Is VoIP reliable? VoIP reliability and other VoIP myths debunked.
VoIP is a very reliable form of communication and an alternative to traditional phone lines. With a stable internet connection, you can rely on VoIP to provide high-quality phone calls, whilst benefitting from the additional features made possible by using the internet instead of old copper cables. It is a myth that VoIP is unreliable, which in the following blog post we’ll aim to debunk, alongside some other misconceptions that may be stopping your business from benefitting from VoIP technology.
How reliable is VoIP?
VoIP is a reliable technology, with its reliability determined by a business’ internet connection. Most businesses will have a stable internet connection such as a leased line, which means that any VoIP system shouldn’t be marred by reliability issues. Whilst some might have concerns about their internet connection, it is this reliance on the internet that gives VoIP its intrinsic reliability.
By utilising the internet, VoIP providers, IT support companies, and managed service providers can accurately calculate the bandwidth required to provide a reliable VoIP service, that provides a business with clear, high-quality phone calls. Should a business have an unstable internet connection, an alternative connection such as a leased line can be installed, providing the foundations for new technologies such as VoIP.
That being said, with many businesses already highly reliant upon a stable internet connection, it is likely that most companies will be in a position to move to VoIP system, without the need for any change, meaning they can reap the other benefits, such as cheaper calls, whilst being sure that their VoIP system is reliable and won’t result in a poor experience for employees or customers alike.
What makes VoIP reliable? Where did this myth of unreliability come from?
VoIP hasn’t always been a reliable form of communication and some of the concerns of the past still linger today. As alluded to already though, the reliability of a VoIP system is directly linked to the reliability of the internet connection on which it uses to operate.
Internet connections are not only a lot quicker than they used to be, but they are also much more robust, especially in the commercial world. 95% of UK premises have access to a superfast broadband connection, whilst many businesses opt for a leased line internet connection, which provides faster speeds and more reliable measures than superfast broadband. We’ve detailed many of the differences between broadband and leased lines in this blog post, should you like to understand more: The Difference Between Broadband and Leased Line Internet Connectivity.
In short, very few calls fail due to the improved reliability of current-day internet connections. If your internet connection is reliable, your VoIP telephony system will be reliable too. With that being said, issues can and do happen, but this is where VoIP can prove itself to be more reliable than a traditional alternative.
Let’s say for example that your phone line fails. Unfortunately, there is very little you can do in this situation other than wait for the provider of the line to fix the issue. Depending on any contingency plans you have in place, you may not be able to put a message on the phone system alerting anyone trying to call your company. Conversely, with a VoIP system, you’re a little more protected. Firstly a failover internet connection is often much more practical and financially viable than a failover telephone line or remote call centre, but also being internet-reliant offers you more flexibility to prepare for such eventualities. For example, you can host your VoIP system in the cloud, somewhere such as Plymouth Science Park Data Centre, in which in addition to the protective measures afforded by the likes of leased lines, is a purpose-built environment for such technologies, increasing the reliability of your VoIP system even further.
Four further misconceptions about VoIP.
As well as concerns about whether VoIP is reliable, there are several other misconceptions about the technology which we have summarised below.
It’s software like Teams, Zoom or Skype.
Whilst VoIP systems don’t require a handset and can use ‘soft phones’ which is essentially software, businesses that have moved to VoIP can still use a traditional telephone handset and many do out of preference. It is just that the underlying technology relies on an internet connection and not a landline. You don’t have to log in to software or use a computer if you don’t want to. VoIP handsets can look like traditional telephones, and they use standard telephone numbers too. Similarly, another common misconception is that you can only call other VoIP systems. However, this is simply untrue.
The quality is poor.
As VoIP relies on the internet, some people believe that the quality of calls is poor. As mentioned when discussing the reliability of VoIP, in the early days of the internet, this was certainly the case. However, with the development and improvement of broadband, superfast broadband, and leased lines, this is no longer an issue. VoIP offers crisp, clear sound without any time delay. Again, this is a lot like using a traditional phone. In fact, many people wouldn’t be able to tell the difference in call quality or sound between the two!
VoIP isn’t very different from a traditional alternative.
Whilst you can use VoIP telephony in exactly the same way as a traditional phone system, by moving to VoIP you open your business up to a wide range of features not accessible with a landline. By utilising the internet, you can integrate your phone system with other applications to improve the efficiency of your business. In addition to this, VoIP phones also have a number of additional features such as voicemail to email, call screening, hold music, conference calling, and find me/follow me functionality that allows your mobile phone to start ringing, should your office phone ring a certain number of times without answer. It’s worth exploring the additional features of VoIP that you wouldn’t get with a normal phone system because that is where the true value can lie in this new technology.
VoIP can be costly and is expensive.
People worry that because VoIP is a relatively new technology and it uses the internet that costs are going to be high. In reality though, businesses that move to VoIP find that it is actually a lot cheaper than a traditional landline. That’s right, in addition to the reliability of VoIP and the additional features and enhanced usability, it is actually cheaper than remaining with old technology.
For example, with a landline, you have to pay a line rental charge and then the additional cost of each call. In contrast to this with VoIP, such as the VoIP services provided by Acronyms, you only pay for a line in which minutes are bundled into, a lot like your mobile phone contract. Similar to a mobile phone, you’ll often find your bundle includes additional perks such as international calls and comes in at a lesser per minute rate than a traditional phone deal would.
What’s more, if your business is cost-sensitive, you don’t need to purchase handsets, which are one of the big hidden costs of any phone system. Instead, your business could operate how Acronyms do – entirely handset-free. Simply plug in a headset to your computer or download an app to your smartphone and you’re ready to make and receive calls.
