<\/p>\n
Ageing landlines and multiple tools can hinder your business progress and workflow. With the increased prominence of the internet, VoIP solutions are fast becoming the future of business communications with voice, video and messaging functionality, enabling <\/span>greater collaboration<\/a>.<\/strong><\/p>\n <\/p>\n Read on as we look at what VoIP is, who uses it and the top apps available for your needs.<\/span><\/p>\n ____________<\/span><\/p>\n <\/p>\n Voice over Internet Protocol (VoIP) uses the internet to make voice calls instead of using traditional phone lines.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n It refers to a group of methodologies and technologies that use <\/span>IP networks<\/a><\/strong> t<\/strong>o deliver voice signals and multimedia sessions. It\u2019s also known as IP telephony, Voice over IP or internet telephony and makes communication more accessible via apps.<\/span><\/p>\n Before the internet, telephony used a Public Switched Telephone Network (PSTN), which dedicated lines for telephone calls. Telephony service providers allocated one line per call, making it expensive and limited in its capability.<\/span><\/p>\n VoIP calls don\u2019t travel over the PSTN. Your voice (analogue signal) is converted using codecs into digital data packets and sent along the internet highway. Once they arrive at their destination, they\u2019re converted back into voice (analogue), allowing communication to happen.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n Typically, VoIP uses Session Initiation Protocol (SIP) and Real-time Transport Protocol (RTP). They’re industry-standard signalling protocols used to initiate, maintain, and terminate real-time communications. It includes voice calls, video calls and <\/span>instant messaging<\/a>.<\/strong><\/p>\n Yes, VoIP offers more than just an internet phone service. Solutions, such as those from RingCentral, provide a range of features like call forwarding, caller ID, voicemail, video calls and SMS functionality.<\/span><\/p>\n <\/p>\n <\/p>\n These capabilities are constantly evolving as the internet grows to adopt new technologies. It\u2019s one of the appeals of VoIP for businesses, as they can invest in a telecommunications system that will grow and scale with them.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n VoIP applications integrate into a business workflow, boosting employee productivity and collaboration and improving customer experiences. A business only requires a VoIP service provider and an internet connection to start making calls.<\/span><\/p>\n ____________<\/span><\/p>\n <\/p>\n VoIP can replace your ageing landlines and traditional phone systems. But you must pick the right type of VoIP system for you.<\/span><\/p>\n <\/p>\n Also known as <\/span>in-house VoIP<\/a><\/strong>,<\/strong> you’ll need to manage the installation and call delivery yourself through an onsite or offsite server and a VoIP Private Branch Exchange (PBX).\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n A traditional telephone system used a PBX to connect landlines to the PSTN. A VoIP PBX connects your communication system to the internet and allows you to direct calls to your business handsets. It requires specialised domain expertise, regular maintenance of hardware, in-house support teams and management of your business phone numbers.<\/span><\/p>\n Additionally, you\u2019ll need to upgrade your traditional landline phones to VoIP handsets to improve sound quality and compatibility.<\/span><\/p>\n Whilst it gives you control over your VoIP implementation and lets you tailor your solution to your needs, it can be costly.\u00a0\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n So, self-hosted VoIP is best for large businesses that have the resources to employ personnel and build an in-house solution. Although there are options for smaller businesses, the resources required to run hosted VoIP can be impractical for their needs.<\/span><\/p>\n <\/p>\n A hosted VoIP outsources the equipment and infrastructure costs to a third-party provider. They manage all aspects of the installation and call delivery for you.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n It\u2019s often through a cloud-based PBX or telephone service and can reduce your costs, making it great for smaller businesses.<\/span><\/p>\n <\/p>\n You don\u2019t need specialised expertise, maintenance or in-house support, allowing you to focus on running your business.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n Like a self-hosted solution, you’ll need to replace your regular phones with VoIP equivalents. But you\u2019ll have access to reliable VoIP applications for desktops and smartphones, allowing you to turn any device into a phone extension.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n Flexible working employees can download a softphone VoIP app to their current devices and use them to communicate with customers and co-workers while working from anywhere.<\/span><\/p>\n One vital requirement of hosted VoIP is bandwidth. As the service is managed solely through your internet connection, you need plenty of bandwidth and reliable broadband service to ensure call quality and performance.<\/span><\/p>\n Businesses adopt hybrid VoIP solutions when they’re happy with their current non-internet communications but want to take advantage of VoIP features, like low-cost long-distance or international phone calls.<\/span><\/p>\n Whilst a company can use both a traditional and VoIP telephone system, they can streamline their workflow and further reduce costs by switching over to a complete VoIP system.<\/span><\/p>\n ____________<\/span><\/p>\n <\/p>\n While small businesses look to VoIP for cost savings, large organisations approach it with scalability. VoIP technology is used widely by anyone wanting to communicate easily and cheaply over the internet.<\/span><\/p>\n Popular communication apps, like Skype, FaceTime and WhatsApp, use VoIP for local and international telephone calls. With around <\/span>four billion<\/a><\/strong> mobile internet users worldwide, it\u2019s easier for individuals to download and use free VoIP communication apps to cut down phone bills.