Category Archives: VOIP

Why Businesses are Adopting VoIP Phone Service

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Smiling Delivery Driver using VoIP

Can customers get a hold of you?

A company’s phone service is a crucial part of operations. All customers expect to be able to call in if they want to, even if they usually use other methods of communication. Phones are also essential for communication between employees, to suppliers, and other key people. Yet, more and more companies are telling their traditional phone services to go ahead and cancel their accounts.

VoIP: The Modern Telephone Option

VoIP, or Voice over Internet Protocol, is behind the shift in the way companies handle their telephony needs. This service, also known as “hosted PBX” or “internet phones,” provides all of the benefits of local PBX systems and more. It is often cheaper as well. When the factors are combined, they provide distinct benefits over standard landline phones.

  • VoIP phone systems can be accessed in many ways. You no longer need separate numbers for cell phones, office phones, and home phones. You and your employees can log into a company VoIP system from any location; all they need is the password to their accounts. This makes it so that someone like a salesperson can sit at home to make calls without losing any of the benefits of the office phone. The system will show the office’s number for his call, allowing the privacy of his home phone number to remain uncompromised. It works the same way for calling from mobile phones and even hotels.
  • VoIP phones offer all of the benefits of PBX systems. This is why they are sometimes referred to as “hosted PBX” systems. You get standard office phone system features like hold music, 3-way calling, call blocking, unlimited voicemail, unlimited local calling, international calling, caller ID, and much more.
  • VoIP surpasses landline PBX systems in many ways. You don’t have to fuss with complicated equipment, install dedicated phone lines, buy expensive hardware, or buy new hardware when you expand. Instead, everything is administered through an easy online interface. The physical connections are done using your cable internet lines, so if you already have those at all of the necessary workstations, you’re all set when it comes to connectivity.
  • Scalability is no problem. Our VoIP services can handle anywhere from one to 500 lines.
  • Our software updates are free. You won’t be hit with surprise costs just to keep your system secure and functional.
  • You can keep your current phone number. There is no need to have a landline to enjoy the benefits of number portability.
  • In almost all cases, VoIP systems sound as good as their landline equivalents. All it takes to enjoy excellent sound clarity is a good, hardwired broadband internet connection (cable or better). This sort of connection allows voice data to be transmitted with no lag, dropped packets, or other problems. As long as you have cable, customers will never know you’re using VoIP unless you choose to tell them.

With all of these benefits, it’s no wonder that businesses are switching to VoIP more and more. There is no need to pay high landline costs or deal with expensive phone packages that are padded with useless features. Instead, VoIP offers reasonable costs, the freedom of being able to use the company phone system away from your desk, and freedom from the expense and hassle of dealing with an on-site PBX box. You also don’t need to lease an expensive T1 or other high-end line – standard cable internet will do the trick in all but the most congested markets.

To learn more about our VoIP offering or VoIP in general, just contact us here at SystemsNet. We’ll be glad to discuss your needs and get you set up with the most modern telephony option that will do everything you want.

Tips for Speed Testing your VoIP Service

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business man speed testing his VoIP service. Business man in office. Looking at camera

Items to check to improve the quality of your calls

One of the most important things to keep in mind in terms of a VoIP is that having good call quality requires you to have a decent internet connection. Lower speed networks will likely result in call degradation, dropped calls, breaks, delays and so on. The best way to avoid this is to do a simple quality test for your VoIP before starting to make regular use of it to make calls. This will ensure that you know if your network will suffer similar issues and if you need to make a network upgrade or otherwise alter your VoIP setup before you start trying to use your VoIP setup to make calls in order to avoid problems.

What is a VoIP Test

Just like all other types of information found on the internet, VoIP calls are passed from point to point as a form of data transfer through the use of various data packets. Calls are sent to and from callers by packets of data that travel across the web in order to transmit data from one specific point to another specific point. If packets are dropped, or lost, in transit from point to point then the loss of those data packets will affect the call quality due to the fact that not all of the call data was successfully transmitted from one endpoint to the other. The loss of these data packets may potentially result in missing audio, grainy audio quality and even dropped calls.

