If your phone system goes out, your business can grind to a halt. Imagine how many customer calls you could miss if your system were out for even an hour! The importance of phone service, even in the age of mobility, is a reasonable one.
Unfortunately, many businesses have bad information about VoIP reliability and have based their decision not to switch on old data. The truth is that VoIP phone systems and VoIP call quality are now widely regarded as being just as good, if not better, than traditional phone systems.
How Phone Reliability is Measured
Broadly speaking, reliability, as applied to phone systems, can mean two different things:
Can you rely on the phone to connect you to who you want to call?
When you make a call, are you confident that both sides can hear clearly and stay connected?
The reliability of your VoIP system depends on a few different factors, including your organization’s broadband connection, your local network configuration, your VoIP provider, and your hardware. The short answer is that the internet connection in the vast majority of locations is robust enough to make VoIP reliability nearly perfect.
When businesses first began to consider VoIP technology, there were many questions about its reliability; these questions were largely because broadband technology and its reliability were not what they are today. So long as your network is set up correctly, to prioritize your voice traffic, both measures of reliability for VoIP are high.
Hosted vs. On-Premise Reliability
Another factor that impacts the reliability of your VoIP system is whether you choose a hosted or an on-premise system. Hosted phone systems place much of the reliability concern on the VoIP provider. By having a third party host your VoIP software, you are deferring to their expertise in directing and prioritizing voice traffic correctly, as well as providing you with regular upgrades to ensure you are running the best possible version.
On-premise VoIP can certainly be as reliable as hosted VoIP, but your IT team needs to be prepared to support it, even if they are not the ones to set it up.
Mobility & Reliability
Reliability can also be a factor when it comes to your communication recovery plan in case of disaster. A hosted VoIP system adds another level of reliability, because even if your entire network goes down, you can maintain a connection to your customers and partners through smartphones. Without any downtime, customers can reach you via the same numbers, and you will still have access to all the caller information you need.
Ultimately, VoIP is a reliable alternative to traditional phone systems. Not only does VoIP offer clear voice calls and reliable connections, if offers seamless alternatives for backup should anything unexpected happen. There is a reason that one survey shows nearly 80% of businesses use VoIP for at least one location.
Topics: VoIP
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