<\/span><\/p>\n Most free VoIP services work well for consumers, but entrepreneurs and freelancers need more features for their increased workflow. Business-oriented VoIP solutions bring better video conferencing, IVR and voicemail options to create a cost-effective and professional phone system for entrepreneurial operations.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n <\/p>\n Startups and small businesses lack the financial resources to pay for expensive business phone systems. But to reach a global audience, grow their business, and increase their profits, they need enterprise-grade communications.<\/span><\/p>\n Hosted VoIP services provide the tools and business functionality to scale up. Some providers have specific plans for small businesses and offer dedicated support to get them going. It includes easy upgrades and management of phone numbers, users, and features.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n Importantly, VoIP provides a cost-effective and scalable solution for <\/span>SMBs<\/a><\/strong>,<\/strong> making the most of limited resources.<\/span><\/p>\n Voice over IP is ideal for individuals and businesses that lack the financial resources to host or pay for traditional phone systems. However, it can overhaul the communication workflow of large companies for the better.<\/span><\/p>\n Instead of using several tools and vendors, large businesses can make, receive and manage calls internally and externally at a fraction of the cost. Additionally, integration with CRMs, calendars and business tools allows employees to increase collaboration, improving productivity.<\/span><\/p>\n VoIP makes international calls, remote office collaboration and conferencing meetings easier and cheaper. With self-hosted and hybrid options, businesses have the resources to tailor solutions to fit their specific needs, leading to cost savings and improved scalability and workflows.<\/span><\/p>\n ____________<\/span><\/p>\n <\/p>\n VoIP can help centralise business communication between multiple offices, simplify onboarding and improve remote working processes. It provides crucial business features, such as instant messaging, third-party integrations, video conferencing, screen sharing, call routing and voicemails.<\/span><\/p>\n It creates a unified communications platform, giving employees a convenient, consistent and streamlined workflow, increasing productivity, collaboration and better customer experiences.<\/span><\/p>\n IP phones look like traditional landlines or business office phones but use Voice over IP to make calls. They have IP addresses and provide a happy medium for businesses that want to keep regular phones but have access to VoIP functionality, such as free long distance calls.<\/span><\/p>\n <\/p>\n <\/p>\n IP phones have several options to fit business requirements, including cordless or wired varieties. They even run on modern smartphone OS, such as Android. It gives them advanced features, like video conferencing, call recording and graphical displays.<\/span><\/p>\n Whilst they\u2019re used interchangeably, <\/span>VoIP phones<\/strong><\/span><\/a> use the public internet for calls, whereas IP phones use a private data network for outbound calls.<\/span><\/p>\n Home phone systems are landlines connected to the PSTN and were essential before the internet or mobile phones. Affordable mobile phones plans and VoIP have reduced the importance of landlines. However, landlines are still used due to low mobile phone coverage or required dedicated home phone numbers despite their costly plans.<\/span><\/p>\n With VoIP, you can connect landline phones to a WiFi modem or router, letting you make and receive calls over the internet. As VoIP providers only charge for services used, it’s a cost-effective option for homeowners.<\/span><\/p>\n Software VoIP refers to apps accessed online or downloaded to desktops or mobile phones. We use them regularly without realising it, like FaceTime or WhatsApp.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n They come in several options, with varying features and price points, allowing you to manage calls anywhere as long as you have an internet connection. They use HD codecs to transport voice data across the internet.<\/span><\/p>\n ____________<\/span><\/p>\n <\/p>\n VoIP began shortly after the advent of the internet, and it\u2019s grown with it to include a vast array of features and use cases. Below are some of the most popular apps individuals and businesses use for their communication needs.<\/span><\/p>\n RingCentral MVP<\/a><\/strong> (Meetings, Video, Phone) is a cloud-based PBX system that offers an all-in-one unified communications and collaboration platform. It guarantees 99.999% uptime, ensuring dependable service with rare disruption to your business communications.<\/span><\/p>\nHow Does VoIP Work?<\/strong><\/h2>\n
![\"The](\"\/gb\/en\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/08\/the-phone-system-providers-640x567.jpg\")
Types of VoIP<\/strong><\/h2>\n
1. Self-hosted VoIP<\/strong><\/h3>\n
2. Hosted VoIP<\/strong><\/h3>\n
![\"The](\"\/gb\/en\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/08\/hosted-voip-network-infrastructure-640x560.jpg\")
3. Hybrid<\/strong><\/h3>\n
Who Is Using VoIP Services?<\/strong><\/h2>\n
1. Individuals<\/strong><\/h3>\n
2. Entrepreneurs<\/strong><\/h3>\n
![\"The](\"\/gb\/en\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/08\/small-businesses-experience-with-voip-640x391.jpg\")
3. Small business<\/strong><\/span><\/h3>\n
4. Large business<\/strong><\/h3>\n
Examples of VoIP phone systems<\/strong><\/h2>\n
1. Business phone systems<\/strong><\/h3>\n
2. IP phone systems<\/strong><\/h3>\n
![\"The](\"\/gb\/en\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/08\/usage-of-desktophone-stat-640x391.jpg\")
3. Home phone systems<\/strong><\/h3>\n
4. Software VoIP<\/strong><\/h3>\n
Common examples of VoIP apps<\/strong><\/h2>\n
1. RingCentral<\/strong><\/h3>\n
![\"Stats](\"\/gb\/en\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/08\/stats-of-the-use-of-mobile-phone-for-communications-640x362.jpg\")
![\"The](\"\/gb\/en\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/08\/impact-of-poor-communication-at-work-640x547.jpg\")