For many business operators, mobility and connectivity rate amongst the most important aspects of an efficient business set-up. Over the few years now, the mainstream digital telephone use has been in decline with business mainly relying on a mobile phone and to some extent various internet voice solutions (ie VOIP). There are now fewer households and businesses than ever that opt for a ‘fixed line’ phone or fax service.
What is VOIP?
In the simplest terms VOIP (voice over internet protocol) is a telephone service that uses your internet connection to transfer data (i.e. voice).
What are the benefits of VOIP?
With VOIP, users have multiple benefits, compared to the ‘old school’ telephone:
- VOIP phone line is mobile. A single number can be used in your office, at home or when you travel.
- Your remote staff/offices can use same VOIP system/numbers.
- VOIP can be used with a handset or by using a soft phone. Soft phone is a program installed on your computer that acts like a telephone.
- VOIP service is versatile and it can be configured in many ways to improve your office productivity. For example, you can have a number of 1300/1800 numbers, or a number of Australian area code lines depending on which area you are servicing. These numbers can be easily configured on you computer to redirect to other lines, voice messages or interactive voice responses (IVRs).
- You can have as many VOIP lines as you want. They are easy to setup and allocate to a staff member.
- VOIP plans can be prepaid and postpaid and they are generally cheaper to run than a typical landline.
In addition to VOIP some providers will offer services such as eFax, automated answering service (message to email).
What doesn’t work well with VOIP?
Many users are wary of internet downtime causing phone service outage. This certainly can be an issue, however with 4G mobile phones and overall internet reliability, this can be resolved relatively easily. Internet speed is another cause of dis-concern for some VOIP users. Generally, ADSL networks are fast enough for any desktop VOIP device. Call quality is great and any lag is difficult to notice. However, depending on the quality of the host computer, softphone use can sometimes result in lower quality calls.
Equipment and Services
We have tested a number of providers and we found Telecube to have a versatile product offering, excellent pricing and great customer service. Free or paid softphones are easily available. 3CX and x-lite are amongst the most popular programs used and both offer a free version. Similarly, there are many good desk VOIP phones available. Cisco offers a very popular line of phones, from a single to multi-line and reception solutions. Headset prices vary depending on device connectivity, with wireless solutions typically costing significantly more than the wired sets. Plantronics devices that we use typically offer excellent call quality.