Voice over IP is a great tool for modern businesses. It can allow you to get in touch with people all over the world without the baggage of a telephone network. VOIP can also stand to save you a lot of money without needing to give up any of the advantages of a phone number. The following are some tips to let you get the most out of your VOIP service.
The first thing to keep in mind is that bandwidth is everything. If you don’t have enough bandwidth you won’t be able to keep your sound quality very high. High-bandwidth internet connections are effectively the norm today; the issue isn’t whether or not your connection has sufficient bandwidth. The issue is how much of that bandwidth is being used in your office. If your employees have a tendency to use various streaming content services simultaneously you may find it difficult to maintain a stable connection for calling. Your network administrator should be able to throttle bandwidth to an extent if this becomes a problem. If your office isn’t big enough for a dedicated administrator it should be sufficient to make a polite request.
The next thing is protocol. There are a handful of different VOIP protocols. The one you’ll want to use is Session Initiation Protocol. This will allow you to avoid proprietary standards which can limit call compatibility. This is naturally something you’ll want to avoid at all costs because it can restrict the utility of your VOIP system.
The last thing to keep in mind is your router. The router is the most likely thing in your office to bottleneck the efficacy of your VOIP system. It is the most likely culprit if your VOIP service ever stops working. Firmware patches and alterations in setting can have far-reaching implications that will limit your ability to make calls. If you don’t have in-house or service-based network management this is the first thing you will need to check.
VOIP can revolutionize the way you communicate by taking your communications to the Cloud and allowing you to receive business-based calls anywhere. It is an absolute must if you need to do business at a distance and it can save you the time and trouble associated with a landline. While there is something to be said for maintaining a landline system for emergencies, the clean integration of VOIP features into your business will be a distinct advantage.
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Stuart Miles – FreeDigitalPhotos.Net
