VoIP, also known as Voice over Internet Protocol, allows its subscribers to make, as well as receive free and cheap calls. You are going to need to register with a VoIP provider and SIP like OnSIP, just like you would do if you want an internet provider. This service uses internet protocol networks to be able to channel and terminate these calls. Therefore, you will also be needing a stable internet connection, as the name suggests.
In this post, we will be talking about why VoIP is recommended for businesses, especially in 2019. Using VoIP makes sense for businesses, as voice data is sent through an internet connection, instead of plugging into a traditional telephone. The technology, which was first introduced in the 90s, has grown significantly, along with its popularity. If you are curious about VoIP, then keep on reading.
Advantages of VoIP
The benefits of VoIP are for both small and big businesses. According to Mashable, even small businesses need an easy way to communicate to their customers. With hundreds of incoming and outgoing calls, it is important for companies to be able to attend to them satisfactorily. In fact, VoIP necessitates the utilization of versatile, affordable, and reliable communications service.
Operational cost
Voice over Internet Protocol service permits its users to make calls using the internet. There could be several options of unlimited calling between the uses, as well as toll-free numbers that are allowed by the service provider. However, it is noteworthy that international calls are charged at a monthly rate, which is agreed upon by both the service provider and the buyer. In addition, this service also allows its subscribers to transmit more than one phone call along the same line. Research and studies have also shown that businesses have cut their costs by up to 75% just by switching to VoIP. You can read more of that in this article – https://www.forbes.com/sites/centurylink/2016/09/20/how-small-and-midsize-businesses-benefit-from-voip-services/.
Customer satisfaction
Enterprises that handle calls from its customers on a daily basis can certainly rely on VoIP services. Depending on the package you are going to choose, there are several options every type of business can make use of. Not only can businesses activate the choice of separating social calls from business calls but they can also forward their calls from the office to a device of their choice. To add, businesses can also choose a package in which division of calls into several departments is an option. This feature could come in handy, especially if you need to act on a call immediately.
Versatility
In case you are not familiar with how VoIP services work, it has the capability to share network infrastructure, particularly between voice and data. Furthermore, it can convert voice from the receiver into data that can be subsequently transmitted in the form of an email. This feature alone shows how versatile VoIP services are. Additionally, it also comes with fax support, in which the device is directly connected to an analog phone adapter, which then helps receive the information and reproduce it in the form of a fax message. Surprisingly, modern fax machines now feature this kind of functionality. Other features include video conferencing, integrated mobile applications, as well as software integration.
Security
While the Voice over Internet Protocol service is vulnerable to malicious attacks, especially from hackers that steal customer information, as well as listen to highly confidential calls, there are also advantages that come with the service, in terms of security. For instance, you can record your incoming calls to use as evidence at a later date. In addition, some of these VoIP services are equipped with an improved 911 calls support, enabling you to make an emergency call a lot faster.
Power usage
VoIP phones work even when your computer is turned off, as long as an internet connection is present. Some of these VoIP services also can work even without being connected to the main power supply, unlike those traditional phone services. This is made possible by the charged batteries installed in the modems. Plus, you have the option to switch your calls from various devices, especially those that are near an abundant power supply. This feature would come in handy if there is a power shortage.
What is SIP?
SIP, which stands for Session Initiated Protocol, is used when you evaluate solutions or test your network if it is ready for VoIP. This protocol is very important, as it is the standard you will be using every single time you have a call through VoIP.
Once you have successfully subscribed to a VoIP service provider, switching providers would also mean a complete overhaul, wherein both the software and hardware would have to be replaced. This not only would cost you so much, but it would also mean that customers might lose their investment. As VoIP increased in terms of popularity over the last decade, small VoIP manufacturers started to build cheaper and easily managed solutions while relying on SIP as their most used protocol.
What makes SIP extremely popular is that it offers flexibility, as well as its capability to engage in multimedia communications via TCP/IP networks. Meanwhile, SIP sets up calls using several IP-related protocols for VoIP calls. Some of these include the Stream Control Transmission Protocol, User Datagram Protocol, and the Transmission Control Protocol. Aside from that, SIP also handles session setup, presence management, location management, call monitoring, among others. Even though SIP handles all these, it is so much simpler than other VoIP protocols. The main reason is that it is primarily text-based and is completely built on a simple response model.
Another importance of the SIP is that it is built to work well on a peer to peer basis. In addition, the two most important network elements to a SIP solution are the gateway and the proxy server. In case you are not familiar, the proxy server helps lighten the requirements of SIP endpoints. SIP gateways, on the other hand, can be considered as the closest analogy to a PBX network, mainly because they can handle both the connectivity and routing requirements for connecting the calls to other networks.
To sum, SIP is a cloud-hosted VoIP telephone system that has the flexibility to be configured in several different ways. What makes this service, such as OnSIP, very important is that it does not require you any equipment to install. In addition, it allows you to choose your preferred type of services, depending on your business needs.