VoIP

To get the most out of your VoIP phone system, you need the right VoIP equipment to support your business communication needs.

While most newcomers consider VoIP to be expensive and complicated, the truth is that the technology is fairly simple and inexpensive. There is not a lot of hardware or expensive technology required.

In fact, with VoIP, you can convert existing technology into business powerhouses. How?

Let’s have a look at the equipment needed for VoIP.

Must-Have VoIP Equipment in 2024

What equipment is needed for your VoIP system needs depends on the type of VoIP user you are—residential user or business user.

A residential user will need only a PC / laptop, softphone, and a headset. A small business, on the other hand, might need more. Business users will need a web phone or softphone, a computer, a headset, high-speed internet or data, and a business VoIP subscription.

Without the right VoIP equipment, you will struggle with poor VoIP call quality, leading to frustration and miscommunication. To combat this proactively, make sure you get the right equipment and VoIP setup.

Here is a checklist of equipment needed for VoIP to use your service successfully:

1. VoIP Phones: Hard Phones or Softphones

The main VoIP equipment you need is a phone to make and receive calls. Many VoIP and virtual phone service providers offer global call forwarding to route calls internationally to specific locations and numbers. This way, you can divert calls to your VoIP phones or locations as needed.

A VoIP phone uses IP technology (the internet) to transmit calls between two or more parties. There are two types of VoIP phones:

• • Hard phones — are like traditional phones but come with specialized digital hardware.
  • Softphones — are web-based applications or software that can be downloaded on different devices.

You can even use a combination of both types of VoIP phones to support in-office and remote users. Since softphones can be used from any location and device, you can

2. Headsets

Next, you will need VoIP headsets for your users. VoIP hard phones come with a microphone and receivers. However, if your users use a softphone, then they will need a headset with a microphone. While the tendency is to purchase inexpensive VoIP headsets, these headsets can lead to VoIP issues such as latency and network jitter.

Take time to find good quality headsets that are hands-free, remain connected, have noise-canceling technology, and, overall, improve call quality.

3. Computers or Laptops

Next, you will need personal computers to complement your service. You can use computers and laptops to not only get work done but also make and receive your VoIP calls through a softphone. This way, users can manage calls and update their CRM or task managers as they work without interruption. And, users working remotely can also use their laptops to connect through cloud-based and virtual software and continue working.

4. High-Speed and Reliable Data

Next, if you’re using VoIP for business, then you need a robust internet setup. This includes a reliable and stable internet connection with a modem and router. VoIP does not demand much but needs enough bandwidth to handle your call volume.

While setting up your internet, work with your internet service provider and IT team to set up VoIP QoS for your VoIP service. VoIP Quality of Service (QoS) can help troubleshoot voice over IP issues. When QoS is set up, you can prioritize network traffic to make business calls a high priority. This way, even with everyone using the internet for multiple reasons, the quality of your business calls remains untouched.

5. VoIP Phone Service

Finally, you will need a VoIP phone service, and you can get this from any virtual phone service provider. However, you want a provider who offers quality service for a reasonable price and has easy-to-access, responsive customer service. When settling on a VoIP provider, ask about the installation and set-up processes and the different features that come included with the service. Look for customer reviews and case studies to get an idea of how the product works in action. Then, choose a provider that meets your needs and budget.

Get Your VoIP Phone Service with United World Telecom

Now that you know what equipment is needed for VoIP, you can set up VoIP phone service for your business. United World Telecom can get you set up with high-quality VoIP phone service for your business. We have been offering cloud communication solutions to businesses around the world for the past 28 years. Learn more about our VoIP service by speaking with our experts. Call us today at 1 (877) 898 8646 or chat with us online!

Are you noticing more dropped calls or jumbled audio during your business VoIP calls? While cloud phone services can be much superior to traditional phone services, they cannot guarantee high-quality phone service at all times. This is because many factors influence the quality of a VoIP call. Here we discuss the importance of VoIP QoS and how to set it up.

VoIP QoS: Definition, How it Works, Best Practices

VoIP Quality of Service (QoS) is the process of addressing and fixing voice quality issues so your employees can effectively communicate with business contacts. This process is crucial to understanding how your business phone system works and what you need to do to improve it. QoS is one such way to maintain good call quality.

What is VoIP Quality of Service (QoS)?

VoIP QoS prioritizes network traffic passing through a router to provide acceptable-to-good service to users. Quality of service, therefore, helps address voice quality issues within a virtual phone system.

In a VoIP phone system, voice protocols are converted into data packets and transferred between two or more users. However, in order to obtain high call quality, these data packets need to arrive at the destination together and in the right order. And that’s where VoIP QoS comes into play as it sorts out traffic by dedicating resources where needed.

