Key Benefits Of A VoIP Service

VoIP (Voice Over Internet Protocol) technology converts your voice into digital signals thus allowing you to make a call over a stable Internet connection. Unlike a traditional phone line that requires copper wires and analog technology to make and receive phones calls, a VoIP service allows you to make phone calls from a computer, a special VoIP enabled phone or other data-driven services.

The technology comes with its fair share of advantages and disadvantages. Here are a few to name.         

Advantages of VoIP

• Supports multitasking
  Unlike a traditional phone line, VoIP services support the transmission of other forms of data including images, documents, and video while you have a conversation. Multitasking is one of the biggest advantages of VoIP that allows you to hold integrated meetings and conference calls from any location.
• Enhanced voice quality
  Over a fast and stable Internet connection, VoIP services can provide the best audio call quality. A VoIP service converts the voice into digital signals and transmits the same seamlessly from one corner of the globe to the other with minimum latency issues, lag, and call dropouts. Bandwidth is one of the important factors that determine the quality of the call. Higher the bandwidth your VoIP service provides, better will be your overall communication quality. HD voice calls are among one of the major benefits of VoIP technology.
• Advanced features
  One of the main advantages of VoIP enabled technology is the fact that you can request a number for the local area of another state altogether and continue business operations from where you reside and work. For example, if your business is primarily based out of Michigan but you want to drum up potential customers in North Carolina, a VoIP number can be easily provided for North Carolina. Customers will perceive the number and your business as a local listing. Locals will rely on local services and listings and having a local number will boost your business significantly.
• Better options for scalability
  You start a business with the idea to expand the same and in time when your business operations grow, there will be a need for better tech support. Upgrading traditional technology is both labor-intensive and not cost-effective. However, VoIP technology is easy to install on your existing high-speed Internet connection and the VoIP can be scaled to suit your growing business. VoIP systems are better built to handle the increase in the number of calls and allows you to toggle preferences accordingly. Flexible scalability is one of the major benefits of VoIP.
• Portability
  VoIP numbers are virtual numbers which makes them completely portable. You will never have to change your number in case you decide to move to a new place. You can retain the same VoIP number even if your registered business address changes frequently. It is one of the biggest advantages of VoIP.
• Better accessibility
  VoIP services work on a stable Internet connection. But cloud-based VoIP technology further works on an extended platform that allows you better accessibility over services any day. Remote accessibility also allows you to connect your business to your customers from any part of the globe if the VoIP service has access to a high bandwidth Internet connection. Advanced cloud technology is one of the major benefits of VoIP services.
• Lower costs
  VoIP systems are quite cost-effective and the overall maintenance of the system is also affordable. There is no need for a Physical Branch Exchange to connect landlines, copper wiring charges, calling expenses, and recurring expenses for traditional support systems.

Disadvantages of VoIP

• Reliability of an Internet connection
  VoIP services primarily require a reliable Internet connection. There is no other additional hardware that can substitute this requirement apart from the basic installation. There are some VoIP services that can still be functional on low latency networks with a ping time of less than 70ms. However, big businesses with multiple phone lines and members will require a high bandwidth connection that supports these requirements. You must be prepared to shell out some big bucks to install a reliable Internet setup or decide for upgrading the one you are using.
• Data latency and jitter
  Any information or content being sent over the Internet is broken into small digital packets for transmission purposes. Data latency and jitter are technical problems that happen when there is a delay in the signal relay right from breaking down the information digitally at the source to reassembling the same at the receiving end.
• No location tracking
  VoIP services and numbers are extremely portable which makes them very difficult to track. Traditional phones that have local and fixed numbers are quite easy to track and locate. However, most of the VoIP calls are routed through an IP address with no GPS data or are alternatively routed through a cell tower that has no location to track. No location tracking is one of the major disadvantages of VoIP.
• Security
  Since VoIP exchanges audio and all other forms of content over the Internet, it is necessary for any service provider to install the necessary security applications to secure the connection. Viruses, malware, denial of service attacks, spamming, call tampering, and phishing attacks are major threats that can disrupt a good Internet connection. The cost of additional security is a significant investment making it one of the disadvantages of VoIP.