Voice over Internet telephony has changed the way we communicate. The innovative, flexible and scalable solutions have engineered a revolution of sorts in the present day world. The concept of virtual area codes can be mentioned in this context. VoIP users can opt for this service and select an area that is distinctly different from where they live. They can then enjoy facilities such as unlimited long distance calls to friends and family members living in that area code. This way, they are able to save money while connecting at different levels with the people who matter. This is another area wherein the VoIP solutions have scored over the traditional phone services.
Businesses can also make the most of this high-end technology and use it to their advantage. They can, for instance, think about enhancing their scope and areas of operation, by floating local numbers in potential markets. It is quite evident that they would be getting more leads due to the low costs of local calls. When the number to be called is a local one, more people from target market segments are expected to call in.
The point is that the VoIP market is more than ready for the best of products and services. The only thing is that certain conditions need to be met for the successful implementation of this innovative technology. For instance, a computer with a high speed Internet access is a must-have. The computer should be updated with audio and video codes. This ensures that the persons using the VoIP products and services are not disappointed with the quality of the audio as well as graphics. Another pre-requisite is that the digital video compression format should also be present in the computer that is being used.
Moreover, another important requirement is the telephone adapter, which is often delivered by the voice over IP service providers, as an integral part of VoIP packages. As a matter of fact, this VoIP hardware is indispensable for converting the household phone into one that can be used for making Internet enabled calls. Most important, the hardware and software of VoIP that are needed for the successful running of IP solutions have to be implemented properly through a proper procedure of software installation and hardware activation.
Quite a few service providers are currently present in the market which can help end users to get initiated. As a matter of fact, due to the many choices that are available, it often becomes difficult for potential users to zero in on particular service providers. In this context, a VoIP requirements list becomes indispensable. It is preferable that potential users should go for VoIP wholesalers or resellers that have established themselves well in this domain. The quality of services also becomes important in this context.
It is quite natural that potential users would want to get the most for the money that they spend. So, it is quite evident that they would check out the features and costs of the VoIP solutions and services on offer. They would then be able to match the same with their requirements and select solutions that best satisfy their needs. Certain parameters that need special attention include the financial stability of the company, the technical support that the company offers, and last but most important, the overall voice quality.
By: Kristen Kiya
Hardware and Software Requirements for VoIP
March 8th, 2010 by admin No comments »VoIP Tutorial
March 8th, 2010 by admin No comments »
VoIP or voice over protocol is one of the latest innovations in communications technology. The main difference it has with the old telephony system is that it uses data packets while the old telephony system uses switch boards.
In case you are not familiar with switchboards, imagine your call being routed to an operator before it reaches the person you are calling. That illustrates how a switchboard works. VoIP uses data packets that are sent and received via the internet. Hence, the basic equipment you will need to enable VoIP is a modem because this is the main device that allows you to get an internet access.
VoIP products come as trunk or hosted. If you are still wishing to use your old telephone device while utilizing VoIP at the same time, you will need to purchase a gateway from VoIP vendors. The gateway comes in a data packet that looks like a box. You would have to connect this to your conventional telephone or fax machine to enable VoIP. However, if you have an IP enabled system, there is no need to purchase the gateway.
There are four ways by which you can make the calls using the VoIP. These include internet-internet, phone-internet, internet-phone, phone-phone. If you are making a call towards a phone, it can be a regular, non-VoIP phone. Otherwise, the recipient of your call also needs to have a VoIP-enabled device. If you are making a call through a computer, you need to have a head set and a VoIP software program. If you are making an internet-internet call, the computer you are calling to must also have the same software as you have. Examples of this software are Skype, that of Yahoo, MSN, etc.
By: Elija James
VoIP Technologies in the Philippines
March 7th, 2010 by admin No comments »
In today’s global change in technology, a lot depend on how to make everything possible and easily done in a fastest and effective way of communication. Choosing good equipment tool in a call center industry is something that will be given a top priority. If you want your call center business to be on top of the competition then you have to check the kind of tools for you to stay on this business.
This article will discuss about VoIP (Voice-over-Internet Protocol), its importance and how its work to your contact center industry. Many are still do not have sufficient idea how this technology help you in maintaining quality calls overseas. I have to say that the company I work for is known to be expert in providing pieces of information to any form of services like in an off-shore business. Based on the article wrote by Beau Rudd, chief executive officer of Unique Interaction, he outlined the straight definition of VoIP. Mr. Rudd is a wizard in a call center arena since he had been working in call center at the age of 17. I admit that I am not pretty much “knowledgeable” about this technology nor how is this work but Mr. Rudd’s idea helps me a lot to fully understand this technology.
It is no doubt that the Philippines is one of the leaders in using VoIP services, as the country is known to be the key leaders in outsourcing. Call center owners are very particular when it comes to the money they spent for their business to succeed. Venturing to call center is a serious matter. This is not just spending money and losing it in such a careless way. Better solutions to the concerns of the customers is a way of proving to your clients that they are important.
WHAT IS VoIP?
Let me start first defining VoIP – it is the ability of an IP network to carry telephone voice signals as IP packets in compliance with International Telecommunications Union Telecommunication Standardization Sector (ITU-T) specification H.323. VoIP enables a router to transmit telephone calls and faxes over the Internet with no loss in functionality, reliability, or voice quality. Another translation of this term is a category of hardware and software that enables people to use the Internet as the transmission medium for telephone calls. Voice data is sent in packets using rather than by traditional POTS circuits. One advantage of VoIP is that the telephone calls over the Internet do not incur a surcharge beyond what the user is paying for Internet access, much in the same way that the user doesn’t pay for sending individual e-mails over the Internet.
HOW IT WORKS?
Majority of the telecommunication companies in the Philippines are using VoIP to streamline their networks through routing the phone calls from a circuit switch and into an IP gateway. Once the call is received by a gateway on the other side of the call, it is decompressed, reassembled and routed to a local circuit switch. Today, more and more companies particularly call centers are installing VoIP system. IP telephony just makes sense, in terms of both economics and infrastructure requirements. With VoIP, you can make a call from anywhere you have broadband connectivity. Since the IP phones broadcast their info over the Internet, they can be administered by the provider anywhere there is a connection.
Mr. Rudd, on the other hand, disclosed that his company offers attractive package to any of the interested investors who will venture in a call center. He said that VoIP is one of the backbone for the contact centers industry because it is guaranteed that many software developers believe that this service have a great future in helping the industry survive from any possible changes of the technologies in the future. He stressed that with his predictive dialer, you have to capability to:
Do real time monitoring of your agents Do Outbound, Inbound and Blended campaigns Do predictive, progressive and power dialing Do Remote monitoring Do full and/or on demand recording Do call barging, conference and internal/external call transfer CRM IVR Voicemail Call Conferencing Your own phone extension Your own toll free number for your account
The effect of having quality service increase their sales and no complains from the clients who became his business partners when the company starts to outsource up to now. VoIP will help you save a lot of money particularly in telephoning to the mainland US. The benefits of this service is that international and long distance VoIP charges are much cheaper. Depending on the package or service that you select, you will either get unlimited or a set number of minutes for North America (US & Canada) long distance calling. It simply means, that any international calls are significantly lower from VoIP providers than traditional phone companies, although the differences between the providers are vast.
It is expected that within the next following years this technologies will continue to provide a great impact to the off-shore business in the Philippines and the rest of the world.
By: Roberto Bacasong
