A reliable, robust, and flexible phone system is the key requirement of today’s businesses. The quality of the call can greatly affect the success of a business. If customers find it difficult to contact or reach a customer service department or receives a poor connection, it can lead to several problems such as:
- Frustrated customer
- Misunderstood information
- Unresolved issues
- Wastage of time
- Unproductive results
All these things ultimately create a bad image of the business in the eyes of customers as well as prospects. So, how to improve the quality of calls? Well, if you are searching for the best solution that can enhance call quality, then VoIP will be the platform to get started. VoIP, termed as Voice over Internet Protocol, is the most reliable solution to get the highest quality of calls. To function properly, VoIP just requires a good broadband internet connection.
Tips to improve VoIP call quality
First and foremost, it is important to choose a professional and well-known service provider who has a proven track record in delivering VoIP service. Below-mentioned is some of the key tips to enhance VoIP call quality:
- Verify network configuration: If your network is not configured properly, it can badly affect the quality of calls. Especially when you are using both data and voice routing over the same internal network, the network should be configured properly. Therefore, it is advisable to choose a Virtual Local Area Network (VLAN) capable switch configured properly. Nowadays, many VLAN capable switches come with built-in Power over Ethernet (POE), which helps prevent the need to connect each phone to an electrical outlet.
- Reduce latency: In a network, latency usually means a delay. The delay is all about the total time that data takes to get from one particular point to another. Delay can also be categorized as the time gap between when one person speaks over the call, and the other party hears that person’s voice. It is important to focus more on VoIP traffic than a high-quality VoIP router to reduce this latency rate.
- Check whether it is an equipment failure or improper equipment configuration: To enhance the quality of calls, it is important to check the working process of equipment by running a VoIP test for your connection quality. For instance, if you use an internet connection to manage both your voice and data, you must have a router that focuses largely on VoIP traffic. A failure to install a VoIP router that prioritizes VoIP traffic, a business may face poor call quality, especially at the time of downloading a large file while on a call.
- Use de-jitter buffer: It is advisable to de-jitter your VoIP as it can help enhance the call quality. Voice or data packets are usually transmitted in a constant stream, spaced evenly at a distance. Jitter is simply the difference in the delay of packets received by the user. Various issues such as improper queuing, network jamming, configuration errors, or diverse packet delays can be the key reasons behind the uneven flow of data packets. To overcome this issue, you must use the de-jitter buffer feature to balance the jitter with a router or edge device that obtains a Real-Time Protocol (RTP) audio stream for VOIP.
- Ensure that you are using proper wiring: Previously, a CAT 3 cabling was used in the telephone system, which was inefficient. Currently, most telephone systems and data networking are supplied with CAT 5 or even higher cabling for efficient functioning. Thus, it is important to check the type of cabling you have to ensure the best call quality.
- Don’t use hubs on your LAN: It is important to note that allowing hubs on a LAN can badly affect the call quality. If your system has several Ethernet switches for allotting single wiring drops, it will affect the quality of calls. To avoid this situation, make sure that each phone has its own connection to your switch.
- Select proper handsets: Many people face the issue of phone-eco. One reason behind this problem can be the usage of poor-quality devices. Yes, using low-quality handsets can also affect the quality of calls. Another effective way to deal with this issue is to turn down the volume of your handset.
- Choose a professional Internet Service Provider: The transmission of voice packets generally needs specific internet protocols that internet service may not provide. Therefore, it is vital to choose a professional, high-speed Internet Service Provider (ISP) that ensures business class service (configured for VoIP traffic), especially when you have more than 10 phones in use at any particular time.
- Check for any wiring or hardware issues: If you face the issue of crackling on the line while using your phone system, it can be due to improper wiring or hardware issues. Also, check whether the crackling is affecting a single phone or all of the phones. If the problem is with a single phone, it may just not be connected properly. Plug the cord properly and see whether the phone works properly or not. If the problem is with the entire phone system, it can be a hardware problem or improper wiring. Find the root cause and get the issue resolved to improve the call quality.
- Get enough bandwidth: If you are experiencing robotic voices or long periods of silence while on the call, the reason can be the insufficient internet bandwidth availability. To ensure superior quality VoIP calls and prevent data loss, you must have about 100kbps in both directions. Thus, ensure that you have sufficient bandwidth to manage your business’s calls and network usage appropriately.
Conclusion:
In summary, when using hosted VOIP or any other telecommunications service, it is important to keep in mind all the above-mentioned tips to ensure better call quality. After all, VoIP call quality matters a lot in the proper functioning of a business. It helps in proper communication and better management of business-customer relationships.
