VoIP or Voice over Internet Protocol is a new topic in the business communication domain. Whether it can reduce operational cost & burden or its viability in rendering unified communication without any hassles, the VoIP system has always made into headlines. Despite much of the discussion and limelight, people are unaware of one fact, i.e., you are going to reap all these benefits only if the installation is as per your requirements and necessities.
Here, we have come up with a step-by-step VoIP office phone system installation guide crisply and concisely.
Understanding the key requisites of VoIP
- A robust internet connection
Cloud telephony uses internet connectivity to transmit voice data from one end to another. The more robust and resilient would be your internet connectivity, the better and quicker would be the VoIP service. So, once you are planning to deploy VoIP office phone system, make sure you have the right bandwidth and speed. The minimum internet speed should be 100 kbit per s per voice channel if you want to have a crystal clear communication.
- Wired Ethernet router
Wired Ethernet router is the second most essential requirement that needs your attention. If you want that you receive calls without any latency and jitter issues on your remote location phone system, then having a VPN (Virtual Private Network) router is more than imperative.
- PBX (Private Branch Exchange) server
A PBX is what will divert the incoming calls to other lines or dummy phone numbers. It is required in such a business ecosystem where call traffic is high.
- IP Phones
To answer the calls, you need to own an IP phone. The biggest advantage of using a VoIP-based business phone system is that you are allowed to use any of the data-driven devices for this function. You can answer calls on any of your PC, laptop, tablet, and mobile phone.
- A VoIP plan
You need to find out the reliable VoIP service provider and a suitable VoIP plan to start relishing over the VoIP benefits. Microsoft Phone system is one of the example of cloud based PBX system which can be hosted on Azure virtual desktop for high performance voice calling over the internet without any noise distractions.
- The upright hardware & software installation
If you want to use VoIP without any interruptions, then it is very important that you need to do upright hardware & software installation. For hardware, your PBX must be connected to your internet connection through a standard NIC (Network Interface Card).
Alongside this, you should be assigned a static IP address. With this, your PBX will be easily accessible for your VoIP-based business phone system. As far as software installation is concerned, you need to log in to the PBX server by using the IP address provided into your server’s domain and set-up your VoIP account. After that, you need to set-up the TRUNK on your PBX server for continual VoIP service.
Know your exact requirements and spending capacity
There is no doubt that the VoIP system reduces operational costs by 50-70%. But still, it requires little investment. So, you need to figure out what exactly is your business requirement and how much you can spend.
If you already have a dedicated IT maintenance team, then getting an on-premise business phone system is an intelligent move. But, it demands a high upfront investment. So, if you have already cemented your feet in the business world, then it’s a great option for you.
However, in the case of a start-up, deciding upon the hosted office phone system is a good option. In the case of a hosted phone system, all the hardware and software prerequisites related to VoIP will be taken care of by the VoIP service provider. As a user, you only need to pay a monthly subscription fee.
Decide upon the features that matter to you the most
The VoIP system comes with a whole set of business features. Features like a unique phone number for every employee, auto-call router, call barging, mobile accessibility, and many more. All of these may not be good or useful for you. So, there is no point in paying for those. That is why understanding the need of features is more than important if you want to crack a good deal on VoIP.
Write down your basic requirements and then categorize them as primary and secondary. Now, make sure that your VoIP service provider is offering a great deal on primary features. The best way is to choose the one which offers great and no-cost customization.
Don’t go for final deployment before the testing
No matter how big and shiny the claims of VoIP service provider about great usability and accessibility seems from the surface, you shouldn’t get into the final office phone system deployment before the network testing.
Conclusion
If the due attention was paid to all these factors, then we are sure that your VoIP deployment will be successful and beneficial. So, pay attention to all these factors and get a hold on a reliable and resilient business communication ecosystem for your exponential growth.