Dial for DiscountsVoIP promises a slew of fresh messaging options to boost your productivity--and save you money.

Are you still paying high phone charges? Want to save money? Cut-rate phone service over the Internet, or VoIP, is the next big thing-and not just for computer enthusiasts. IP telephony promises considerable savings for entrepreneurs, too, turning a highly variable cost into a much smaller and more predictable line item.

And long-distance savings are just for starters. As we morph from the Information Age to the Communications Age, new messaging technologies will give us our next big productivity bump across all industries. How about incoming calls that follow you anywhere? Or the ability to mingle and redirect voice, fax, e-mail and IM from a Web page? How about free four-digit calling and teleconferencing among branch offices? Anything in that mix that could save you time?