A smooth transition to VoIP

/contactOver recent years technology has changed substantially. A combination of this – and the Covid-19 pandemic - has forced businesses to adapt and find a new way of working in order for their organisations to continue thriving. The ones that were using traditional phone systems were unknowingly leaving themselves behind their competition and facing an uphill battle going forward. It was essential to change the way they worked to newer IP-based methods of communication that allow contact from anywhere – and if you haven’t considered it yet, it is now time that you do so.

VoIP – for quite some time now – has become the modern, capable solution. Some of the most popular applications on the planet use VoIP’s capabilities - Facetime, Zoom, and Skype to name just a few – proving just how good its functionality is. If these multi-million-pound companies can trust it, then so can you.

 

VoIP the business benefits

Cost

Value for money is one of the essential key elements to running a successful thriving business - we all want to get the best quality of product for the cheapest price. VoIP is far cheaper than traditional telephony due to it not running a continuous connection. Traditionally, for a phone line to work, it would need to be maintained for the entire duration of the call – VoIP on the other hand, routes data through the internet in ‘packets’ only when voice or data is picked up. This means that it stops and starts - like modern day cars stopping in traffic and the engine using less power the same concept is used here.

Further cost can be saved once having made the change to VoIP due to the need for less cabling infrastructure. VoIP only requires an internet connection to work, meaning that there is no need for phone lines to be installed and maintained.

 

Mobility

In a VoIP system there is no dedicated physical phone line as with traditional telephony. This means that your phone number is not location-specific, which in turn opens the door to remote working from any location whilst being able to appear in the office setting. This can allow you to maintain a professional image for your organisation at times when it previously wasn’t possible.

 

Being reachable no matter where you are

Not needing a location-specific to your number allows you to carry your VoIP number with you anywhere in the world with an internet connection. For example, before leaving the office you assign your mobile as the first place the phone rings if you aren’t available in the office. You leave the office ready for a well needed holiday, and upon arrival you receive an important phone call on your mobile from one of your best clients - you’re on holiday so you don’t want to answer, but you also must display good levels of customer service and professionalism. Luckily, VoIP makes this possible as, with the use of an app on your mobile, you can answer the call as if you're in the office without the clients knowledge, so they never need to know that you were sitting on a tropical island drinking a margarita. This allows for flexibility that was previously unachievable - your work and home life can now coincide in a productive way.

 

Easy set up

Anyone can do it. With VoIP being cloud-hosted - if you choose for it to be - you will avoid the hardware acquisition costs altogether, meaning money and time saved. You don’t have to be a tech genius to make it happen, although help from an IT professional may ease any concerns you have.

 

Current relevance

The modern world of work is a widely remote one. Staying connected is one of the biggest concerns to this relatively new way of working, especially to consistently achieve top professional standards. VoIP will allow your team to stay professional at all times; callers will have no idea that your team are even working remotely, the diversion from the office phone to their chosen device is seamless and is done without any change to the dialling tone. You can – theoretically – achieve a full transition to remote working overnight if you wish, and your clients will contact you the following morning and have no clue of the change.

 

Reliability

Reliability and speed of connection are of the two key elements that need to be guaranteed for remote workers, without this guarantee the individual working from home may not keep up with the workload leading to stress for them and their frustrated manager due to work targets not being met.

With all this being said, there are still some considerations that you need to keep in mind before making the transition to VoIP. You must first be sure your business broadband connection can support the amount of new VoIP traffic that it will be receiving.

 

Why does your internet matter?

The call quality of VoIP will be directly affected by your internet speed. It is important for you to have knowledge of the internet speed that you are getting from your ISP before using VoIP, as a fair share of your bandwidth will be used to achieve good quality calls.

The amount of bandwidth needed for a VoIP system

The minimum bandwidth for one call is around 100Kbps (Kilobits per second) but is recommended at 3 Mbps (Megabits per second). The average internet download speed is 22 Mbps so you will more than likely have more than enough to have a good quality call. CHECK this! You don’t want to get to the latter stages of implementation and realise you need more speed. The ‘Windows Task Manager’ can show the basic data for your bandwidth, select the performance tab, and then click the network interface to access it.

 

Upgrading your Business’ internet account

Business broadband is much faster than general broadband – with it you can expect far better upload speeds which in turn will make your video calls much better quality, and it easier to post things to the web. Most providers offer average fibre package speeds of 76Mbps, some offer speeds can reach heights of 1Gbps (Gigabits).

Business Broadband usually comes with high quality support as standard, support that is far better than that you will receive from home broadband. This will include service level agreements, compensation, and 24/7 support.

The best way to achieve business connectivity is via a leased line, it will provide your business with a connection that is capable. You will have access to up to 10Gbps and an experience that can keep up with your schedule. Leased lines can be very expensive in comparison to other business broadband options but others include leased lines too –shop around, or at the least get advice from an expert through consultancy.

Fibre to the Premises (FTTP) is the next-generation of broadband with a dedicated connection that runs straight into your home. Its network of fibre optic cables deliver high-speed data, replacing the dated traditional tool - copper cabling.

It is essential that you achieve top quality from the internet connection to your organisation, it is after all the main driver for your success – and is the direct cause of failure should it not be up to scratch. This is why it is so important to make the correct decision on what avenue to take to achieve the best connection. Remember, there are some big considerations you need to make to ensure it is an option for you, and they are the availability depending on your area, adequate speeds for a business of your size and location, the package is cost-effective for the connection they are providing, and the reliability connection you are achieving.

Hopefully VoIP is a viable option for your organisation, if so your business will be equipped with a major tool capable of facilitating growth. VoIP opens the door to the future of online connectivity – it uses your internet connection instead of a local phone company to make calls, video, and overall connectivity in your business.

 

We understand that the modern world of communication can be a very daunting one to both the IT familiar and otherwise – you don’t have to be alone on this difficult journey. If once having read through the article you still are unsure what is going on or are unsure what you and your team will be able to manage when left to your own devices, please don’t hesitate to get in contact with us and let our expert team help you.

 

Your proactive IT support specialists

Our team of experts will find the modern IT solution that is best suited to your organisation. We will take time getting to know you, your team, the way you like to do business, and your goals and visions for the future. Our team of experts will work with you to find a cyber strategy that compliments the way you do business and ensures that you are constantly up-to-date with the latest tech that is beneficial to you. We will also educate your team to be sure that they understand the strategy and are fully equipped to use the tools to their full capabilities. With our help you can go into the future confident that your systems are up-to-date, fit for purpose, and secure.

 

Smooth Transition to VoIP