What are the Benefits and Drawbacks of VoIP

If you're thinking about switching to the VoIP phone system you are not alone. The technology is rapidly growing in popularity with hundreds of companies across the country currently using VoIP as opposed to traditional telephone lines. Before you make the switch, you should consider studying VoIP’s advantages and drawbacks and a reliable VoIP service provider to make sure that it's the right choice for your needs.

What is VoIP?

VoIP is a shorthand in the form of Voice over Internet Protocol and is commonly called IP (internet) telephone or cloud-based phone service. In simple terms, VoIP systems make phone calls over the internet instead of the traditional phone exchange or the landline network. In addition to audio calls, certain VoIP configurations are able to be used to make multimedia calls like video calls.

The system converts analog voice signals to digital data. It allows calling to take place under any conditions, as you have an internet connection. The calls can be placed and received by tablets, computers or mobile phones. But, internet telephony generally makes use of traditional-looking phones to make calls. The only distinction is that the handset is connected to an internet port instead of the phone socket.

VoIP Benefits for businesses

VoIP systems are an ideal option for companies looking to cut expenses and increase how their conferences are conducted. In the theory of things the idea is that the VoIP system will allow thousands of participants to take part in one conference call. Therefore, they are the ideal choice for businesses (no matter how big or small) and also for personal or home use.

VoIP's benefits

Price: VoIP can offer an affordable and economical alternative to phone contracts that are regular. Instead of having two bills for a phone company as well as an internet provider you'll be able to have a single broadband contract. Additionally, with many contracts, you'll get free calls between company places and will pay only minimal charges on international phone calls.

Portability: VoIP doesn't have geographically or distance-dependent, which means that you'll be able to carry your VoIP phone everywhere you go, as long as the device you use is compatible with your office network. Cloud-based telephony is as easily accessible as your email inbox. All you require is an appropriate device, internet access, and perhaps a headset. This means that employees working remotely can maintain the same level of productivity, allowing greater efficiency in business and flexibility.

Scalability: VoIP offers businesses with the opportunity to make high-quality big-scale conferences. Users can be added or removed from your network when needed; typically, you'll pay for the number of users on your network. This allows VoIP an appealing option for companies in the process of growing, and who prefer a phone system that is able to grow as their business grows.

Audio quality: As long as you have a stable and reliable internet connection, the audio should be of top-quality as well as improve the quality of regular phone calls.

Additional features: A further benefit of VoIP is the additional functions it provides, including call forwarding, call recording, queues, and call transfer. These functions were designed for business-oriented users and allow for better efficiency in call routing and also reduce the amount of time spent on the phone.

VoIP drawbacks

Despite its potential to be an affordable, high-quality call system, VoIP comes with its own drawbacks. Cloud-based telephony is completely dependent on internet connectivity, which means that you'll need an efficient, reliable internet connection that has sufficient bandwidth.

Latency problems: Caused by latency could influence call quality through VoIP, especially in the case of internet connection sharing. If you're using an individual internet connection or an exclusive business broadband connection, the quality of the calls will not be affected. If you choose to lease a line or an ISP which has broadband with high speed and lower audio quality is minimized.

Situations of emergency: In the event of an interruption in power during an emergency, you'll not be capable of making an urgent call through VoIP. That means that businesses are usually required to carry a backup landline phone for emergencies because the local phone exchange network isn't affected by power interruptions. However, with the majority of people using mobile phones, it is less likely that you will be in a position to call an emergency call center.