What a VoIP does is that it basically tests how well your Internet connection handles data packets. The majority of these tests work by measuring things like jitter, latency, and the bandwidth of your upload and download speeds. All of these components put together will determine how the data packets are handled and how those packets affect your call quality.

 

How to run a VoIP Test

The best way to run a VoIP test is to use one of the many free tests that run in a web browser. To obtain the optimal results, you should run the test at the busiest and most populated time of day. This will allow you to test what you’re going to get an idea of what you will see during busy times. Testing a VoIP will only take a bit of time and it will monitor what you find to send you appropriate speed measurements to give you an idea if your network is capable of handling VoIP calls at the moment.

 

Potential Problems

If the outcome of your network test tells you that you will not be able to handle VoIP calls without experiencing a significant amount of stutters, call drops or quality degradation then you should not attempt to use your internet for VoIP calls regardless.

If this is the outcome you get on your test and you still want to be able to make calls then your choices are to either upgrade your network so that it can make calls properly and then test again to make sure or alternatively, you can make your calls from a different location that already has better internet. For example, if the area you are attempting to connect in is somewhere with poor network service then you might be better served to either rent an office space or simply make your calls from a public location such as a coffee house in the future.

 

If you are looking for more information on VoIP testing or you need some tips or suggestions to help you choose a VoIP system for your use then contact us today to get whatever hints, tips and suggestions that you need.

The Primary Reasons to Choose VoIP Services for Your Business

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IP Telephony cloud pbx concept, telephone device with illustration icon of voip services

Is it time for an upgrade of your phone system?

Voice over Internet Protocol (or VoIP as it is more commonly known) is a telephony system that allows users to make and receive calls using a broadband internet connection rather than a conventional analog phone system. VoIP works by recording audio and converting it into a digital signal that can be transmitted over an internet connection. Recent years have seen a vast expansion of VoIP both amongst residential and commercial users, as VoIP phone systems tend to provide a higher level of service than traditional phone systems at a much lower cost. However, if your business still uses a traditional phone system, you may be unaware of the benefits VoIP can provide, and you may be wondering why there is so much talk about VoIP. If your company still utilizes an analog phone system, here are just a few of the reasons you should consider switching to VoIP.

VoIP Can Save You Money

One of the primary reasons that so many businesses are switching to VoIP phone systems is due to the substantial financial savings that doing so can represent. The fact is that traditional phone systems are expensive to set up, alter, and maintain. Not only are most set up and maintenance costs averted with VoIP, but also, placing calls is much more affordable using a VoIP system. Many VoIP phone systems include unlimited domestic calling for free, and many even include all of North America. When international calls are placed, it is at a much more affordable rate than offered by the mainstream phone companies, which can mean significant savings if you do a lot of international business. The great thing about VoIP is that you do not have to sacrifice call quality for these cost savings. VoIP systems provide clear sound quality that rivals traditional phone lines in most instances, depending on your internet connection.

VoIP is Easy to Install and Maintain

One of the greatest hassles of traditional phone systems is that they are difficult, costly, and time-consuming to set up as someone has to come and run wiring throughout your facility and set up the necessary hardware. Alternatively, setting up a VoIP phone system is often as easy as connecting them to your computer or internet connection, making it easy for you to set these systems up yourself. No hardware or software needs to be installed before you can start using your IP phone system.

It Scales Up and Down Easily

Another problem with traditional phone systems is that they can be difficult and costly to scale up and down. The fact is that it is not always easy to predict how many phone lines you will need to add in the coming year, or where you will need these lines in your facility. This can lead to costly changes if you need to add or move a line. With a VoIP phone system, adding a new line can be done instantly, wherever you need it, as soon as you bring on a new employee, and the phone line can just as easily be removed if they leave. Additionally, moving a phone line with VoIP is as simple as placing it where you need it to go, without the need for any rewiring.

