Feature:
Eliminating Misconceptions about VoIP Key to Upgrading Business

Voice over IP or VoIP is on the minds of business owners and IT managers around the world. The promise of increased employee productivity, streamlined communication features and cost reduction have made VoIP a hot topic.

Customers have many different ideas of what VoIP is since the term has been used for so many products. As far as businesses are concerned, forget about Vonage or Skype. These are residential products that use the internet to make phone calls, but it is very different from the architecture used for a business deployment of an IP phone system.

A common misconception business owners have is that they can eliminate their local phone lines if they go with VoIP. This may be true for the residential customer, but businesses demand 100% availability of local service. The only way to ensure this is to have local lines provided by a local carrier.

In this type of scenario, inbound and outbound calls utilize the local lines just as they always have and the reliability is still there. The difference comes when calls need to route away from the main site to another office or a remote worker, this portion of the call is routed via IP. This routing usually goes through a private network and not the public internet. By routing via a private network (like MPLS), Quality of Service (QoS) can be implemented giving voice packets a priority over data packets. Most people have experienced a bad IP phone call and have heard jitter or choppy voice. This is a result of an IP call with no QoS. Superior call quality can be achieved with the proper IP phone system and network assessment.

The good news is many companies have already invested in a data network that ties multiple sites together to share their data applications. By implementing an IP phone system, these customers can easily add voice to their network just as they would any other application. Benefits can include centralized call processing, to more efficiently manage the call flow through a multi-site organization, and possibly a reduction in the number of staff needed to answer incoming calls. In addition, features like call recording and detailed agent reports can be used by supervisors to train employees and ensure they are staffed appropriately at their busiest times.

It is important to choose a vendor that has experience installing VoIP systems and that represents manufacturers that have tried and true technology. There are a handful of manufacturers that lead the way in VoIP deployments and your local phone vendor should be able to bring a rolling demo kit to your office to show you the technology in the comfort of your office.

Companies looking for a VoIP vendor may look to the recommendations of Nemertes Research. Nemertes Research is an independent research firm that has conducted a VoIP review for the past five years. They rate the vendors in 10 different areas from value, product features, technology and much more.

Paul Mancini is National Accounts Representative with Clear Choice Telephone. For more information or to obtain a copy of the Nemertes Research report, contact Paul Mancini at 678-387-3200 or paul@clearchoiceinc.com.