Pictured above: Charles Chance and Kevin Box

Starting a new business is a path beset with difficulties. But ensuring you can communicate easily with your customers, even if you're working from home, shouldn't be one of them.

That is the vision of newly founded, Birmingham-based, telecommunications company, Sipcentric.

Having worked together previously at a well-known Internet telecoms provider, Sipcentric Directors Charles Chance and Kevin Box decided to team up again, after identifying a gap in the UK market for a phone service that was tailored specifically for home-based start-ups and entrepreneurs.

Sipcentric's new virtual phone system marks the start of a new phase in telephony services for business.

Traditionally, if someone required a second line to be installed in their home, they would have to pay for installation, wait around 2 weeks for it to be installed, and then pay rental of around £10-15 per month for a minimum of 12 months - all for a single line that is fixed to one place, which has minimal, if any, business features. This is not ideal, as many new businesses need to remain flexible, and portable, particularly in the first 12 months.

Signing up to one of the many existing VoIP (Voice over IP) services online, a choice opted for by some businesses, also comes with set-up charges and minimum contracts.

Now, Sipcentric provide free software for users to download and install instantly, enabling customers to use the service over WiFi, at home, or when out of the office. A single virtual phone extension, which can be used anywhere in the world, starts from just £3 a month.

Keeping the system as flexible as possible, features can be added or deleted each month, according to requirements, and customers are free to cancel at any time without notice.

"Our service has been created for entrepreneurs, by entrepreneurs," says Managing Director Charles Chance.

"The service is ideal for those who have heard about the benefits of VoIP, but either don't know where to start, or wish to try it out without committing to long term contracts, or paying for features they really don't need," added Charles.

"We believe our on-demand, web-based phone service holds the key to successful communication in today's fast moving, ever-changing world of business," said e-Marketing Director Kevin Box.

"We invite anyone to come and take a look around to see for themselves how quick and easy it is to get started," continued Kevin.