You may have heard of the term before, but what exactly is VoIP? And what are the benefits of VoIP systems that businesses are using most today? This article provides a quick summary of VoIP systems and shows how they open new doors for improved communication. You’ll get an honest look at the advantages and disadvantages and learn how you can benefit from this technology.
What is VoIP?
VoIP stands for Voice over Internet Protocol. It is an online-based phone system that uses a broadband connection in place of a traditional phone line. With the increased demand for internet communications with most businesses, this form of communication is becoming easier and increasingly popular when compared to traditional systems.
What is the Main Use of VoIP Technology?
Thanks to the advent of low-cost, high-speed internet, VoIP has become an affordable alternative to traditional phone lines. It provides remarkably clear calls and works particularly well for high-frequency calling and conference calling. It also offers more features than traditional phone systems, such as call recording, video capability, a large volume of phone extensions, mobile app capability, and even chat capability – to name a few.
Here at Think VoIP Services, we offer many key VoIP benefits for businesses today:
- Video Conferencing
- Call Recording
- Voicemail Transcriptions
- Virtual Extensions
- Call Parking
- Auto Attendant
- Mobile App Capability
- Chat / Messaging Capabilities
- Local Support
- Scalability
What are the Advantages and Disadvantages of Voice Over Internet VoIP?
What are the pros and cons of VoIP? Here is a summary of the benefits and disadvantages of this unique technology.
The Advantages of VoIP Phone Systems
The cost benefits of switching to a VoIP Service: The biggest advantage to VoIP is its low overall cost.Other than a desk phone, no other hardware is required. In addition, the phone system is kept up to date at no cost to you, adding up to serious savings over time.
Clear voice quality: The second biggest advantage is call clarity. Once you hear the difference in sound quality, it’s hard to go back. The calls via VoIP are jarringly clear, almost like the speaker is sitting next to you.
Video capability: Communication is changing, and with it comes more video capability. The pandemic has shown just how useful this feature is. Whether it be a one-on-one call or a video conference call, you can do video calls via VoIP on a PC, smartphone, and even a VoIP desk phone. We offer a range of phone styles with video capability.
Simple and Affordable Conferencing: Conference call systems aren’t always very intuitive, and call costs can add up depending on the number of users and the call time. VoIP offers a lower-cost option and with fewer issues with access. Multiple conference calls can happen at once in the office, without any interruption between calls.
Call Recording: This feature is a huge asset during conference calls and communications with clients in which the wealth of details discussed are too numerous to jot down. They also help with employee performance by being an important evaluation tool.
Real-time Call Monitoring: Like call recording, this feature makes it possible for a supervisor to read an employee’s performance for improved business results.
Additional voicemail features: You can connect VoIP with your email system or with a messaging platform, allowing you to forward voicemails to emails or text, making it easier to track, hear, and read voicemails than ever before.
Mobile App: You can take your business with you while maintaining the same features of in-office VoIP technology. Portability is proving to be a key advantage for businesses offering work-from-home capability. This technology helps you complete work wherever you are, bringing the same office functionality to your smartphone.
Higher scalability: With VoIP systems, you can easily add as many phone lines as you need. Adding phone lines to traditional systems is labor-intensive, time-consuming, and expensive. With VoIP, you can quickly add lines cost-effectively, without all the hassle.
Today’s phone providers also don’t provide the same amount of oversight they did in years past. Providers like us provide all the backend services you need.
Chat and instant messaging capability: In many cases, texting is easier than a phone call and can be a helpful multi-tasking tool. VoIP systems provide texting capabilities via online access on your computer.
Automatic Upgrades: Like a smartphone, the fact that VoIP electronics are online, your software will be updated automatically.
Simple to Use: Even with all the technical advantages, VoIP devices are user friendly. Onboarding is simple for any level of user. If you and your employees are familiar with work phones, the transition is even easier – in fact, consideration has been taken toward designing VoIP devices to look and function much like standard work phones for that purpose. This technology is all about making things easier.
