Communicating via the internet is fast, efficient and much of the time free. This makes it a very attractive proposition indeed. Many people communicate with friends and family around the world via the internet because it is often the only affordable way to do so. Long-distance calling is prohibitive for many people in today`s economy, particularly if that distance extends beyond all inclusive calling plans that might be available from their various contact providers.

Commercial users capitalize on many forms of computer telephony software to make their businesses run more efficiently. One of the most familiar is IVR (Interactive Voice Response). This is the type of system software that responds to incoming calls and directs them, for example, to a client assistance representative. Call centers, both inbound and outbound, also make use of a variety of computer telephony software solutions.

Typical incoming call center telephony software may include Automatic Call Distributors (ACDs) which provide equal distribution of all incoming calls amongst the number of representatives available to service those calls. On the outbound side, Predictive Dialers may be used. This technology takes into account the number of agents available to place calls and dials them automatically. Software dialers, in general, are highly beneficial to the call center industry because they can store large volumes of contact information and they also help to avoid human error and inefficiencies.

An emergent form of internet telephony is making strong progress and is slowly becoming mainstream. Called VoIP (or Voice over Internet Protocol), this technology allows calls to be placed via an internet connection and a simple software download. Programs like Skype are being used by millions of individuals and businesses to reduce (and in the case of Skype to Skype calls, completely eliminate) long-distance calling charges. Skype was born to create the first Peer-to-Peer (or P2P telephony) system and it is providing increasingly fierce competition to what was once the standard in telephone communication.