Is VoIP Quality Reliable?

July 12th, 2016 by admin

Back in the early days of VoIP, call quality was one of the most concerning items for organizations thinking of making the transition. Although these companies wanted to experience all the savings and flexibility of VoIP, some remained hesitant about making the transition in fear of choppy sounding voices, audio jitters or echoing. Today, nearly two decades after VoIP entered the market, those concerns are virtually eliminated. This is due to more advanced technologies that have improved quality and satisfaction standards. These gains have been significant, as some would argue that sound quality on today’s VoIP systems is far better than traditional copper lines. But that doesn't happen unless proper safeguards are put in place.

To ensure the highest level of VoIP quality, organizations should evaluate these options and features of importance:

VoIP Options

Companies must determine what their VoIP needs are. There are a few common ways VoIP technology is utilized:

Integrated Access:
This resembles Plain Old Telephone (POTs) solutions. However, with this option, you leverage the IP network with the voice services. Existing LAN cables and Ethernet is used to transmit calls. Instead of traditional lines, the calls work as an application on the network.
Session Initiation Protocol (SIP):
The SIP structure works as the protocol for controlling multimedia communication. This is commonly found using an internet connection for video and voice calls and instant messaging services. It replaces things like analog trunks or Primary Rate Interface (PRI).
Private Branch Exchange (PBX):

This is the system that will manage call and phone services like voicemail. This comes in options of on-premise, hosted, or hybrid. Hosted PBX solutions are becoming more popular because they offer significant cost savings and flexibility.

Bandwidth

After determining what type of VoIP service is needed, safeguards can be put in place to ensure optimum performance of those solutions. Perhaps the most critical component to good call quality is the amount of bandwidth being provided to the business. If underestimated, it can quickly result in reduced end-user satisfaction. Determining what bandwidth is needed for optimum call quality should be determined through a careful analysis of the number of users, the amount of internet traffic being used as well as how many concurrent calls take place.

Redundancy

Providers should provide a built-in redundancy option in the event the main connection point goes down. An example of this could be offering call continuity, which allows the employees to use their mobile devices as a forwarding device from the phone system in the event the main connection is lost.

Quality of Service (QoS)

QoS is a guarantee of the level of services being received. Identifying the level of service with the provider helps to safeguard that the calls will remain of the highest quality using network traffic reports, bandwidth designation, and prioritized call volume.

Customer Support

Understanding the level of support available from the vendor is an important note in the event of an interruption or issue with service quality. The vendor should be able to articulate the reliability standards they have set as well as what hours they are available to respond to any reported issue.

Keep in mind that If these terms seem confusing or overwhelming, rest assured your VoIP service provider should be able to carefully evaluate the most reliable VoIP solution with the highest level of service. And if they are unable to do so, it may simply be time to find a provider who can.