Getting to Know VoIP

What is VoIP?
Voice over Internet Protocol phone systems send voice data through an internet connection in digital form rather than plugging into a phone jack to carry sound over the public switched telephone network. VoIP was first introduced to businesses in the 90s, and the technology has improved dramatically. Early adopters reported that the sound quality on VoIP was lacking compared to landlines, but those issues have been resolved.

What are the benefits of VoIP?
Today, VoIP continues to gain momentum as more than a third of all businesses use it. In fact, the advancement of technology in high-definition codecs means that today’s VoIP networks sound even better than current landline networks!

The proliferation of the cloud means that VoIP is also more accessible than ever. A cloud-hosted VoIP phone service requires no additional equipment or IT staff to install and maintain it–they simply need a broadband connection.

Is VoIP right for your business?
When considering VoIP for your business, you’ll need to determine if you have enough upload bandwidth to run multiple calls simultaneously, whether the bandwidth is great enough to handle other non-phone-related traffic on the network, and whether or not your firewall and router will be able to prioritize VoIP traffic above regular traffic.

If your network can support it, VoIP offers the benefits of cost reduction, ease of use and enhanced features ordinarily only available to an enterprise-level PBX. Features such as voicemail, call forwarding, call recording, on-hold music, voicemail-to-email, conference calling, instant messaging, call screening, call logs and more can be accessed on most VoIP networks.

Interested in learning more? Call TLC Office Systems today to find out how our VoIP services can benefit you!