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Published July 10th, 2016 by

5 Things You Need Before Buying VoIP Software

5-things-you-need-before-buying-voip-softwareThe Voice Over Internet Protocol communications software is one of the greatest miracles of technology of the 21st century. This cost-cutting technology is one of the ways through which communications can be perfected and efficiency maximized. VoIP systems always make work and business operations more efficient and faster. Corporate giants once used VoIP systems out of an extreme need to make communications efficient while leaving out the small businesses behind.

Nowadays, both big and small businesses have the opportunity to avail of the latest VoIP technology for the same reasons and the same benefits. VoIP providers have multiple functions aside from merely providing the software. Many top VoIP providers provide the site by which businesses can communicate with each branch as well as with other companies and most of all with their customers. The VoIP provider is the one that handles all the delivery of calls to phones and all the installation of software as well as the training of the staff when handling a VoIP system.

In order for you and your company to avail of the benefits of an advanced and efficient flow of business operations, then the most important thing to do is to get your company ready for a VoIP system. You should set up the business in such a way that the working environment is ready for the change that you want. You should keep in mind five very important things before you can convert your business into something that runs on a VoIP communications system.

Good Broadband Connection

The first requirement is always a good broadband connection. All reviews of VoIP software reveal that before buying your next VoIP tool, you need to have a good broadband connection. The best business VoIP tools especially if used with multiple simultaneous users must have much bandwidth. If you have only a few employees, then there is not much to be concerned about. Business VoIP tools must have a broadband connection that can handle as many as 15 calls simultaneously while even instant-messaging a client at the same time.

Business VoIP tool reviews reveal that your Internet service provider must have a bandwidth cap in place in order to facilitate good data transmission. Most VoIP service providers rely on G.711 codec for their communications. This consumes around 64kb of data per second of conversation. In reality, there is a large number of people who could use VoIP and its broadband connection without having to hit bandwidth caps. Nonetheless, you should take care not to exceed that cap.

So much of the success of your business depends on a good broadband connection. You should always remember that no matter how big or what type of business you have, it should have the necessary tools and solutions needed to ensure that the company will have the best and the most professional presentation. A good broadband connection is definitely one of the best companions for your business VoIP software.

According to Jim Gustke, marketing vice president at a business phone provider called Ooma, an excellent broadband connection can maximize the functions of a good VoIP solution for your business as well as the level of connection with your customers and co-workers. Thus, if you are planning to have your business rely on a high quality VoIP system, what you first need is an excellent broadband connection.

Routers and Switches

Good VoIP tools for your business also require appropriate routers and switches. These routers and switches must be strong enough to handle the workload within the internal network. Many providers suggest that you should use a router that has Quality of Service settings that can be configured anytime. Moreover, there should be configurable VoIP traffic high priority assignment in order to make full use of the features of these routers and switches.

Every high-quality VoIP tool begins with a suitable router. Whenever a business implements a hosted VoIP solution, then the business owner has the obligation to confirm with the VoIP provider that the new software is compatible or works well and smoothly with the existing VoIP service.

Many types of routers such as those designed for networks of consumers are actually not fully optimized to function with VoIP. Thus, if you think your business needs VoIP solutions for mission-critical tasks, you should try to go for a business-class router that is fully optimized for the VoIP software that you are about to purchase.

Good routers for your business and ones that will function optimally with a hosted VoIP solution are those that have a robust Quality of Service or QoS. This particular feature allows VoIP traffic as a top priority compared to other types of data traffic such as FTP, video or Instant Messaging.

According to Mia Athawale, ABP Tech technical product manager, QoS is critical since a seemingly harmless application such as Dropbox can actually have a great negative impact on the quality of VoIP software. That is why Quality of Service or QoS must be above the level of just the ordinary Conventional QoS.

Compatible Phones

Every good business needs to have compatible set of phones that can be easily managed for the purpose of carrying out business operations very efficiently. While it is perfectly all right for one person to have just a smartphone, it is important for the business to have a phone system that makes it much easier for the company to project a professional image.

It remains a fact that mobile phone plans are not programmed to offer the same business features as the ones offered by business phone systems that are specifically designed for VoIP functioning. Moreover, mobile phones are not designed for communications where a virtual receptionist should answer calls quickly and connect customers immediately with the right company contacts. Furthermore, mobile phones cannot provide as much business information as well as hours and directions.

Thus, if you still intend to use a mobile phone for your business needs, it would be better if what you have to use is a VoIP system. The VoIP system brings a professional image to your company while your company still basically relies on the same mobile devices. The most important thing is that you have enhanced your business communications with VoIP tools.

Trained Staff

If you decide on using a VoIP system for your business, then nothing is more important than a staff that is specifically trained to handle all business transactions using the VoIP system. What is most important here is the ability of the trained staff to handle all forms of communications involving VoIP software. The staff should therefore be technically equipped to handle instant messaging, emails, voice calls and even video calls.

The most important thing about trained staff is that they have very professional skills when it comes to handling customer service. They should also be equipped with the necessary social skills when it comes to ensuring a good working environment for everyone concerned. Most importantly, the VoIP vendor or provider must coordinate with the business owner in order to provide the staff with the necessary training tools.

Trained company staff that will be able to handle VoIP software should be those that have been trained to do multi-tasking as well as time management. Without these skills, the company will not be able to advance even with the best VoIP software and solutions. Skills should go hand in hand with behavior and good work ethics. Moreover, without time management and diligence, there is no working staff that can possibly be able to handle the rigors of conducting communications through a VoIP system.

List of Good VoIP Providers

One other important thing that you need to know as a business owner is that you should have the best VoIP provider for all your VoIP needs. While large corporations were the only ones who could avail of the feature-rich VoIP systems a few years ago, nowadays there have been a great number of small businesses that use the same benefits. This current trend is not only because of the desire of companies to maximize their business efficiency but also because of the great number of VoIP providers out there in the market today.

Latest current VoIP technology involves plenty of useful and state-of-the-art features such as voicemail, call forwarding, call queues, call recording, interactive voice response and voicemail transcription. It also involves voice-to-email features, missed call notifications, extension dialling, call transferring, conference calling, and Internet faxing.

If your VoIP software has a broadband Internet access, trained staff, a list of available VoIP providers, routers and switches and a compatible phone system, then you are pretty sure that your business can gradually become at par with the strongest corporate giants. You simply have to prepare the environment necessary to set up your VoIP system. You can also try to find out which of the so many VoIP providers can actually be trusted in terms of the number of features as well as the level of quality and efficiency. CrowdReviews.com has a list of the latest business VoIP software so you better check it out today!

Keith Moore

Keith Moore has worked with several leading Android development agencies to build customized mobile apps enabling businesses to extend the use of their services to smart phones and mobile devices.

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