When you are a small business owner or even a large corporation, you probably already know many of the great benefits that you have when you end up choosing a VoIP service to better help your office. You can have more security, enjoy the fact that you get fewer spam calls, and, more importantly, you can have integrations with your other company’s software applications and even your helpdesk programs. However, there is one problem that many users have, and that is VoIP call quality.
Bad connections frequently cause muffled speech on either end, or perhaps you have numerous calls drop for no reason. When this happens, you can’t afford it, and you need a solution. We’ll give you some tips on how to improve your VoIP call quality.
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Check Your Cables
If you have any holes in your network or have too much congestion from other devices attached to your VoIP service’s network, you may have some problems. Also, while in many applications, CAT5 is the primary standard, you can have better luck using a CAT6 cable if need be. This gives you faster connections and speeds, as well as the lowest latency possible to improve your jittering audio problems.
Headset Woes
Sometimes, even the wrong headset can be a problem if the above issue doesn’t give you the proper resolution. Headsets are often wireless, and also, the wired ones can have audio issues due to latency, noise-canceling issues, and adequate stereo sound. You are much better off using corded headsets or even USB headsets, which many of the best VoIP phones have the ports for. Try to stay away from wireless or Bluetooth alternatives.
VoIP Routers Are Key
Of course, you can let your home business router transmit your audio. Still, because you’re on a shared network, these networks can get congested by other traffic. Whether it’s your other office computers and applications, or if you’re a small business working from home or a small shop, you may have problems when it comes to having streaming services playing in other rooms stealing bandwidth from your primary router.
By using a VoIP-optimized router, you can significantly improve your call quality. The downside? You may end up having to pay a little more than a regular router or a lot more if you need corporate scaling options. Still not a bad price to pay for improved call quality and business function.
Check Out Your Network More Thoroughly
You need to know where all of the bandwidth in your network is going. If you have reasonable networking service solutions, you can significantly increase your VoIP traffic stream. Having your IT solutions company optimize and analyze your network streams regularly to ensure that you’re getting quality service protection for all of your VoIP streams. What does this mean? This merely means that a portion of your bandwidth is going to be reserved for your VoIP to make sure that nothing else can affect it, even if their speeds are a little slower.
5GHz Phones Can Cause Interference?
Believe it or not, the answer to this above question is yes. Phones that operate at the higher frequencies other than a 2.4GHz stream can cause interference in your network, as well as interference with your other optimized VoIP phone systems. Therefore, you want to make sure that you have the right router frequency solution configured. Your VoIP call quality may suffer. Some routers allow you to run both 2.4GHz and 5GHz (or higher) frequencies simultaneously, but you may benefit from just downgrading to the standard 2.4 anyway.
Mobile VoIP Solutions
One great thing that people need to have is mobile options for their VoIP service. This includes call forwarding, answering services, and more. You want to make sure that people can still reach you if you’re away from your desk. Having the right VoIP service and network can significantly improve your ability to always be reachable during business hours by your customers. Don’t forget that the same headset rules apply, though.
You’ll want to avoid having a crappy headset for your phone and consider wired options rather than the usual Bluetooth alternatives. If you’ve ever seen somebody walking down the street “yelling at themselves” only to find out that they’re actually on a Bluetooth or wireless headset and the other person is having issues hearing them, this is proof that their headset solutions aren’t working well and to improve their VoIP call quality they’ll need to make a change.
Have the Right VoIP Solution for Your Business
This is probably the most integral part. Of course, there are some primary services out there, but they aren’t as good as a local company that offers the best VoIP services and equipment out there. With that being said, you’ll have the added benefit of IT professionals at your facility that can keep your communication stable. If you’re ever in a bind with your VoIP call quality, you can send them a message, and they’ll fix everything for you.