If you are looking to deploy a Voice over Internet Protocol (VoIP) system, or planning to upgrade your existing infrastructure, consider several key factors. One of the most essential aspects you should look at is Quality of Service, or QoS. To make sure your provider will deliver optimal service with minimal downtimes, ask them these questions about their QoS.

What is QoS?

VoIP providers and IT experts define “Quality of Service” as the overall performance of a VoIP system or network. This performance is usually measured by looking at objective statistics like bandwidth use, transmission (call) delay, error rates, etc. Subjective data, like what the end users think of the system’s performance, are also factored in.

Why does QoS vary from provider to provider?

QoS does not just apply to VoIP, but also to traditional phone systems. It would not be an exaggeration to say that the quality of landline calls are near perfect. This is because all traditional phone network providers invested in physical networks and connections that offer high QoS. That means switching from one provider to another doesn't affect the quality of the calls.

But investments in physical networks were expensive, and customers ended up shouldering the costs. The high cost of maintaining the transmission network (phone lines, switches, etc.) is also why there are only a couple of phone providers in your area. In other words, it's just too costly for small companies to launch a traditional phone network system.

In comparison, VoIP systems are a lot cheaper to set up and maintain. This has led to a high number of VoIP providers. And because anyone with capital can set up their VoIP systems without having to adhere to a standard, the QoS amongst providers can vary drastically. To find the provider with the best QoS, ask them these three questions:

How much of the network infrastructure do you own?

Almost every VoIP provider will rely on public infrastructure in order to transmit data. The rule of thumb is, the bigger the company’s share in the infrastructure, the higher its QoS is. This is because the provider will have more control over the technology.
One of the best options is to look for facilities-based providers. These companies own almost all of the network that carries VoIP calls and can therefore offer better services and quality.

How much traffic will run over public internet?

The answer to this will vary among providers. Some of the most popular solutions like Vonage will use almost 100% public internet for their traffic. Other companies will use a mixture of public and private networks, often using public internet for more affordable packages and private internet for high-end users. If you often use VoIP for functions that require heavy bandwidth like conference calling, then you may need to sign up for more expensive packages so the QoS doesn’t drop.

What level of quality can you guarantee?

Good providers will be able to guarantee a QoS that is comparable, or even better, than traditional phone networks. This is especially important for businesses that are looking to switch to a full VoIP solution. Ask your prospective provider to run a few tests on your network and to give you a quality assurance. If the numbers are too low for your business needs, look for another provider.
Do you want to know more about how to pick the best VoIP provider and how VoIP can benefit your business? Get in touch with our experts today.

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The holiday season is upon us — and businesses are likely to experience their phones ringing off the hook. As a business owner, you need to make sure that your Voice over Internet Protocol (VoIP) systems are ready to cope with the holiday rush. To ensure crystal clear calls, follow these useful VoIP system tips.

Check your VoIP equipment

Sometimes, problems with VoIP don't have anything to do with your service provider or even the underlying servers that host the solution. Instead, issues may stem from the physical VoIP lines and phones themselves. One common issue with VoIP is that if your equipment is stacked too closely, users may experience a degradation in call quality.

You can ask your employees to check call quality, especially if two VoIP devices are close to one another. If there are issues, moving them further apart should clear this up.

Beyond this, take the time to inspect all cables and connections to ensure they are in good condition and are able to deal with increased wear and tear during the holidays. If your equipment is old and outdated, you may need to look for replacements.

Establish VoIP system monitoring

With people rushing to get their last-minute shopping done, your staff will likely experience a sharp spike in inquiries and assistance. A monitoring solution can help predict when issues may arise. Whether you are open or closed for the holidays, make sure to implement the following:

Busy periods
Set up call queuing with hold music or estimated wait time.
Leave recorded messages with complete information and an alternative way to contact support such as a hotline, an email address, or your website.
Change your configuration to help you manage shorter business hours.
Set diverts for reduced hours.

Closed periods
Set automated messages or announcements to say that your business will be closed during the holiday season and what day you will reopen.
Update receptionist greetings before Christmas to remind callers of your holiday hours.
Set up call diverts for employees who will be working remotely.

Enable dedicated support

The great thing about VoIP is the support that comes with it. You can keep call costs low as employees working from home can still communicate with the office. A good VoIP system can be configured to work for you and your customers no matter what hours you are open during the holidays.

Whether it’s diverting calls to mobile devices or remote machines, a good VoIP service provider understands that your business needs to be operational even over the holidays, and their support service underpins that.

Work with an experienced IT provider

Christmas is busy enough without having to worry about something like a phone outage. If you need help with your phone systems, or want to discuss how VoIP could help your business, call us today and we’ll make sure to recommend the best VoIP solution to ensure that your customers are happy and satisfied.

