Voice over IP (VoIP), sometimes known as Internet Telephony offers a wide range of advantages over traditional telephony – particularly true for Contact Centre phone systems. Such communication systems are increasingly replacing conventional ISDN telephony solutions, particularly as they offer a more convenient and flexible alternative. VoIP solutions are rising in popularity and therefore increasingly in demand. A VoIP Call / Contact Centre software is pascom. In the following, we will cover the concept of Contact and Contact Centre VoIP solutions and pascom’s USPs in greater detail.
Definition: Voice over Internet Protocol (VoIP)
Voice over IP is a system with which calls can be routed over an IP network i.e. the Internet. As such, conventional telephone lines are no longer necessary, thus making ISDN connections surplus to requirements. Nevertheless, IP telephony functions just like conventional telephony. The process starts by establishing a connection, continues with the call transmission and then ends with a disconnection. One of the biggest differences to conventional telephony is that your VoIP software solution converts voice traffic into digital packets. These packets are then transmitted between the callers over the Internet within fractions of a second. Such systems are useful for private individuals and companies alike, with obvious cost saving and ease of use advantages for businesses. Companies can leverage further benefits by adopting a phone system which incorporates Contact / Contact Centre specific functionality.
VoIP Requirements
To start enjoying the numerous benefits VoIP has to offer, companies only need the following to successfully switch to All-IP telephony; router & reliable Internet connection, a VoIP provider (SIP provider) and suitable hardware. Under hardware, we are referring to all the endpoints and peripherals such as desktop phones, headsets and possibly an adapter (ATA for fax etc). Beyond pascom’s VoIP software solution, no other additional software is required. For companies looking to adopt a VoIP telephony solution, it is often worthwhile having an IT administrator on hand, whether in-house, via a reseller or directly with the vendor i.e. pascom, who is appropriately trained in order to set up the system. In principle, no administrator is required for the ongoing system maintenance of the system because thanks to job automation, the system is able to manage itself. That said, it is advisable to have someone within the company with a sufficient understanding of VoIP.
Near the top of the list of benefits, VoIP Contact Centre is an extremely cost effective solution. Since a traditional telephone line is not required, you will no longer incur additional ISDN costs. Instead, you will simply use an Internet connection, which is in the majority of cases already present. All national and international calls will be billed as far as possible according to the cheapest, most cost effective tariff available. Using the so called least cost routing function, this process is done automatically. Utilise your Contact Centre phone system and internal networks and of course all internal calls will be free of charge. In addition, VoIP allows for excellent audio quality particularly when deployed using a professional software solution such as pascom’s.
Advantage of pascom’s VoIP phone system software
pascom’s VoIP Contact Centre phone system solution, not only enables IP telephony, but also offers a number of additional benefits. Call audio quality can be significantly increased using HD-voice standards. Furthermore, combine pascom’s Contact Centre solution and mobile apps and it becomes possible to take your individual extension number with you wherever you go. As such your business will benefit from anywhere, anytime communication making and receiving calls no matter where you are. All that is required is a suitably equipped endpoint i.e. Smartphone, Laptop & headset or VoIP phone, and an Internet connection. To gain maximum benefit from pascom’s Contact Centre solution, the endpoints of choice should support SIP (Session Initiated Protocol) for VoIP telephony. A further feature of pascom solutions is the multitude of functions on offer. Benefit from enhanced in-call caller experience with custom prompts, music on hold as well as advanced call routing such as Skills Based Routing. Moreover, with pascom your agents will have a host of tools available to them that further benefit Contact Centre operations such as “call labels”, easy-to-use call transfer tools and the ability to automatically open CRM / ERP business intelligence systems with a single click.
If you wish to replace your Contact Centre PBX with a VoIP solution, you should also be aware of the possible downsides. Firstly, such systems are entirely dependent on an uninterrupted power and Internet supply. This means that a power cut or Internet outage will disrupt your telephony services and already connected calls will be abruptly disconnected. However, such outages are thankfully particularly rare in developed countries and therefore do not pose a significant risk to revenues. Moreover, redundancy, such as switching to a Cloud based Contact Centre solution (CCaaS), can be incorporated in order to ensure a minimum impact of such an outage. Secondly, as with any other form of online communication, transmitting data over the Internet carries the risk of becoming a victim of hacking.
Protection Against Hacking and Data Theft
Unfortunately, the risk that your VoIP phone system will become a victim of a hacking attack is real. However, in order to protect your Contact Centre solution from such attacks there is a lot that you can do. First and Foremost, you should place all integrated devices (Smartphones, Laptops, Tablets, etc.) behind a high quality firewall. Set up such firewalls according to strict criteria. Furthermore, password strength also has a decisive influence on your individual risk. Simple and therefore weak passwords these days are easily cracked and therefore increase risk. Therefore, you should only accept strong passwords which are also regularly changed. pascom systems support you here by implementing temporary user login blocks upon too frequent incorrect login attempts. Furthermore, pascom solutions also support user authentication against LDAP / AD directory services, allowing you to implement company wide password management protocols. In general, it is good practice to keep your complete hardware and software infrastructure well maintained and up to date to protect against on-site unauthorized access and to comply with general IT security recommendations. These include for example not opening suspicious e-mail attachments and disabling downloads from insecure sources.
The optimum scenario would be that the VoIP system encrypts calls in order to ensure that conversations cannot be intercepted. With pascom solutions, encryption is done per default. Alongside the audio data packets relating to voice transmission, pascom solutions also encrypt connection data such as subscriber identities. As such, you are able to enjoy additional protection from unwanted listeners.
VoIP Perfect for all Company Sizes
A VoIP Contact Centre phone system addresses not only Call Centres but also small to medium sized businesses and larger enterprises alike. The greater the number of employees using the system, the more higher quality Internet bandwidth is required in order to avoid a negative impact on the quality of transmission. As such, High Bandwidth DSL Connections are recommended. Regardless of your company size, pascom can offer a VoIP solution to perfectly match your requirements. For example, Cloud phone systems offer excellent flexibility, significant possible cost
Whoever deploys a VoIP solution will need to speak with their provider to upgrade their voice service to the new, modern SIP standard. Not sure whether pascom is the right phone system vendor for your business, then try out our demo version and contact us for a free consultation.