Packet8 announces the availability of new features and services for its Packet8 Virtual Office small business phone solution, recently rated the most popular hosted IP-PBX phone service in the U.S. by telecom research firm AMI Partners. The new offerings include Microsoft Outlook Integration, Overhead Paging and Toll Free Fax Numbers.

Available at no additional cost to subscribers, Virtual Office Outlook Integration seamlessly integrates a user's Microsoft Outlook contacts with their Virtual Office extension, allowing subscribers to place and receive calls through their Microsoft Outlook email client. Users have the ability to select a contact and then place a call to that party through a variety of options such as right clicking on the contact and selecting "Packet8 Call Contact" or double clicking the contact and selecting the Packet8 tab. When placing a call through the Microsoft Outlook email client, Outlook contacts the Virtual Office server and triggers it to ring the Virtual Office phone on the user's desk. Outlook Integration also allows Virtual Office users to see who is calling them by displaying screen pops containing the caller's contact information retrieved from any mailbox and any field (Business/Home/Mobile). If the contact is not found, a simple dialog box showing the phone number of the person calling is displayed. The Virtual Office Outlook Integration software client is available for free download at http://www.packet8.net/business_services/features.aspx#outlook_integration.

Providing Virtual Office users with an inexpensive way to implement company-wide overhead paging service, the Overhead Paging Extension enables simultaneous single or multi-zone voice paging to multiple locations within a single facility, branch office and/or remote locations utilizing a company's existing Ethernet network. Overhead paging allows a business to efficiently broadcast company-wide announcements or emergency alerts, saving both time and money while improving communication. To add an Overhead Paging Extension to Virtual Office service, users pay a one time equipment ($49.99) and activation ($9.99) fee with no recurring monthly service charges. The Overhead Paging adapter is compatible with any type of telephone port and integrates seamlessly with a company's existing Overhead Zone Paging system to provide service over the Packet8 network.

Packet8 also now offers Toll Free Numbers for Virtual Office Fax Extension subscribers. This service allows individuals to fax a Virtual Office business for no charge regardless of their location inside the US or your location worldwide. Two separate plans are currently available with this service -- a basic plan which includes 100 inbound fax minutes (4.5 cents per minute thereafter) for $4.99 per month and the Toll Free 1500 plan which offers 1500 minutes of inbound toll-free calls (and an industry low 2.9 cents a minute thereafter) for $39.99 per month.

Currently in use by over 7,000 U.S. small business organizations, the Packet8 Virtual Office hosted IP-PBX phone service offers unlimited local and long distance calling in the United States and Canada plus advanced PBX features for just $49.99 per month/extension. Virtual Office enables small and medium sized enterprises to secure distributed, corporate class telecommunications capabilities for a fraction of the cost of wireline business services from traditional phone companies. Unlike comparably priced single line VoIP phone services which offer features more suited to individual residential users, Packet8 Virtual Office provides companies with complete business phone system functionality along with the flexibility to operate each extension from any geographically dispersed location with high-speed Internet access.

The Packet8 Virtual Office service includes an auto attendant, worldwide extension dialing, business class voicemail, a full featured conference bridge and ring groups, in addition to a rich variety of other business class PBX and dial tone features not normally found on premise-based PBX systems. Packet8 Virtual Office reduces an organization's total cost of ownership for telecommunications services because of its minimal initial investment combined with unlimited worldwide calling to other business extensions and Packet8 subscribers, unlimited local and long distance business calling in the United States and Canada and access to Packet8's low per-minute international calling rates to overseas wireline and mobile phone numbers.