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Businesses can benefit a lot from implementing a VoIP solution. However, without proper management and IT support for VoIP, you may see a negative impact on your productivity. You’ll experience limited communication from both customers and employees, especially when it comes to mobile or remote workers. The challenge is how you can expand your VoIP capabilities to become effective on-the-go.

To cater to your out-of-office workers, there are a variety of ways you can expand the mobility of your VoIP services.

1. Look into Unified Communications (UC)

If your employees are able to bring their own personal devices to work, your IT administrators will insist that all of them comply with your company’s policies. You will need to establish good security and compliance measures in order to meet the needs of both your customers and employees.

A solid solution is to look into UC, which integrates real-time communication services such as instant messaging, telephony, data sharing, and video conferencing. UC bridges the gap between VoIP and other computer-related communication technologies. It makes communication more convenient and manageable by providing a single number to reach as well as a status indicator that conveys whether employees are available or if they don't want to be disturbed.

2. Employ easy to use apps

Most top-rated business apps began as user-focused tools to help people find data more independently. Some of these apps have transformed into more customized tools focusing on specific business needs. The problem with this is that satisfying these needs often sacrifices overall usability. If your employees are struggling to use the mobile version of your VoIP solution, then they likely will dump it.

This can lead to employees using unauthorized apps, which also increases security risks. To avoid this, try implementing an app or tool that is easy to use, easy to navigate, and easy to manage. Ask VoIP providers for a free demo to evaluate the intuitiveness of the software yourself.

3. Work with an experienced solution manager

It can be tough to manage your VoIP solutions as you’re expanding them. That’s why it’s best to work with an IT partner like us; we have the expertise and experience to pull it off. When you outsource the management of your solution to us, we can get your apps and solution up and running, then administer them for you.

4. Cloud support

Having on-premise equipment and support for your VoIP solution is a good idea. However, your existing IT team may not be ready for the challenges of providing a cloud-based mobile app or voice support. We recommend you go for a hosted VoIP solution, which delivers the same cost-effective, network-based service, but the equipment is based at a provider’s site rather than in your data center. This eliminates the cost of on-premise gear, maintenance costs, and overall management, while increasing the overall effectiveness of your mobile solution.

If you need to expand your VoIP mobile capabilities to enhance your efficiency and productivity, or if you’re interested to learn more about VoIP solutions, don’t hesitate to contact us today.

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A CNN survey revealed that 70% of callers in the US who are put on hold in silence hang up within 60 seconds. That’s why businesses are looking into different on-hold options to keep customers happy and are finding wonderful solutions from VoIP systems.

When an operator asks a client for permission to put them on hold, what they’re really saying is “Can you wait a short time not talking to anybody?” It occurs at different times throughout a call, and for varying durations. VoIP phone systems help make this lull period engaging with music, messages, and other information.

Music

A North American Telecom study found that callers who hear music while on hold will stay on the line 30 seconds longer than those who experience silence. While old phone systems also had a music on hold feature, VoIP services enhance this feature and offer more options.

Instead of being limited to legacy tools’ music loops, VoIP systems let you easily upload your audio of choice. Just a tip: use music that suits your brand, and take your clientele’s demographics into account. The upbeat music that a sporting good brand uses might not work for an investment bank.

With VoIP systems, you can customize the frequency and duration of a track and configure whether the music restarts or continues where it left off when a caller is placed back on hold. You can also set the order of different tracks or randomize them for callers.

Messages

Customers who are put on hold are captive audiences for your marketing messages. VoIP systems let you record a variety of messages for different numbers according to the purpose of the caller. For example, if the caller wants to get in touch with the sales department, the on-hold message could inform them of current special offers, promotions, or sales.

“Hold message” scripts that utilize your company’s TV and radio ads might elicit an “I think I’ve heard this somewhere” response. Conversely, you could put a totally new spin on the usual tone and style of your marketing messages and really get creative with humorous mini-commercials that make your customers chuckle (and a little bit of levity never hurt nobody!).

For the service department, you can use soothing messages that assure the customer that an agent is taking care of their concerns. Using a service-appropriate message makes them feel like they’re getting personalized care.

Information

New information and intriguing anecdotes will take their minds off of the notion that they aren’t being served (when in fact, you are hard at work addressing their concerns at the other end of the line), so you could also pose a playful trivia or “Did you know?” kind of contest where providing a correct answer once the call resumes wins them a prize.

VoIP systems’ rich on-hold functionality allows you to turn the on hold experience into a positive customer service experience. Make sure this window of opportunity isn’t slammed shut. Get in touch with us today and we’ll help you increase the odds that your clients will hold the line happily.

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