There are two answers to that question. Yes and no. Aptela can completely replace your current phone system and provider. Or we can work with your existing system and provider. You can use a basic phone—either analog or wireless—to receive calls. However, with a basic handset, you will receive only the types of features you would get with a complex (and expensive) in-house PBX system.

Are you a completely mobile business? If so, we can provide an auto attendant that will give you connectivity and messaging for your employees—as well as that big business presence.

VoIP is useful to any size business, but it’s particularly valuable to small companies that do not have tens or hundreds of thousands of dollars to invest in receptionists, information or telecommunication systems, and dedicated technology staffs.

Most residential VoIP services are designed to minimize bandwidth requirements and cost—usually at the expense of voice quality and reliability. This is fine for home use and even, in some cases, for home-based businesses. But a larger business will need the more robust capabilities that Aptela's VoIP service provides.

Aptela also provides the professional support and service that a business needs. An Aptela VoIP specialist will guide you through the start-up process. We even feature on-staff voice recording talent to customize your auto attendant for your business!

Do you get stage fright when recording your voice mail greeting? Our on-staff voice talent can record your auto attendant for you.

Our web-based VoIP service makes traditional phone systems and service obsolete. With Aptela's VoIP service, any business with a quality broadband connection can enjoy a robust voice solution and make local and unlimited long-distance calls anywhere in the United States. Our VoIP service lets you:

• Avoid a costly, on-premise phone system
• Do away with phone system installation and maintenance charges
• Reduce your monthly phone bills. Significantly.

Not to brag, but you can expect superb sound quality—and excellent reliability. Usually better than old-fashioned phone service, in fact! Our certified and tested hardware comes with the latest High-Definition (HD) voice technology for unparalleled clarity. In an independent survey by Savatar, 83 percent of companies reported better quality of service and reliability with VoIP solutions.

Not sure what your bandwidth needs are? An Aptela VoIP specialist can review your current setup and assess your needs. How much bandwidth you need generally depends on the number of concurrent calls your employees make and the types of data services they use.

In an independent survey by Savatar, 83 percent of companies reported better quality of service and reliability with VoIP solutions.

For starters, we focus on how companies do business today—not how things were 15 years ago. We understand that your phone system should be a value-added resource, not a constraint. Modern companies demand flexible solutions to accommodate owners and employees who are on the go and always on.

At Aptela, we take you beyond mere phone calling. We give you tools that allow you to manage and take control of your communications—and let you manage those tools through an easy, web-based interface. And when you need support, just contact our US-based, in-house client support center.

We're a leader in today's growing Voice over Internet Protocol (VoIP) market. We provide small and medium-sized businesses with hosted VoIP solutions. Our hosted turnkey voice solution eliminates the expense, complexity and ongoing maintenance of on-premise systems—while delivering big features and flexibility that even expensive on-premise systems can't match.

Yes! Thanks to Local Number Portability, you can keep your existing phone numbers or range of numbers. When you purchase Aptela's Business VoIP, please indicate that you wish to keep your numbers. It can take 2 to 6 weeks for your numbers to be released by your current phone company.

Yes. There is no limit to the number of inbound calls your account can support. Calls can be forwarded to a group of users. After ringing those users, calls can either stay on hold until someone is available or be routed to voicemail. Aptela can incorporate both desktops and mobile phones into ring groups to provide maximum flexibility for managing inbound calls.

It's easy to get started! Just contact an Aptela VoIP Specialist for a Business Needs Consultation. They will help you:

• evaluate cost savings and productivity-increasing features
• review your network configuration and current needs
• recommend any needed system changes or enhancements

There is no limit on the number of inbound or outbound calls your system can receive. Your inbound callers will never get a busy signal. However, the number of calls a single user can be on at any one time depends on the phone. If the call can't be answered, it is forwarded to voicemail.

The answer depends on how many users you have, how many simultaneous calls are made per location, and your level of Internet usage. A company with ten users who are always on the phone will need more bandwidth than a company with ten users who are only sporadically on the phone. An Aptela VoIP specialist can help you determine what type of Internet connection you will need to best support your Aptela service.

None. Anyone with basic PC skills can set up Aptela service. And a quick tutorial lets your staff easily manage their communications. We designed our service so that customers don't need consultants or technical staff in order to use it.

Each month, you will be billed a monthly service fee, any applicable toll charges, and applicable taxes and fees (Regulatory Recovery Fee, E911 Service Fee, State 911 Service Fee and Universal Service Fund).

You need just two things:

1. Broadband Connection—A broadband (high speed internet) connection is required. This can be through a cable modem, a high speed service such as DSL or a local area network. You manage your account settings through your web browser.

2. IP Phone or Personal Computer—IP phones plug directly into your broadband connection and operate like a traditional phone. Aptela sells a range of business-grade handsets that are certified and pre-configured—so you can take advantage of our "plug and play" solution.

