When compared to analog phone service, VOIP is cheaper and has same quality of service. Since VOIP uses a single network to transfer voice and data, overall cost per call is cheaper to service provider then using two separate networks.

When voice and data are transferred together on a single network, service providers only need to build and maintain one network, thus hire less staff. These companies have also learned to manage both voice traffic and data applications correctly to reduce any sacrifice in quality.

Although there is a monthly charge for service, VOIP phones cost about same as a regular business phone. With all of its benefits, VOIP should take place of analog telephone service within a few years.

Speaking of employee stress - who in this day and age is not acquainted with benefits of telecommuting or working from home? Many studies show that employees who work from home are often happier, more efficient, and show a greatly decreased rate of absenteeism. For employer, too, this makes sense. Because modern technology makes it possible for us to maintain close and effective communication with employees who are working from home, this arrangement is often a win-win situation - greater satisfaction and decreased overhead costs. New call center software makes it possible for some call center employees to experience benefits of working from home. In fact, in near future, virtual call center may become norm - employees, equipped with right hardware and software, will both make and answer calls from a home office, while staying in full communication with their co-workers and supervisors. Communication software will facilitate instant system-wide messaging, employees will be supported by software that enables and facilitates telemarketing, routing, predictive dialing, automatic dialing, and automatic messaging. At same time, they will be able to stay close to their families, avoiding a costly and time-consuming commute.

The potential of call center software has barely begun to be tapped. In time, this software may allow call center to move far beyond its present role as a sender and receiver of business related communication. To cite just one example, in this time of political uncertainty, quick and efficient lines or communication throughout a community are more important than ever. Call center software could, in an emergency, be called into service: picture an emergency alert system capable of reaching tens of thousands of households almost instantly. Far from being an alienating force, communication software has potential to connect our growing communities in ways we might never have dreamed of. Innovative use of this technology will be both a challenge and a highly satisfying adventure.