VoIP Supports a Variety of Features

Another benefit of VoIP phone systems is they often come standard with a variety of features that are either extra, or not available, in a traditional phone system. Features that are included or available on many VoIP phone systems include: call holding, call transfers, caller ID, voicemail, visual voicemail, and conference calling. VoIP phone systems also allow for video conferencing, allowing you to conduct business meetings remotely, which can reduce travel expenses.

VoIP phone systems are truly transforming the way in which companies conduct business by providing a variety of useful benefits, only a few of which we have been able to highlight here. Contact us to learn more about VoIP and the reasons why you should consider converting your business to a VoIP phone system.

Why VOIP Is the Perfect ‘Out-of-Office’ Phone Solution

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Business woman using VOIP in a mobile phone out outdoors

How easy is it for your customers find you?

Email, chat, texting, and social media have brought us a long way, but in business you always need to have a phone number. For whole industries and tiers of your supply chain, the phone is the primary form of contact. For many businesses, certain things can only be confirmed on the phone or in person. And, of course, there must be a way for you to be contacted by clients or your boss.

Multiple Business Numbers

This means that you need a business number: A line of contact you can put on your website and business cards. A number you will almost always pick up during business hours. But this is easier for some professionals than for others. People who work at the same desk all day long have it easy, they can pick up their desk phone at any time during the regular work day. However, if you are a field service professional, visit clients, or travel often, you rack up a lot of ‘out of office’ hours where everyone must reach you at a second–personal cell–number instead.

Providing a Unified Company Number

Professional phone lines aren’t free. Businesses buy package deals but must still install the hard lines one by one to connect desk and office phones. On top of this, professionals who travel for business are often provided with company cell phones. In part to provide them the privacy of also having a personal cell if they choose to. This means that any professional with both a desk and a company cell carries the cost of two unique phone lines.

In the age of wireless technology, this is no longer necessary. VOIP, also known as internet phone, allows a business to provide each employee with exactly one phone number. A number that will follow them around on any device with internet access. Because you log into it like an app instead of needing a line or SIM card. This one little change from wired and cellular phones to internet phone simplifies so much about business communication.

Now, professionals who travel often or work in the field can give their clients and colleagues one number that can reach them any time during business hours. You can set it to ring through to your current device on a schedule or even schedule off-hours that go straight to voicemail. But it gets better.

Connecting In the Field

Staying connected while traveling is a constant search for signal coverage areas. Based on how 2-5G cell networks and wireless internet work these days, connectivity is almost identical between when a cell phone and a wireless hotspot can connect enough to make a call. But VOIP can do even better.

There are a great many places that have a wired and local wifi internet connection but do not have cell signal, and in these places, VOIP is always superior. No matter where on-the-go professionals find themselves, any device with an internet connection can make and receive calls, keeping you in touch almost everywhere.

Staying Connected in Emergencies

When traveling for work, equipment emergencies are the worst kind. If your laptop or cell phone break down on the trip, it could mean disaster. But accidents happen anyway. Your cell phone could fall out of your pocket, get soaked, or sat on and you would be left out of touch. Unless you have a VOIP number.

Most VOIP providers work like an app, where you can install and log into the VOIP platform then access your number from any capable device connected to the internet. Unlike a cell phone with a unique SIM card, VOIP numbers can be answered from your office desktop computer, your laptop, a tablet, your phone, or even borrowed device or hotel lobby computer. VOIP is the ideal phone number solution for emergencies in the field.

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Traveling for work and working in the field both require you to be away from your office much of the time. But that doesn’t mean you have to give out your personal cell number or be tethered to a company cell. VOIP allows on-the-go professionals to answer one number from any device on any available network. For more information about how VOIP can improve your workflow, contact us today!