If you use your computer, you will need a Softphone, software for making telephone calls over the Internet, and a headset with a microphone.

None! Aptela's VoIP is a Software-as-a-Service (SaaS) application. We "host" the application on our computer system—all you need is internet access. Log into your Aptela account and you can easily set up and access your company information and personal messages. (If you'd like to integrate with Outlook, there is one quick download to install.)

Many of our customers choose Aptela because they don't have the resources in-house to manage a sophisticated phone system. That's why we designed our web-based application to be self-service. You can manage your account online without having to call or request technical assistance. If you do need help, our technical support staff is available to review your local area network and provide consulting or advisory services. In addition, we offer a knowledge base with answers to common questions.

We offer automatic payment options through credit card or checking/savings account.

No. Unlike many providers, Aptela does not require a long-term contract. We bill on a month-by-month basis, which provides our customers with the flexibility to make changes to their service whenever they need to.

No. Aptela uses your existing broadband service, so installation does not affect your current phone service. If you are ordering a completely new number, there will be no impact on your current service. If you are keeping your old number, we will work with you to minimize any impact.

Yes. We offer several ways to rout your calls:

• Call forwarding
• Simultaneous calling that rings multiple locations at the same time
• Sequential calling that rings multiple locations in a pre-determined sequence

Aptela also provides advanced mobility controls to allow you to transfer calls, invoke call recording, or send a call to voicemail. Most functions that you can perform via a deskphone can also be done on your mobile phone using Aptela mobile controls.

Of course! In fact, we provide professional recording for "common" call trees at no additional cost with your service activation. Custom call trees with options, menus and departments have a nominal additional cost. You can also record your own greetings or hire your own voice talent to record them for you.

Yes! For true road warriors, we recommend the use of a Softphone—a software application that you can download and use right from your laptop. With a Softphone and a headset, you can make calls from anywhere in the world and take full advantage of Aptela features. If you use a PDA or cell phone as your primary device, many of Aptela's call control and messaging features are right at your fingertips.

Not usually. Aptela lets you customize your service to fit your business. We can recommend the best plans and features for your needs. And it's quick and easy to upgrade when you need to.

Yes. We offer two conferencing features that you can access either through our application or remotely from your phone. Our conferencing supports up to 96 people.

Yes. We support 911 through the Enhanced e911 service. We register your phone number so any call made from that number is routed to the appropriate 911 center. Aptela supports multiple locations, so you can assign users to different locations and calls will be routed properly.

Yes. You can use up to 4-digit extensions. All extension-to-extension calls are free with Aptela, even if the users are at different locations.

Visit http://www.aptela.com/learn-more/features

You have several options:

• Check your messages directly from your phone.
• Dial into your voicemail service.
• Have a copy of your voicemail messages routed to your e-mail. A .wav or mp3 file will be attached to the e-mail.

Aptela gives you an impressive menu of benefits:

• Professional phone presence.
• Call answering and routing, regardless of employee location.
• Cost savings.
• Wide range of productivity features.
• Flexibility to scale up or down immediately.
• No technical expertise needed.

With Remote Office, you can access and use your Aptela service from anywhere—home, office or mobile phone. Remote employees and mobile workers can use their Web Call Manager or Outlook Toolbar no matter where they are. And because calls still originate from Aptela, personal and business phone expenses are easily separated and alternate phone number kept private.

Yes. However, we recommend using Aptela's certified equipment to ensure ease of use and call quality. Our handsets are fully configured and ready to use the moment you receive them. We also offer cost-effective, easy-to-deploy converged networking routers. An Aptela representative can tell you whether or not you need additional hardware.

Yes. We have several leasing options to make it easier for customers to realize the benefits of hosted VoIP. Contact an Aptela representative to learn more.

Yes. You can send and receive faxes free with your Aptela service. Faxes are received in PDF format and can be automatically sent to your e-mail. You can also log into the Aptela web interface to retrieve and send faxes.

Yes—with the use of an ATA (analog telephone adapter). The only ATA certified for use with Aptela is the Linksys SPA 3102, which we sell and support via auto-configuration. We configure the ATA for T.38 support to provide reliable fax transmission.

To report a problem, please contact Aptela Support:

• Phone: 703-386-1500 or 866-427-8352, option 3
• Web: Submit a technical support request form

Analog phones ...

• Use circuit switching network
• Are the traditional phones found in stores
• Send and receive calls over standard phone lines
• Offer simple features for basic needs
• Do not usually have specific buttons for call functions

IP phones ...

• Transmit voice conversations over a data network using IP protocol
• Use a single network that is not phone-specific to transmit voice and data
• Are portable and can be used locally or remotely
• Retain custom settings
• Offer advanced features