Telecommunications has drastically changed over the past two decades, instead of transmitting your voice over copper wires, your voice can now be sent as digital packets over internet routers. Not only is the VoIP system much more efficient than the old analog system, but it is also easier to install, less expensive per call, and offer better voice quality over the same distance. VoIP is the current direction of telecommunication. If you are using VoIP for your business, you’ll want to ensure that you have the best quality connection with your customers as possible. Here are six ways you can improve the performance of your VoIP system.
Integrate Your Systems
According to Get VOIP, one of the best features of VoIP systems is its ability to be integrated with other management systems, such as the following:
- CRM Software: Customer Relationship Software (CRM) is a database that stores all the customer information of a business. When your VoIP and CRM software are integrated, you will be able to access all of your customer’s information, order history, and records of any previous calls. This will allow you to serve your customers with the most up-to-date information.
- Cloud Backup: Your VoIP system can be synced with cloud backup to allow you to have a secure backup of your entire customer call database.
- Project Management Software: Your VoIP system can be integrated with your project management software so that members collaborating on a team can catch up on recorded files of voice conferences without having to bother someone for crucial information.
Invest in Better Quality Headsets
Because the quality of a digital conversation can vary depending on interference, it is important to have a quality headset when engaging with clients and customers, according to Call Centre Helper. Some features to look for when searching for a headset include:
- Noise Cancelling: Noise-canceling features on a headset allows for clearer conversation by blocking background ambient noises.
- Air-Shock Filters: Air-shock filters on the microphone of a headset allows for the blocking of impact sounds against the microphone, such as heavy breathing.
- Digital Encryption: If your business deals with sensitive financial, political, or legal information, you may wish to invest in a headset with digital encryption so that the information you send through is encrypted for security.
Use a VoIP-Optimized Router
Just because a VoIP system runs through a router, that doesn’t mean any router will suffice. If you want superior VoIP performance, you should consider a managed business type router that is optimized for VoIP. According to Straight Edge Managed IT, having a managed router means that you have someone who is trained in your needs and up-to-date on developments in the field. IT professionals keep a finger on the health of your company’s tech, ensuring that you enjoy maximum call quality and consistency.
Eliminate Network Jitter
According to Datapath.io, network jitter is a fluctuation in delay rates across a network and is one of the most frustrating complications affecting network performance. Extreme jitters will congest a network, leading to delays, congested bandwidth, and ultimately packet loss. The receiver will then receive a communication stream that is out of order and incomprehensible. VoIP calls are one of the main areas where network jitter is most likely to happen. Investing in a network monitoring tool is the best way to observe and confirm your network for the occurrence of network jitter. After network jitter has been confirmed as the culprit, you can reach out for some solutions. One of the ways to minimize the effects of network jitter is to use a jitter buffer. A jitter buffer operates as a temporary holding area for arriving digital data packets and keeps the packets in the order received so that when the congestion dies down, the packets are released in the order it arrived. The overall conversation ends up staying intact. Another way to minimize the effects of network jitter is to use a packet prioritization setting to prioritize the different types of packets during congestion. If you prioritize all VoIP packets, they’ll receive priority and be allowed through the router first in the order they arrived. Other options include investing in a more powerful router or upgrading your bandwidth privileges.
Dedicate a Portion of Your Bandwidth
Bandwidth is a huge limitation when it comes to sending digital data. You can only send as much as your bandwidth allows. If you are in an office setting where other laptops, tablets, mobile phones are also sharing the bandwidth, you might be lowering the quality of your VoIP performance. As all of these devices compete for a limited stream of bandwidth, the quality of your VoIP calls might deteriorate. According to The Next Scoop, a network monitoring software can help you monitor for network congestion. However, a better solution is to simply dedicate a portion of your bandwidth to your VoIP calls so that your conversations with your customers do not get distorted.
Outsource
There are many reasons why setting up a VoIP system on your own is a bad idea. You won’t have support if something goes wrong, and you can often end up paying more out of pocket for someone to come in to fix the issue. Downtime in your communication is the last thing you want. When it comes to your business reputation, hiring an expert to outsource your VoIP system is a sure-proof way of getting the system you need up and running in no time.
The benefits of a VoIP system cannot be denied. Most importantly, VoIP systems can be customized to your specific business. Whether you need minimal service or top-end quality, there are many options available to enhance your system and improve its performance.
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