VoIP phone system - Telephony that runs on the cloud

Analog Telephone Adapter (ATA)

What if you want to use your age-old telephone system to make VoIP calls? An Analog Telephone Adapter (ATA) can help with that. The phone will have an Ethernet port which would be connected to a network line to enable a VoIP connection. Some devices may also come with foreign exchange station (FXS) and more foreign exchange office (FXO) ports which providing access to traditional telephone service.

Computer-to-phone

Computer-to-phone VoIP phone systems are similar to ATA, except that they are connected to a computer or its router for connection. They are largely used in call centers where the users have to use both the phone device for telephony and computers for information retrieval.

Computer-to-computer

VoIP phone systems that take the form of computer software or mobile applications. Users can make and take calls by dialing from the interface of the software. These VoIP systems can also be integrated with third-party ERP systems or other tools for information retrieval. Take for instance, a CRM software.

Real-time dashboard

A VoIP phone system for business will have a centralized control panel that resembles a software dashboard. VoIP administrators can add/remove phone number, users, teams and other customizations required through the real-time dashboard.

Call queue management

VoIP cloud phone system enables its users to perform a wide variety of call queue management functions like call waiting, call forwarding, call barging, call conferencing, auto-attendant, on-hold music, voicemail, and much more.

Call routing

One of the primary benefits of a VoIP phone system is that enables calls to be routed based on various parameters. Inbound calls can be segregated based on location, business hours, skills required to resolve the call, and so on.

Call masking

VoIP allows you to protect your business contact number by masking outgoing calls. Call masking works by showing a proxy number instead of the actual number from which the call is originating. For instance, if your business is located in Texas and your customers are in England, you can buy a number in England and have all calls appear as though they are originating from your UK office number.

Virtual phone numbers

A VoIP phone system allows businesses to buy virtual phone numbers of all types including domestic and international numbers. Since it is an internet-based technology, VoIP gives total freedom to choose between local, international, and toll-free numbers for mobile, landline, and virtual phone systems.

Performance monitoring

VoIP phone systems enable business owners, especially call center administrators to track the performance of their VoIP phone system in terms of call duration, quality of service, resolutions provided, and so on. Advanced analytics also help in optimizing the call menus to deliver enriched customer service.

Reduced IT workload

VoIP is a lightweight telephony tool that runs on the cloud. In fact, as a user you will be seeing any zero phone hardware relating to it. That reduce the IT workload to a bare minimum. There is no need to buy phone equipment like PBX, circuit switch boxes, telephone handsets, line connections, etc.

21st century technology

The copper wire-based landline system is slowly declining in popularity. VoIP is hailed to be the replacement for legacy phone systems. The poised growth of 5G and LTE networks will also boost VoIP adoption. Above all, VoIP is hosted on the cloud which can be easily updated over-the-air with bug fixes and improvements.

Global telephony access

This is the age of enterprise mobility and BYOD. Organizations are faced with the challenge of keeping their global workforce together while maintaining consistency in telephone operations. VoIP enables a business to empower its employees to work together from remote locations. It eliminates the need to be chained to a physical desktop and phone device to run the telephone machinery.

Multi device support

According to GlobalWebIndex, on an average, the typical digital consumer now owns at least 3 connected devices. As a result, they expect all digital services to be available uniformly across the web, mobile and desktop systems. A VoIP phone system for business can bring in device interoperability making it easily accessible for customers from any device that they are using. 

Phone portability

You can carry a phone number anywhere with you and use it without incurring heavy roaming or carrier charges. The number would continue to work as long as it has IP connectivity. It is this feature that makes VoIP phone system a perfect choice for small business executives who have to be on the road frequently.

Business continuity

VoIP phone systems run on software and internet and hence have zero phone hardware requirements. The only downtime is when there is no internet. They remain insulated from wire circuitry problems that often disrupt analog phone services. As a result, VoIP systems offer better business continuity that was hard to come by in traditional phone systems. 

Dynamic capacity expansion

Small businesses have uncertain call traffic volumes. As a result, they have a desperate need for quickly scalable solutions that don’t bog them down with upfront costs. VoIP being a cloud-based telephony system is easy to scale and also offers the convenience of pay-per-use or the subscription-based costing model.

Reduced telephony costs

The average cost for a basic VoIP phone system for small business is in the range of $15 to $40. Whereas, for a traditional business phone system the cost range would begin from $40 to $50 excluding device and line connection costs. Also, a small business VoIP phone system delivers several cost savings by avoiding line rentals, maintenance charges, extension charges, internal calls, handset rentals, service charges among many others. 

Set up a dedicated internet connection for the VoIP system

The internet connection is like the nervous system of your VoIP phone system. It will handle the sole responsibility of carrying the voice signals to and fro between callers and recipients. As a result, even a minute of Internet downtime or low bandwidth can affect your voice quality significantly. 

Now, as a small business that wants to optimize resource usage, you might be tempted to use an existing business internet connection for the VoIP system. But, it is recommended to have a dedicated internet connection for your VoIP office phone system. It will ensure seamless availability of connectivity and also abundant bandwidth for the signals to move freely.

Host your VoIP on a virtual PBX

Old school telephone systems had their networks housed in a physical PBX. Hosted VoIP phone systems have their PBX systems hosted on the cloud. They do not require any telephony hardware. It connects with your VoIP over the internet and can be configured using a web application or a mobile app.

Most virtual PBX systems take the form of SaaS products which can be easily upscaled or downscaled in tune with business requirements. They also give the benefit of the pay-as-you-use pricing model, which is ideal for small businesses. 

Implement QoS (Quality of Service)

QoS or Quality of Service is a common challenge in every VoIP business phone system implementation. QoS deals with ensuring that the packet traffic is not affected due to lower priority traffic. Too much of traffic in the network can cause delays or jitters in the data packet transmission which affects the voice quality. Implementing QoS can help set priorities for data traffic thus ensuring high voice quality at all times.

Implement security protocols

VoIP shares the same amount of cyber security threat like any other internet-based application. A handful of security protocols can help thwart the most commonly experienced security threats. While implementing a VoIP system make sure you setup SIP proxies or Virtual Private Networks to prevent unauthorized access.

Setting up a VoIP system from scratch can be an uphill task. Or should it be? In the age of cloud computing anything and everything including VoIP system for a small business is available ready off the shelf. Here is a buyer’s guide that will take you through the process of finding the right one for your business. 

International calls

International calls at costs lower than local calls. This is the biggest benefit that you must look for while narrowing your options for a VoIP phone system. If you are not able to get the cost advantage on international calls or even domestic calls, then you need to keep looking for better VoIP system providers. 

Installation

An ideal VoIP phone system should be easily installable. You should be able to do it on your own without having to bring any team of experts or technicians. Further, the system should also be easily customizable to make it tuned to business needs.

Scalability

Taking your VoIP system from ten agents to hundred or more should be hassle-free. Especially for small businesses that are on the fast lane of growth there is a serious need for scalable solutions that are agile and do not demand heavy working capital requirements.

Reviews & ratings

Search for online reviews of the VoIP system and see what their existing customers have to tell about the call experience on popular software review and discussion portals. If your choice has managed to garner an average four star up on major product review forums, then it is a wise choice to make. 

Customer service 

Like any other software product, VoIP systems are also bound to run into technical problems. Their frequency will be less compared to telephone systems, still, when things go wrong, you need customer service available on all channels and at all times to reset things back to normal.