Well-designed software and plentiful features are essential to having the best softphone: effective and useful. This is especially true of the user interface (UI), where all the necessary functions must be displayed front and center, smoothly integrating voice operations with the workflow processes. In many cases, the softphone is designed to resemble a traditional telephone, with a display panel and buttons for user control, very much like a standard phone interface. Over and above the importance of the user interface, there are a number of factors to consider when choosing the right product. We will discuss these factors in order to assist you in making an informed decision in selecting the best softphone. Cost There is a wide range of both free and paid softphones. In many cases, vendors offer a free, limited-feature version of their paid products. If you wish to use the free version, then you should carefully evaluate this…
It would seem quite strange if, by now, you haven’t heard the term VoIP or VoIP technology before, considering it has been named nothing less than the most successful technology of the last decade! If you indeed aren’t familiar with it, chances are big you’re already using it without knowing. And if you are aware of the term, but don’t know what it is or what it means, you’re in the right place. Meaning Voice over Internet Protocol, VoIP is a revolutionary technology that delivers voice communications and multimedia sessions over Internet Protocol (IP) networks, such as the Internet. In more simple words, it is an alternative and cheaper way of making and receiving phone calls. Other terms such as Internet telephony, broadband telephony, and broadband phone service specifically refer to the supply of voice, fax SMS, voice-messaging and other communication services over the Internet, instead of via the PSTN (public switched telephone network). How does VoIP…
Are you interested in the VoIP industry and want to learn more about VoIP? There are plenty of VoIP books out there that come in all sizes and some more technical than others. There are volumes that provide a simple straightforward review of VoIP, others cover the use of VoIP for both home and business networks, and a few of them even discuss security issues relating to voice and data networks. There is also a good deal of guides that explain how to evaluate, select, and install VoIP systems. But if you’re not crazy about looking and analyzing through hundreds of technical large VoIP books before finding the one you need, check out the list of our 10 favorite VoIP books for consumers. The Best 10 Books on VoIP VoIP For Dummies: By Timothy V. Kelly Low-cost and written in a clear and engaging way, VoIP For Dummies is one of…
A A2P – Application to person ACD – Average call duration ASR – Answer seisure ratio B B2B – Business-to-business C CDR- Caller detail records CLI -Calling line identification CNAM – Caller ID with Name CoDec – Coder/Decoder CPC – Calling Party Control D DID – Direct Inward Dialing DND – Do not disturb DSP – Digital Signal Processor E E1 – 30 concurrent calls H HD – High Definition I ISP – Internet Service provider IVR- Interactive voice response L LOA – Letter of authorization M MOS -Mean Opinion Score N NAT- Network address translation P P2P – Person to person PBX – Private Branch Exchange PDD – Post Dial Delay PESQ – Perceptual Evaluation of Speech Quality PSQM – Perceptual Speech Quality Measure R RTT – Round-trip delay time S SBC – Session Border Controllers Nonce Number Once SDP – Session Description Protocol SIP – Session Initiation Protocol SMPP – Short Message Peer-to-Peer SNMP -Simple Network Management Protocol T T1…
Most businesses today have several incoming telephone numbers, each one used for a different purpose or department such as customer service, sales, marketing etc. Some companies even have the ability to assign a personal phone number to each employee without requiring multiple physical phone lines, making it possible for telephone traffic to be split up and managed more easily. This powerful framework is only achievable using Direct Inward Dialling (DID). DID, also known in Europe as DDI (Direct Dial-in), is a service offered by telephone companies, that allows organizations, who operate a private branch exchange (PBX) system, to have multiple telephone numbers lines connected to one or more analog or digital physical circuits to their PBX. The system sends the dialed telephone number to the PBX so that an outside caller can have direct access to the PBX extension, possibly avoiding an auto-attendant. In a business with DID, the telephone…
“This call may be monitored and recorded for record-keeping, training and quality-assurance purposes,” is a message that probably all of us have heard before when calling a contact center. But once an agent answers the phone, we immediately forget that we are being recorded, after all, we will most likely never hear that call recording. For the Contact Center, on the other hand, that recording is extremely useful. It allows business to collect and analyze a set of data that enables them to improve and optimize their service. However, there is much more to call recording than the eyes can meet. Steve Kaiser, Co-founder and CEO of OrecX Open Source Recording, shows us that it is not only a great feature available thanks to Business VoIP and the Cloud, but a powerful tool to boost your business. Why do businesses use call recording? Businesses are aware that nowadays customer experience…
The first VoIP (Voice over Internet Protocol) services were launched in 2004, and since then the technology has come a long way with new VoIP features being added each year. VoIP allows users to make and receive free voice and video calls from and to anywhere over the Internet. In recent years VoIP providers have discovered increasingly innovative uses for VoIP technology that are helping all size businesses to be more productive, scalable and cost-efficient simultaneously. Here are the five innovative VoIP features that your business should consider: 1. Interactive voice recognition Whenever you call a company and are greeted by a pre-recorded voice asking you to select the reason for your call, it means company uses an interactive menu based on a VoIP system. Interactive VoIP menus have integrated this voice recognition software to provide a more intuitive means for users to choose options. Very soon, you will be…
According to the American Cable Association (ACA), small VoIP providers may struggle to meet the technology demands of the Federal Communications Commission’s (FCC) proposed robo calling solution plan. ACA represents around 750 of the smaller and mid-sized firms distributed around the US market. The association claims that most of its members might not afford the technology required for the SHAKEN/STIR FCC’s proposal. The SHAKEN (Signature-based Handling of Asserted Information Using toKENs) is a framework that has been developed by STIR (Secure Telephone Identity Revised), a working group that is looking for ways to prevent the 2.4 billion robo calls made to Americans every month. The system uses digital certificates, based on common public key cryptography techniques to ensure that a calling number is accurate and secure and has not been spoofed. The service can be provided by a carrier, a third party company or even via software built into a…
The term net neutrality, which pops up in Internet debate every few years, is the belief that all data on the Internet should be treated the same way by the Internet service providers (ISPs) and governments that regulate most of the Internet. The term suggests that there should be no discrimination and prices should not depend on user, content, website, platform, or application. There is always an uproar about the subject every time the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) submits a new rule on the topic, but then the matter quickly fades away. This ongoing cycle has resulted in tired businesses and consumers that have become insensitive towards the issue. However, they must not forget that most businesses now rely on the Internet for various workflows, and therefore any changes in the rules of net neutrality can significantly affect the VoIP industry and way companies function, particularly VoIP providers, since they…
Whether you are a newcomer in the business world or an established business owner that is struggling to maintain efficiency, low operation costs, and a strong phone system, switching your traditional phone system to a virtual PBX may be the best solution. Virtual PBX, which stands for Private Branch Exchange, is an advanced budget-friendly, easy-to-use phone system that is accessible from anywhere. The system transmits calls via the Internet and usually only handles inbound calls. It also enables businesses to route and forward their incoming calls, create automated greetings and more. In the past PBX used the PSTN (Public Switched Telephone Network) technology for the operation. Nowadays, it uses the VoIP (Voice over Internet Protocol) technology that is owned and maintained offsite by a VoIP service provider. Virtual PBX is an ideal solution for small business with up to 10 employees and which typically have low-volume telephone traffic. Advantages of Virtual PBX systems:…