Small businesses have to be able to compete with global businesses, on a global scale - and generate revenue while staying in budget. The last thing a small business can do is spend a lot of money on a phone system. This is where VoIP phone systems can help - their features are numerous at a price that most small businesses can afford with relative ease.

Below are the five most popular VoIP phone systems features - and why they should be considered for any small business.

#1 - Find-Me, Follow-Me Ringing

This is most likely the most popular VoIP phone system feature available, currently. It allows flexibility for the employee on the go (especially important with sales representatives and management) by forwarding any call from the office desk phone to the employee's PDA, laptop, or home phone (or all of the above).

#2 - Auto Attendant

This is a perfect solution for those who do not have a full-time receptionist to route calls. The auto attendant can offer routing to a directory (see #5), voicemail, and can give a standard greeting to callers that is friendly and represents the company in a professional manner at all times.

#3 - Conferencing

Unified communications technology allowing for Web and video conferencing are hugely popular for small businesses that are competing on a global scale. Reaching any contact anywhere in the world is vital to staying competitive. This is one thing that VoIP phone systems features provide at a budget-friendly rate that standard calling solutions can't.

#4 - Presence Management

This feature is ideal for internal organization and indirect customer service. This feature will show an employee who is available throughout the company, and the best way to contact him or her - via phone, email, or IM. A strong employee support such as presence management can be doubly beneficial for customer support.

#5 - Automated Directory Service (ADS)

ADS is gaining popularity among VoIP phone systems features - it allows a customer calling to speak an employee's name or extension number and be routed instantly to that person's line. A word of caution, though - make sure that the system works with heavily accented voices, and different pitches of voices in order to make sure that the routing goes smoothly. This can be tested with employees of different accents and voice ranges. This will lessen frustration for some customers down the road.

No matter what VoIP phone systems features owners choose for their small businesses, it's important to keep in mind that call quality must not be compromised. Dropped calls, static interference, and other quality issues must not come into play for small businesses. Ensure that call quality is a number one priority for the VoIP phone system of choice, and then choose features accordingly.