In our second instalment of VoIP Myths and Facts - Why VoIP equalling low quality and unreliability is a myth and why VoIP reduces costs is a fact.

Myth - VoIP is low quality and unreliable

The misconception most people have is that VoIP means the quality of the call would be bad. This is often because most people think of Skype when talking about VoIP (See Myth #1: VoIP is Skype).

So, how is Skype different from Business VoIP? Skype is great for consumers by allowing them to make PC -> PC calls anywhere in the world. What is not so great is that because of the nature of home networks and their internet connectivity, there is no guarantee that the call quality will be good, in fact, quite often the call quality is poor, especially with international calls.

Business VoIP platforms will have a lot more planning involved. Each branch would normally have an IP PBX on site, and often have an MPLS¹ network in place. MPLS allows us to guarantee maximum latency² on the network and we can use that to determine the capacity of the IP Voice Network. There is also redundancy in place, so should your internet connection go down, calls can be routed through a backup route. The telephone handsets look very similar to traditional phones, so users do not need to learn a completely new way of communicating.

All of these steps are put in place to ensure business grade quality calls and ease of use as well as providing full failover, should something happen to your internet connection.

1. Technology that enables customers to connect all its offices together and provides more efficient, speedier communication.
2. The time it takes for a data packet to move from the source to its destination. In the case of VoIP, it will determine the delay between one party starting to speak and the time it is heard on the other end.

Fact - VoIP is Cost Effective

VoIP is a very cost effective telephone solution for many reasons. Here are a few examples to highlight where you will save money:

Call Charges – This is probably the area where most will see a reduced cost. This is primarily because inter-office calls can be routed over the Internet which incurs no additional charges. E.g. Remote workers can phone the office, and also make outbound calls via the office PBX from wherever they are. Employees on International business trips can stay in touch without incurring any roaming fees.

The setup costs for an IP PBX are often lower than a traditional PBX.  VoIP runs on data networks so there is no need to setup a separate cabling infrastructure for voice communications.

Ongoing support costs are lower as IP Telephony becomes part of your IT service requirements hence negating the need to have an additional maintenance contract with a telephony provider.

Improving productivity and increasing the efficiency in the way that your staff communicate ultimately reduces costs. Integrating telecommunications systems with office applications such as a CRM or accounting software, means crucial business information is quickly to hand thus allowing efficient and effective interactions.

We are interested in how your business could benefit from VoIP and IT technologies.  Call 0800 047 0390 or email to setup a consultation.