Author Bio: This article was written by Cindy Johnson. Cindy is part of a freelance writer collective focusing on hot topics in the business and technology field. This piece is done in collaboration with Broadview Networks, one of the nation’s leading business phone system providers.