Quality hardware: Are VoIP phones any good? In many ways, the quality is higher than traditional phones. They offer everything you would expect of a traditional system, but with clearer sound, additions like color video capability, noise cancellation, 20-foot and 360-degree voice pickup, and the ability to hold up to 16 different SIP accounts. It’s a regular phone on steroids.
The Disadvantages of VoIP Phone Systems
You may have heard people knocking on VoIP technology, but is any of it true? Why is VoIP so bad? Here are some common issues found with this technology.
Reliable internet connection required: Not only do you need the internet, but the connection should be reliable to reduce any disruptions during important conference calls or high-frequency calling.
Communication Quality: VoIP systems make calls clear as day, but there can sometimes be issues unless diagnosed and resolved. Thankfully, most issues are easy to fix. In nearly all cases, the cause of the issue is related to your current online technology and related software settings such as firewalls. More often than not, a few setting changes and improvements to your connection do the trick.
Your VoIP provider can do a simple analysis to determine the issues and fixes. We offer analysis and upgrades to your current network including evaluating your internet as part of our Managed IT Support service to ensure everything works as intended. Some problems we often address are:
- Latency or jitters
- Issues making or maintaining calls
- Echoes or loss of sound during conversations
- Reduction in audio quality
- Some devices work while others don’t
Power Outage: This con of VoIP has been minimized thanks to increases in technology. In the past, you would lose access to the system when the power went out. However, with the advent of mobile apps and PC softphones, communications can still help you accomplish essential tasks via phone calls and chats on a short-term basis until the power is back up and running.
Summary:
With the right guidance and provider assistance, the advantages of VoIP will significantly outweigh the disadvantages. Your business can enjoy remarkably clear calls via VoIP even when the power is out. You can also gain a wealth of benefits over traditional phone lines to make communication with clients easier and clearer anywhere you and your employees are, helping you accomplish more while saving you money in the process. And with intuitive designs similar to traditional phone systems, switching to VoIP technology is easy.To find out more about what this system can do for your business and how we can help you make the most of this technology, contact us
What is VoIP?
VoIP stands for Voice over Internet Protocol. It is an online-based phone system that uses a broadband connection in place of a traditional phone line. With the increased demand for internet communications with most businesses, this form of communication is becoming easier and increasingly popular when compared to traditional systems.
What is the Main Use of VoIP Technology?
Thanks to the advent of low-cost, high-speed internet, VoIP has become an affordable alternative to traditional phone lines. It provides remarkably clear calls and works particularly well for high-frequency calling and conference calling. It also offers more features than traditional phone systems, such as call recording, video capability, a large volume of phone extensions, mobile app capability, and even chat capability – to name a few.
Here at Think VoIP Services, we offer many key VoIP benefits for businesses today:
- Video Conferencing
- Call Recording
- Voicemail Transcriptions
- Virtual Extensions
- Call Parking
- Auto Attendant
- Mobile App Capability
- Chat / Messaging Capabilities
- Local Support
- Scalability
What are the Advantages and Disadvantages of Voice Over Internet VoIP?
What are the pros and cons of VoIP? Here is a summary of the benefits and disadvantages of this unique technology.
The Advantages of VoIP Phone Systems
The cost benefits of switching to a VoIP Service: The biggest advantage to VoIP is its low overall cost.Other than a desk phone, no other hardware is required. In addition, the phone system is kept up to date at no cost to you, adding up to serious savings over time.
Clear voice quality: The second biggest advantage is call clarity. Once you hear the difference in sound quality, it’s hard to go back. The calls via VoIP are jarringly clear, almost like the speaker is sitting next to you.
Video capability: Communication is changing, and with it comes more video capability. The pandemic has shown just how useful this feature is. Whether it be a one-on-one call or a video conference call, you can do video calls via VoIP on a PC, smartphone, and even a VoIP desk phone. We offer a range of phone styles with video capability.
