While the majority of folks we speak to love the high quality, low cost and technological benefits of VOIP phone service, we do run across folks that have some issues with the voice quality of it (although admittedly it happens rarely).
For those very few folks, here are some tips on how to address those issues:
- Call your VOIP Service provider
In our experience less than 5% of sound quality issues we have seen with VOIP phone service are due to issues with the VOIP carrier itself, and we have found these carriers often have excellent tools to help you figure out where to look for the cause or causes of your sound quality issues; - Try increasing your internet speed
Because there are cases when either the listed internet speed in practice is not what you are getting or because you are using more bandwidth than you realize, trying 1 month at a higher internet speed might turn out to be a quick and easy fix. - Make sure your office is set up to give internet priority to your VOIP
The technical term for this is QOS. It simply means that any incoming or outgoing VOIP signals are given top priority over all other types of emails, video etc. you might be sharing with your VOIP signal. Start by checking with your Internet Service Provider to see if they can help you with this; - Check your IP phones and computers cables
If the building you are in is 5 or more years old, the cables may simply not be able to handle the higher amounts of traffic going over them (this is something JHB can help with); - Have your Internet Service Provider replace your modem
Older modems or ones with minor technical flaws in them can cause real problems with VOIP phone service. In most cases the carrier will swap out your modem at no charge; - Consider switching internet carriers
Now and again for some reason a given internet service provider in spite of their best efforts simply can’t get the job done right at a specific location. Don’t fight it. Make the change and move on;
- Involve an IT Professional
They can make sure all of the VOIP signals coming to and from the carrier are flowing as cleanly as possible. They can also give you good advice as to when its time to “give up the ghost” and switch internet service providers.
Finally VOIP technology is arguably the best thing to happen to business phone service since the advent of the multi-line business phone back in the 1930’s and 40’s.
Give it a clean and effective internet platform to work from and it will serve you well now, and for many years to come.