Every technology that seems like a godsend in the beginning unveils its rough side as people use it more and more, according to some hi-tech industry insiders.

 

iPhones and the Blackberries, which appeared to be an ideal way to keep in touch with the office even on the move, are now proving to be a bane for the same reason, some say. Employees and owners of small businesses are finding it impossible to leave their offices behind and enjoy the holidays in their true sense, thanks to the advent of these technologies, they say.

 

Now, Vocalocity (News - Alert) is saying it can provide a solution to these “summertime blues.” The company says it’s bringing the vacation back on track by letting small business owners and employees leave the office behind or take it with them.

 

Users can easily decide when and how they are reached both inside and outside the office with Vocalocity’s Internet phone service for small businesses. Business people and employees on the move can now have as much or as little access to day-to-day operations and tasks as desired with facilities such as call forwarding, voicemail to e-mail and integration of a cell phone with the office phone.

 

Vocalocity’s service comes with now bag or baggage as there is no expensive equipment to install. Companies only need to purchase full-feature Internet phones for around $150, company officials say. To use the phone, all you need to do is to connect it to the Internet. The initial investment for comparable systems may cost three times as much and require businesses to install complex equipment, which is often expensive to maintain, company officials say.

 

“Today’s always-on, always available lifestyle and the technologies that make it possible means where that we are working even when we are supposedly on vacation,” said Phil Hill (News - Alert), president of Vocalocity. “But through an Internet phone solution from Vocalocity, we’ve delivered a service that allows users to gain control over when and how they are reached and in turn has helped allow them to vacation without worrying about being away from the office. Businesspeople may now vacation on their own terms and are no longer a slave to the phone. Instead the phone is working for them no matter where they are. As a result, business can be conducted on an as-needed or as-desired basis whether it is for minutes a day or just a brief period during the week of a vacation.”