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…
According to Technavio’s analysts, the Session Initiation Protocol (SIP) Trunking market is expected to grow at a compound annual growth rate of 18.23% by 2021. SIP Trunking is an Internet-based service that allows businesses to extend VoIP (Voice over Internet Protocol) telephony beyond the organization’s firewall without the need for an IP-PSTN gateway. It allows VoIP users to stay connected in local and long-distance calls to and from endpoints in the traditional phone network. The report ‘Global Session Initiation Protocol Trunking Market 2017-2021’, was based on detailed and reliable data gathered from an extensive research and an in-depth market analysis with inputs from industry experts. It provides a complete market and vendor landscape as well as a SWOT analysis of the key vendors and major factors that influence the market such as drivers, opportunities, and challenges. Session Initiation Protocol Trunking Market Driver: – The increasing adoption of cloud-based solutions is…
Amazon announced at a press conference that the Echo Connect, a device that uses Alexa – Amazon’s voice-activated digital assistant – can turn your home phone into a smart, hands-free speakerphone that can call any landline number or contact from your phone. It also allows you to call 911 for emergencies using only your voice. According to the online retailer, the Echo Connect will work with your existing home phone service, whether it’s landline or VoIP, but you must have an Echo speaker in addition to the Echo Connect. The Echo Connect plugs into a standard phone jack or VoIP adapter and connects wirelessly to your Echo device. Once it is all set up through the Alexa app, you can use your Echo speaker to ask Alexa to call anyone from your contacts list, and they will be able to see your home phone number on their caller ID. Likewise,…
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…
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:…
A new study led by Juniper Research predicts that over the next five years, Over-the-top (OTT) voice service providers will increase their profits by five times, reaching over $10 billion by 2020. The research ‘Future Voice Strategies: mVoIP, Carrier OTT, WebRTC, HD Voice & Video Calling 2015-2020’ argues that as 4G network rollouts accelerate, OTT voice providers such as Skype and WhatsApp will significantly increase its traffic and revenue potential, thus enabling them to offer high-quality VoIP (Voice over Internet Protocol) calls. The study points out that since most VoIP services are offered as a free or low-cost service, most OTT operators generate little profit. Subsequently, they need to focus on developing new revenue streams, by offering other value added services such as in-app purchases or social networking platforms. According to the research, as a result of OTT voice activity, traditional voice service operators will see their profits decline drastically.…