9 Things You Need To Know Before Choosing a VoIP Phone System
by Josh Biggs in Tech on 13th November 2021Want to upgrade to online phone solutions for your company? VoIP phone systems offer the perfect blend of cost-efficiency and reliability.
VoIP phone systems are the best way to keep your online call handling system up smooth running. They allow you to send and receive online calls, thereby saving your company the costs of traditional call handling systems. Before you rush off and choose the first one that comes to hand, however, here are nine things you should know about choosing your own VoIP system.
9 Things to Know about VoIP Phone Systems
A VOIP phone system can give you the security and flexibility to connect your employees and clients from anywhere. Here are nine other things you ought to know before you have one installed.
1 – What does VoIP stand for?
VoIP stands for Voice over Internet Protocol. An Internet Protocol is assigned to your computer so that other computers and servers can recognize it. You may know it better as your IP address. Your computer has an IP address and uses it to communicate with websites. VoIP is used to refer to Internet calling.
2 – Internet calling is cheaper.
Many of the calls we place over the Internet are free. There are apps which facilitate this and that have existed for a long time now. Apps such as Skype and Zoom. Even video calling has no costs attached. Internet calling is therefore going to work out cheaper for your business in the long term.
3 – What’s the alternative to VoIP?
A public switched telephone network, also known as a PSTN, is considered to be the alternative to voice over Internet Protocol. Public switched telephone networks are manually operated call handling systems which do not use the Internet.
4 – It is scalable
Use of a VOIP is scalable to the size of your business. Since it is handling calls over the Internet, there is less confusion about what it costs. It is also able to quickly grow and shrink as your company does. A VOIP call handling solution can keep up with your company regardless of size.
5 – It is greener
Since VoIP can be used through existing devices and does not require its own specific handset, this means it is greener. We throw away millions of tons of technological waste every year and businesses contribute to this. VoIP phone systems can be used from any device that you own. All it takes is a software download.
6 – There’s less start-up costs than traditional PBX.
While traditional PBX requires certain equipment to be installed, VoIP is nothing more than a software download. This means there is less disturbance in the office, and you do not have to close down for a day when you make the switch. Anyone can download the software and therefore have access to internet calls on behalf of your business.
7 – You do not have to fork out for hardware.
Again, traditional phone systems require you to have lines set up between departments. You have to have phones capable of directing calls, and you need to have computer systems which can log those calls. All you need with VoIP is a device. It does not even have to be a specialized device. It can be one you already own.
8 – It operates through Codecs
Codecs are like little parcels of encrypted sound data. These are passed back and forth between the call handler and the call maker. It is the passing of these little parcels which allow you to piece together the full conversation. The way that the data is encrypted affects which devices or software programmers can receive it.
9 – Specialized VoIP handsets or phones are equipped specifically to handle this data encryption.
Specialist software is the reason that we would advise any new VoIP phone system operator to upgrade to focused handsets. They will give more accurate call handling in the long run.