Is QoS needed for VoIP?

VoIP calls can be prone to jitter, latency, and packet loss issues which lead to bad audio quality, network congestion, missed or jumbled audio, dropped calls, etc. And for any business, this is a major issue because it interferes with your teams’ ability to offer uninterrupted service. Important business communications revolve around:

• Sales calls and demos
• Client and lead generation
• Customer success and customer support
• Technical and IT support
• Remote team management
• Internal business meetings
• Meetings with clients and business contacts
• Employee interviews

Network congestion can easily affect the quality of these calls, which in turn, leads to misunderstandings, frustration, low brand trust, low productivity, and more. Without QoS, VoIP calls are not functioning optimally. And that must be addressed.

Troubleshooting VoIP Call Quality with QoS

So, what does QoS do for VoIP phone systems? Routers generally handle data packets via a ‘first in, first out’ order. And all traffic is given the same level of priority. This means that all traffic from every device (phones, computers, mobile phones, etc) on a network get the same level of priority.

When bandwidth usage is high — too many people using the internet — these data packets can end up in long queues. Call quality competes with other applications running on the network. This is true for employees working within an office or remotely.

So, naturally, this affects voice call quality and successful VoIP deployment.

VoIP Quality of Service helps balance out how much bandwidth is needed for a certain type of traffic or certain devices. In other words, it spreads out the available bandwidth across devices and applications to ensure the right traffic gets through hassle-free.

VoIP QoS Settings & Requirements

So, what does your business need to do to ensure high call quality? Here, we will go through QoS settings and requirements to be aware of and best practices your business can implement.

VoIP Standards for High Call Quality: QoS Requirement

In order to improve VoIP call quality, you will need to set up QoS accurately. For good VoIP call quality, Cisco suggests these VoIP standards:

Understanding QoS Settings

Your business needs to troubleshoot VoIP issues to ensure optimal service. Let’s take a closer look at what these recommendations and settings mean.

DSCP EF
DSCP is short for Differentiated Services Code Point and EF is short for Expedited Forwarding. This model is designed to provide resources to reduce latency (delay) in traffic. In other words, this value sorts through traffic to prioritize VoIP traffic, leading to better, less interrupted call quality.

Packet Loss
Packet loss is the number of packets that get lost during transmission. More than 3% packet loss means low audio quality. Faulty routers, loose cables, and wires, low bandwidth, or poor WiFi signals can lead to packet loss.

Latency
Latency is the delay between the time the speaker speaks and the receiver hears them. Fix latency to avoid users speaking over each other or missing important pieces of audio.

Jitter
Jitter refers to a data packet arriving after the rest of the packet. Data packets may take different paths to reach the destination. This way one or two packets may reach later than the others and this can cause missed calls or jumbled audio. Fix jitter to ensure all packets arrive accurately and voice quality is maintained.

Bandwidth
Bandwidth for VoIP refers to the rate at which data is transmitted or transferred through an internet connection. Lower bandwidth leads to slow speed and low VoIP call quality.

How to Set Up QoS for VoIP?

The first step to setting up VoIP QoS for your business phone system is to reach out to your internet provider and VoIP service provider. These sources can provide exact guides on how to prioritize voice traffic.

Next, implement those suggestions and other call quality best practices. Work with your IT team to make sure everything is set in place for optimal call quality. You may even educate your employees on using other services (streaming services) while working.

VoIP Call Quality Best Practices

Here are the top VoIP call quality best practices to ensure your phone system works efficiently and calls are not interrupted:

1. Check and upgrade your internet speed: Make sure your network has enough bandwidth to handle call traffic. Regularly test your internet speed.

2. Upgrade cable connections: Use wired Ethernet connections such as a Category 6 certified cable. These cables can offer low latency and can support high levels of phone communication and data transfer.

3. Check network and equipment configuration: Network and equipment that are not appropriately configured can lead to disruptions and low call quality.

4. Test network connections regularly: Check ping, jitter, latency, and bandwidth regularly for network congestion.

5. Upgrade your VoIP provider: If your service is still affected despite troubleshooting, then it may be time to find a new phone service provider. Research providers to understand what services they offer and how they can help with VoIP call quality issues.

Get VoIP for Business With United World Telecom

United World Telecom offers VoIP phone numbers and services to businesses around the world. Whether you are a small business looking to expand or are a remote company, we can help you create a robust phone system with high voice quality and reliability. Call us today to learn more about our solutions!

