8 mins read
Why VoIP?
Better call quality, improved mobility, easier accessibility, and flexible subscription plans are some of the advantages you get by switching to a hosted VoIP phone system.
Hosted VoIP systems allow you to amplify your communication operations without making drastic infrastructural changes with fewer hardware requirements and limitless scalability. Because of which, businesses around the world are implementing or planning to switch to VoIP.
But how does one get started?
With this blog, we will be answering your questions to help you set up your business VOIP solution. From pre-installation requirements to implementing the VoIP system, we will be covering it all.
Role of Hosted VoIP Phone Systems for Modern Businesses
Business VoIP phone systems have become the foundation of communication in the modern world. With the help of their advanced features, they have revolutionized communication for everyone.
Countries like Germany, Japan, Sweden and Netherlands have already switched to VoIP for communication in their offices and homes. Countries such as the UK are also on the verge of shutting down PSTN completely and moving to VoIP.
Business VoIP allows you to make high quality calls, negligible disruptions, zero background noise, higher in-call functionalities, all at your disposal at lower costs. VoIP also makes interactions wholesome by providing access to multiple channels (chat, email, and video conferencing) on a single platform.
Prerequisites for VoIP Installation
To take advantage of the VoIP phone system adequately, you must first look into the preparations required for setting up VoIP. Here are the key elements needed for VoIP installation.
Wired internet connection
An internet connection is the first and obvious requirement for VoIP. It is the backbone for all VoIP communication, be it voice calls, video, chat or email. Purchase a wired internet connection for your office devices as they are more reliable and enable faster communication.
VoIP Service Provider
Create a list of potential VoIP service providers before partnering with one. Jot down their offerings and match them with your business requirements. Identify VoIP providers whose services and features match the most with your needs.
Operation Devices
For faster and smoother communication, you will need high performing desktops and laptops that can act as virtual PBX servers. Such devices come in handy while managing high call volumes.
VoIP numbers
Each customer facing agent may require a VoIP number to make and receive calls. These numbers will be cloud-based, as they will be operating through the hosted VoIP phone system software. The greater number of users, the more VoIP numbers you may need.
Data Prioritization
Enabling the Quality-of-Service (QoS) settings on your network will allow you to prioritize voice data over others. This will prevent any delays and interruptions in your communication and provide sufficient bandwidth for quality calling.
Network Security
Unlike landlines, hosted VoIP phone systems require a secure network environment to safeguard your information. While selecting a VoIP provider and internet connection, ensure they have strong firewalls placed to prevent any data leakage and loss of sensitive information.
Setting Up a Hosted VoIP Phone System in 5 Steps
Now that we have the prerequisites in check, let’s get to setting up the VoIP phone system for your business.
1. Setting Up Network Bandwidth
The process of VoIP installation begins with getting a high-speed internet connection. VoIP calling needs a stable and fast working connection to ensure high quality interactions and avoid choppy audio. Experts recommend a minimum speed of 90-100 kbps to attain standard voice quality for VoIP calling. However, this speed multiplies if you’re using multiple VoIP phones for your teams.
Source: What internet speed is needed for VoIP? – Structured Communications
2. Determine Active Users
Since Acefone provides hosted VoIP phone systems only, we’re going to assume there’s no hardware required for the setup. Your agents will simply have to login to the VoIP system, just like any other subscription software. Therefore, you must identify the number of active users in your company who will be making the calls.
3. Purchasing the VoIP plan
Choosing the right VoIP provider for your business will give you the right tools to simplify and streamline communication. Look for providers that have flexible VoIP subscription plans and offer the required set of features for your business.
Providers that offer user-based subscription plans are suitable for businesses with large teams as larger teams may require more calling minutes. Opting for a minute-based plan might not be the most ROI friendly decision to make. On the contrary, providers with minute-based plans can be suitable for smaller teams with lower calling requirements.
Acefone, is one of the providers that offers both types of VoIP subscription plans to cater to all sizes of businesses.
4. Implementing VoIP system
Implementing the hosted VoIP system onto your devices is as simple as using any other software. While some are downloadable and can be installed, providers like Acefone offer web applications, which are accessible from your browsers. Acefone’s Hosted VoIP phone system can be accessed through any browser, and only requires a login to the portal.
5. Registering Users & Devices
After subscribing to a VoIP phone system plan, you can create extensions for users through the portal and share the login credentials with them. You can assign different roles to agents and create a defined structure for our operations. For instance, superior roles shall have more accessibility and actions, while the ones allotted to the lower roles will be restricted.
The Next Step
Once you’re through with the VoIP setup completely, you can communicate with your VoIP service partner to arrange training sessions. Although, most VoIP phone systems out there are easy to grasp and use, dedicated training/ onboarding sessions may help you get things moving even faster.
At Acefone, we provide our new users with dedicated onboarding partners who take them through the entire program step by step. From setting up their account to making the first call, our experts are available 24/7 for their assistance. Want to be a part of the Acefone community?
