Om Malik points to a story in the Tri-City Herald about the benefits reaped by a local small business that is using VoIP. A local florist with stores in both Washington and Oregon estimates that he is saving $100/month by using VoIP instead of traditional long distance services.
Economic developers can help small businesses grow and add jobs by helping them understand the benefits of VoIP and how to pick a VoIP provider. With existing small businesses creating most jobs, one of the best job creation activities ED folks can engage in is saving existing businesses money on overhead like telephone service. The savings can be ploughed into business expansion. How does your region rate on helping existing businesses expand? What programs are in place to educate and train busy small businesspeople in new technologies?