One of the top benefits of using VoIP for business communication is that these systems are reliable. With proper redundancy, you can ensure that if your phone system incurs an issue in one location, calls can be routed to another location or line. This way, you can ensure business continuity and minimize VoIP system downtime.

Here we will look at the different ways you can minimize phone system downtime to ensure your business continues operating even during an internet outage or disaster.

How to Minimize VoIP Downtime During an Internet Outage?

VoIP phone systems have consistently proven to be more reliable than POTS lines. However, since VoIP systems work over the internet, they still run the risk of downtime if somehow your system loses connection to the internet.

Keeping Your VoIP Phone System Running Efficiently

With VoIP systems, you can set up backups so your business communication does not suffer during an outage. Service outages do not have to disrupt your business phone calls. You can either wait it out and hope it restores on its own, or you can prepare in advance to minimize downtime. Here are some ways to minimize and prevent phone system downtime:

How to Prevent and Minimize Phone System Downtime

So, what can you do to minimize VoIP system downtime and keep your VoIP phone system running during an outage or disaster?

1. Choose the Right VoIP Provider

It is crucial that you choose a VoIP phone provider that meets your needs but also promises reliability. Research a provider’s record for reliability and the options they offer in case of an outage. Ask your provider what steps they have in place to prevent and minimize phone system downtime, especially during an outage or disaster. Ask about their security policies. You also want to check where your provider hosts your VoIP systems in safe locations.

2. Set Up Automatic Call Forwarding and Failover Routing

A popular way to minimize VoIP system downtime is to forward incoming calls to different locations or devices when your main VoIP phone system is unavailable. This way, during an outage or disaster, incoming calls automatically route to offices and employees in other locations or mobile devices.

With United World Telecom’s VoIP service, you can set up call forwarding with various failover rules for each number or line you have.

3. Invest in VoIP Monitoring Services

It is also a good idea to use a third-party VoIP monitoring service. This service keeps tabs on the status of your VoIP phone system. It will look for and identify potential network problems that may cause disruption. By monitoring your system and alerting users of issues, you can quickly troubleshoot any issues and get back to work.

4. Route Incoming Calls to Other Locations

When you use simultaneous ringing or sequential call forwarding features, you can forward calls to different locations when needed. With simultaneous ringing, you can ring multiple phones with one number. And with sequential forwarding, you can ring calls down a predetermined list of numbers — when the first line is busy, the call automatically moves to the next person in line. This way, when your main office or service center is not available, calls are routed and rung on other lines in different locations. This is another good technique to reduce VoIP system downtime.

5. Have a Backup ISP

To protect from internet outages, it is also recommended to have a backup WAN provider. Since VoIP services only need a low-latency connection, any broadband connection should work. You can find a high-speed wireless provider as a backup, or use 4G LTE technology from a cellular provider.

How to Minimize VoIP System Downtime After an Outage

While there are ways to prepare for an outage, and even prevent one, certain situations may be out of your control. So, what can you do to recover from an outage and get your communications up and running?

6. Check and Confirm the Power Outage

First, check to make sure you have a power or internet outage in all rooms and among all devices. Check the electric service panel, if you have a circuit trip, flip the circuit breaker to ON and everything should be working again. You may even check what the electric and internet situation is with neighbors and look for updates on local outages.

7. Connect to a Backup Battery Power Supply

Connecting to a backup battery source is a temporary solution but gives you enough time to identify the issue and resolve it. You can use an uninterruptible power supply (USP) and connect your WiFi system and phone system to it to restore connectivity and power. Note that this solution only works if your ISP is not affected by the power outage.

8. Divert Calls to Voicemail or Other Locations

Using your smartphone, access your VoIP provider’s control panel, and adjust call forwarding settings. You might choose to route calls to your voicemail box or to employees in other locations. You can add in multiple numbers and SIP devices that these calls will forward to. This way, callers trying to reach your business can still get the assistance they need. You may even choose to add a new greeting or pre-recorded message letting customers know that your phone system is down but they can leave a voicemail message, and your reps will get in touch with them as soon as possible.

9. Use VoIP on Your Smartphone

Lastly, if your power or internet outage does not affect the use of your smartphone, you can use your VoIP phone service through the smartphone as a temporary solution. For example, you can download our softphone app on your smartphone and make and receive business calls with your business phone number(s). With our softphone, you can:

• Update customer and contact information
• Transfer calls to other users
• Make outbound calls with dynamic caller IDs
• Access voicemails, and more

Do You Have a Backup Plan in Place?

The best way to minimize VoIP system downtime is to prepare for it. The above are some ways you prevent loss of data and usage by setting up backups in place. Want to learn more about how our VoIP phone service has 99.999% uptime? Call us today and chat with our representatives!

