Back in November on WhaTech we dispelled some of the {cslimited}myths surrounding VoIP{/cslimited} - Voice over Internet Protocol. Now it’s time to look at some of the many advantages of VoIP over traditional telephony technology.
Many of these advantages stem from the fact that voice traffic in a VoIP system is carried as packetised digital data, and to a computer and a communications network there is no distinction between voice data and any other kind of data. This means there are many opportunities for integration of voice and other, data, services.
For example, it’s very easy to implement find me/follow me call routing with VoIP. If someone calls your number and you don’t answer you can have the system try your mobile, your secretary, your home number or any other number you specify before the call goes to voicemail.
And again, because that call is digital, it’s very easy to have the voice message sent as a sound file attached to an email message: so you can read it at your leisure when you are back at your desk.
You can also use this call routing flexibility to redirect all calls to voicemail or alternative numbers if you do not want to be disturbed.
It’s not just the calls themselves that are digitised in a VoIP system: numbers called to and called from, call duration, call volumes are all stored and can be presented in reports in many different formats.
Finally because VoIP traffic is carried over your office computer network you don’t need a separate set of cables for phones. In fact you don’t need cables at all. If you have a WiFi network that is properly configured for coverage and capacity, it can handle voice and data traffic around your office.
One of the biggest advantages of VoIP is that voice traffic can be carried on the public Internet completely eliminating the distance charges associated with normal telephone services.
This means you can have workers at home or in remote offices part of ‘the system’ just as if they were in the office. Workers normally based in the office can log into the VoIP system from home or anywhere where they have Internet access and use the system just as if they were in the office.
It also means that if you move offices you don’t have to worry about getting new numbers, or getting telephone lines connected. One you have a broadband connection you are in business.
Another benefit is that, if for any reason your fixed broadband connection fails you can still operate using a broadband wireless service to connect to the Internet and keep your VoIP service operating.
