VoIP is taking over the business world with rapidly increasing popularity, but is it actually reliable? In short, yes! But let’s look at just how reliable, and what we can do to maximise that reliability.
VoIP is unlike traditional phone systems that rely on physical lines. No need to be concerned about poor weather or physical damage to lines. Instead, VoIP allows you to use voice, video and chat over the Internet. It integrates with smartphones, tablets and laptops and at its best can provide 99.999% uptime.
For optimal uptime and reliability, you should:
1. Carefully choose your internet provider
Your calls will only be as reliable as the internet available to you, so do your research and choose a reputable provider that offers high speeds in your area. Consider not just your physical office location but also the mobile providers that service areas your team’s likely to be making calls on the road.
2. Choose the right equipment
Better quality devices equal better quality calls. This doesn’t just mean your laptop or mobile phone itself, but also the speakers, microphones or headsets that you use alongside it. Additionally, you want to ensure your internet router has sufficient bandwidth to suit the quantity of calls that are likely to be made concurrently.
3. Look at your location
One of the key benefits of VoIP is that you can use it anywhere that you have access to the internet, whether that’s in a paddock or at your desk. Reliability will vary depending on where you are though, so maximise it by using an ethernet cable (wired internet) when you’re at your desk. If relying on office WiFi and using a mobile device, staying in one spot can avoid any small breaks in your connection. Offices often have multiple points of access for WiFi and your phone will constantly seek the best connection, attaching to the strongest. So if you need a bit of privacy for that important call, make sure you’re parked in the empty meeting room before attempting to jot down the winning lotto numbers.
4. Select the right VoIP partners
Not all providers are created equal, but we’ve done our research on them all. You’ve heard us sing the praises of 3CX before. It’s our preferred provider of VoIP for so many reasons – particularly its security, reliability, flexibility and user-friendliness. Couple that with the 5 star service (according to Google) of a managed IT provider like Xenex Systems and you’re in for a reliable treat on your VoIP journey!
If you’re ready to learn how VoIP can improve the reliability of your phone calls (and reduce the costs of them while you’re at it) then we can whip up a free audit of your phone systems and prepare a plan to roll them over. Contact us today to learn more.