Technology continues to advance over time with new and improved options available to users of all kinds. And for businesses, this is always exciting because there are new ways to improve customer experience (CX) and scale vertically. One of these technologies that impact businesses the most is business VoIP.

Future of Cloud Communications: 2024 VoIP Trends

VoIP, a type of cloud communications, makes it easy for users to communicate through the internet securely and reliably. And VoIP providers are developing new ways to increase their offerings and provide businesses with a well-rounded phone system.

So, what’s new in VoIP? Quite a lot: from leveraging AI to UCaaS and CCaaS to 5G networks. If your business is trying to catch up, you may want to consider an upgrade to your phone system to help improve CX and customer satisfaction.

Here are the top 9 business VoIP trends in 2024.

1. Unified Communications as a Service

One of the top business VoIP trends in 2024 includes bringing all communication and collaboration needs into one platform. This becomes crucial for businesses with multiple offices and locations around the world and for those with remote workers. Unified communications (UC) and cloud communication tools improve a business’ ability to be flexible and mobile and scale as needed. With collaborative features and real-time updates, your teams can stay organized and productive, no matter the location.

2. Mobile Unified Communications

Besides working within your business phone system, UC services are also being extended to mobile. The rise of mobile UC means you can transform your mobile or smartphone into a business powerhouse. You can use this device then to conduct both personal and business interactions and give your business more mobility. Mobile VoIP systems give you access to smartphone and PC apps, which increase productivity on the go.

Related: UC Trends You Need to Know in 2024

3. Advanced Video Conferencing Services

Since the COVID-19 pandemic led to many businesses switching to work-from-home or remote work capabilities, video conferencing became crucial for the proper functioning of many businesses. Video conferencing tools were in high demand and that competition was troublesome for VoIP service providers. This led to one of the newest VoIP trends: video conferencing. VoIP providers are upping their game and now offering multi-channel communication services, including video conferencing. They do this through integrations and partnerships with video conferencing services. And while this is the current solution, evolving technology will open doors for advanced VoIP software with more conferencing and collaborative capabilities to make doing business over the cloud easier and more user-friendly.

4. Customizable Features

Each business is unique and follows specific processes and guidelines that work best for the business and its employees. The same goes for your business phone system. Cloud communication is known greatly for its customization capabilities. Need to upgrade your system, add new lines without interrupting service, or integrate with other services? Cloud communications and VoIP systems can help you create a business phone system that works best for your business needs. Customize your system for the number and type of users you have, where they are located, different departments, and so on.

5. Seamless Integrations

VoIP integrations can help you expand your VoIP phone system’s capabilities. You can connect your office calendar, CRM, content management systems, lead generation platforms, video conferencing services, chatbot automation, and more. Most popular integrations that work well with cloud communication platforms include:

• Salesforce
• HubSpot
• Azure
• OneLogin
• Zapier
• Clio

6. Leveraging AI

As seen in recent years, the use of AI within business has increased. This goes for the business VoIP world too. From handling customers to automating responses and ticketing systems, AI has been used to improve customer experience and satisfaction. Most companies are using AI to automate their websites and communication platforms to streamline services and improve engagement. This VoIP trend will continue in the coming years as AI has exceptional potential. Common uses of AI for VoIP include:

• Smart call routing
• Voice transcription
• Interactive voice response
• Self-support options
• Chatbots

7. Security Issues

For the longest time, users considering VoIP were concerned about internet security and cyberattacks. But VoIP and internet services have come a long way and can provide secure avenues for their services. Business communication involves customer and company data and privacy which needs to be kept safe from intruders and hackers. VoIP security ensures that your business can communicate safely with its customers and employees. Learn more about how VoIP tackles security concerns in our guide to VoIP security.

8. 5G

In our fast-paced world, we expect quick response times and processes. And businesses need to meet these expectations when dealing with customers. 5G networks — one of the most anticipated VoIP trends — are here to solve this very issue and to improve VoIP call quality. With 5G, your business can:

• Increase communication speeds and response rates.
• Reduce or eliminate VoIP jitter, latency, and packet loss.
• Allows for a better mobile broadband connection for internet users.

5G networks are built to improve customer satisfaction and CX by making your business more available and responsive.

9. VoIP in More Places

More and more businesses are switching to VoIP to improve their communication and customer outreach. From schools to small businesses to large enterprises, every type of business can benefit from VoIP services. This makes business VoIP more present in more places around the world.

Need a VoIP Upgrade?

Want to learn about United World Telecom’s VoIP number solutions and how we can help your business improve internal and external communication? Call us at 1 (877) 898 8646 or chat with our experts today!