VoIP is becoming the default communications system of businesses. Four years ago, Harvard Business Review predicted the end of the phone line system as the FCC (Federal Communications Commission) started transitioning from PSTN to VoIP networks.
With 36% of businesses using VoIP today, the prediction is turning into a reality. Others are reducing the use of copper landline services to focus on cloud-based telephony systems like VoIP.
SinceVoIP converts your entire business’s communication system into a cloud-based telephony system, its growth is unquestionable. But each technology always comes with challenges. For example, although social media connects you to people who live far away; at the same time, it negatively affects your productivity levels. Similarly, VoIP keeps you connected to your clients and remote employees for lower costs, but it is also surrounded by security-and-internet-based challenges.
That doesn’t mean you should stay within the comfort zone of copper phone lines. We all know it eats away at a big chunk of your profit and relies on external factors to work perfectly well.
VoIP is not an option anymore; rather, it is a necessity. If you want to compete with your rivals, you have to upgrade your communication technology system, and VoIP is the only way to do so. Regarding the challenges you may face, luckily, there are many ways to enjoy a secure and seamless communication via VoIP.
Today, we will shed light on the dark side of VoIP, and how to overcome common challenges without disturbing your business communications process.
5 Common VoIP Challenges and Effective Ways to Overcome Them
VoIP is no less than a godsend for businesses, but it comes with some bugs and issues which need immediate solutions before they hit your communications system like a hurricane.
Here’s what you must do when common VoIP challenges give you problems:
Challenge #1—Poor AudioQuality: VoIP works via the internet, which means the audio of calls are directly influenced by the internet. If the internet is working at its best, then you won’t face any voice quality problems. But the moment an outage takes place, you will start hearing poor audio quality. This may affect your ongoing conversation with clients and also stop the process of upcoming important calls.
Solution: Businesses think that VoIP is the culprit behind poor audio quality. The truth is it depends on the quality of your internet connection. The better the broadband quality; the clearer audio you will enjoy, and vice-versa.
Challenge #2—Multitasking Issues: We are not talking about multitasking from a single person, but about multitasking from multiple persons on a single connection. Imagine one of your employees is attending a call, while another one is downloading an important big file at the same time. Such multitasking within a common router slows down the internet, which negatively affects your communications system.
Solution: Again, this is not a 100% VoIP issue. Regular routers are made for fast internet, while cloud-based routers prioritize calls through the internet. That means if you install cloud-telephony-based routers, your calls won’t be disturbed due to internet multitasking.
Challenge #3—Security Issues: This is the most common issue with VoIP. Businesses fear various security issues, such as eavesdropping, password leaks, data leaks, cyber threats, and more. Therefore, they prefer to remain within the limits of the traditional phone systems, and their business growth limits itself because of the lack of the latest technology.
Solution: Security measures are necessary when you are switching from traditional systems to VoIP. The same way you install antivirus on your computer to keep it safe from unwanted malware; you have to integrate firewalls specifically designed for cloud-based telephony systems. These firewalls are provided by the telecommunications company that is offering the VoIP services. So before jumping to VoIP, make sure your VoIP service provider offers strong security against all cyber threats.
Challenge #4—Power Issues: Routers run on electricity. Any interruption in electricity leads to a loss of internet connection, resulting in a loss of calls.
Solution: These days, VoIP service providers offer call forwarding facilities, allowing you to forward calls on cellular networks when your internet connection gets dropped.
Challenge #5—Unavailability of Emergency Calls: Due to its all-internet facility, VoIP has become a barrier between the internet and traditional phone connections. How can someone make an emergency call using a traditional phone line to an internet-based telephony? After all, not all your clients and employees have access to the internet. Many of them rely on traditional systems to make calls.
Solution: SIP trunking integrated with VoIP allows you to make or receive calls from any network, from any place, and at any time. SIP stands for Session Initiation Protocol. It enables your business to send or receive calls via all networks including the internet and traditional phone as well.
In Conclusion
Now, if you are planning to switch to VoIP from a traditional phone system, but you are afraid of challenges, you can rest assured that each problem has a solution. We are living in a high-tech world where there are hundreds of solutions to a single problem. Put your worries to rest and give your business communications a breath of fresh, updated, technology via VoIP.