Simple and Affordable Conferencing: Conference call systems aren’t always very intuitive, and call costs can add up depending on the number of users and the call time. VoIP offers a lower-cost option and with fewer issues with access. Multiple conference calls can happen at once in the office, without any interruption between calls.
Call Recording: This feature is a huge asset during conference calls and communications with clients in which the wealth of details discussed are too numerous to jot down. They also help with employee performance by being an important evaluation tool.
Real-time Call Monitoring: Like call recording, this feature makes it possible for a supervisor to read an employee’s performance for improved business results.
Additional voicemail features: You can connect VoIP with your email system or with a messaging platform, allowing you to forward voicemails to emails or text, making it easier to track, hear, and read voicemails than ever before.
Mobile App: You can take your business with you while maintaining the same features of in-office VoIP technology. Portability is proving to be a key advantage for businesses offering work-from-home capability. This technology helps you complete work wherever you are, bringing the same office functionality to your smartphone.
Higher scalability: With VoIP systems, you can easily add as many phone lines as you need. Adding phone lines to traditional systems is labor-intensive, time-consuming, and expensive. With VoIP, you can quickly add lines cost-effectively, without all the hassle.
Today’s phone providers also don’t provide the same amount of oversight they did in years past. Providers like us provide all the backend services you need.
Chat and instant messaging capability: In many cases, texting is easier than a phone call and can be a helpful multi-tasking tool. VoIP systems provide texting capabilities via online access on your computer.
Automatic Upgrades: Like a smartphone, the fact that VoIP electronics are online, your software will be updated automatically.
Simple to Use: Even with all the technical advantages, VoIP devices are user friendly. Onboarding is simple for any level of user. If you and your employees are familiar with work phones, the transition is even easier – in fact, consideration has been taken toward designing VoIP devices to look and function much like standard work phones for that purpose. This technology is all about making things easier.
Quality hardware: Are VoIP phones any good? In many ways, the quality is higher than traditional phones. They offer everything you would expect of a traditional system, but with clearer sound, additions like color video capability, noise cancellation, 20-foot and 360-degree voice pickup, and the ability to hold up to 16 different SIP accounts. It’s a regular phone on steroids.
The Disadvantages of VoIP Phone Systems
You may have heard people knocking on VoIP technology, but is any of it true? Why is VoIP so bad? Here are some common issues found with this technology.
Reliable internet connection required: Not only do you need the internet, but the connection should be reliable to reduce any disruptions during important conference calls or high-frequency calling.
Communication Quality: VoIP systems make calls clear as day, but there can sometimes be issues unless diagnosed and resolved. Thankfully, most issues are easy to fix. In nearly all cases, the cause of the issue is related to your current online technology and related software settings such as firewalls. More often than not, a few setting changes and improvements to your connection do the trick.
Your VoIP provider can do a simple analysis to determine the issues and fixes. We offer analysis and upgrades to your current network including evaluating your internet as part of our Managed IT Support service to ensure everything works as intended. Some problems we often address are:
- Latency or jitters
- Issues making or maintaining calls
- Echoes or loss of sound during conversations
- Reduction in audio quality
- Some devices work while others don’t
Power Outage: This con of VoIP has been minimized thanks to increases in technology. In the past, you would lose access to the system when the power went out. However, with the advent of mobile apps and PC softphones, communications can still help you accomplish essential tasks via phone calls and chats on a short-term basis until the power is back up and running.
Summary:
With the right guidance and provider assistance, the advantages of VoIP will significantly outweigh the disadvantages. Your business can enjoy remarkably clear calls via VoIP even when the power is out. You can also gain a wealth of benefits over traditional phone lines to make communication with clients easier and clearer anywhere you and your employees are, helping you accomplish more while saving you money in the process. And with intuitive designs similar to traditional phone systems, switching to VoIP technology is easy.To find out more about what this system can do for your business and how we can help you make the most of this technology, contact us.