Firms whose operations are spread out over different locations should consider the advantages of voice-over-internet protocol (VoIP).

The technology is particularly suited to small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) struggling to appear as a coherent entity.

Adrian Walmsley, manager of the BCS Engineering and Technology Forum, explains: "One of the huge benefits of Voip for small businesses is that it allows a group of distributed workers, perhaps home-based, to appear as a fully joined-up business to their customers, with a single external telephone number."

Mr Walmsley adds companies should not be put off by recent warnings from the Communications Management Association (CMA) that slow broadband speeds could hamper VoIP performance.

This only applies to next-generation video applications, he maintains, and a single broadband connection is still "perfectly adequate" for firms looking to invest in VoIP.

Recent research by T-Mobile found 60 per cent of small business senior decision makers spend a minimum of five hours out of the office a week - equivalent to 32.5 working days a year.

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