IP Telephony and the Benefits It Can Bring to Your Business

IP Telephony and the Benefits It Can Bring to Your Business

Communication is key. This age-old adage is one of the driving forces behind most of the technological progress we’re experiencing nowadays. From ultra-high-speed internet connections to new devices that let us get in touch with each other in ways that were previously unimaginable.

Telephony, from traditional telephone systems all the way to the cloud-hosted phone networks of the 21st century, has always been at the center of the communication revolution. It is especially important in the world of business, where offices make hundreds, if not thousands of calls, every single day, both externally and internally.

From traditional Private Branch Exchange (PBX) systems to the introduction of Voice over Internet Protocol (VoIP) technology, to the rapid development of Unified Communications (UC), the way we understand telephony in an office environment has changed dramatically in just a few decades.

The development of broadband Internet connection has brought significant changes to the world of office phone solutions, with the introduction of internet protocol telephony (IP telephony). IP telephony offers cheaper running costs and more advanced business phone features. It has made the traditional phone solutions all but redundant and established a new quality standard in the industry. If you want to know more about how it works and the potential benefits of IP telephony for your business, read on.

How Does IP Telephony Work?

IP telephony is a phone system made possible thanks to the VoIP (voice over internet protocol) technology. It enables users to carry out and receive phone calls via a simple internet connection, as opposed to the legacy landline systems, which made use of long, tangle-prone cables that were often difficult to install.

Legacy phone systems carry voice through landline cables by directly transmitting your analog voice signals and carrying them through to the addressee. VoIP, on the other hand, converts your analog signals into digital signals, or data packages, which are then sent through your broadband connection to the receiver.

These converted bits of data are known as packet-switched protocols. You can think of them as tiny, digital envelopes. In real-time, your voice is sliced apart, packaged into these “envelopes”, instantly sent to the addressee, and unpackaged so that they get the message. IP telephony calls can be transmitted via a regular internet connection, as well as a local area network (LAN).

Due to the fact that VoIP telephony makes use of the internet connection at your office to transmit voice signals across devices, before installing it, you’re going to need to make sure that your company’s broadband is up to the task, and that your office is equipped with SIP endpoints like IP phones or VoIP gateways to support your analog phones. Without the broadband connection and the right devices, IP telephony at your company will be all but impossible.

IP Telephony vs. Other Telephony Solutions

Of course, IP telephony is not the first (and probably not the last) communications solution that ever existed in offices all around the world. Traditionally, office telephony was done through the POTS (plain old telephone system) method. Every single phone in the office needed its own separate phone line connecting it to the service provider, as well as its own, unique phone number. As you can imagine, it caused a lot of confusion and was very inconvenient. After all, dialing a lengthy number when you’re in a hurry does not necessarily scream “efficiency”.

The first improvement upon POTS in offices were Private Branch Exchange systems, which allowed for call routing to different phones in the office via switchboard operators. They were human employees, who manually received each call and passed it onto the addressee by pressing buttons and re-plugging cables on the switchboard. It increased the efficiency of call-making in the office, and in time, it became the most frequently used communication system for the majority of large enterprises. Smaller businesses could also implement PBX for their business phone needs, but it often entailed having to enlist the services of a shared operator center, significantly slowing down the connection times.

This issue was resolved by the arrival of Private Automatic Branch Exchange (PABX) services, which worked in a very similar manner to its predecessor, except for the fact that it completely eradicated the need for the middleman, or operator, to transfer the calls. It was made possible by the creation of devices with buttons allowing for a wide range of call transferring options. All of the phones in one office were connected to one network, and in order to get in touch with a co-worker, all one had to do was dial their extension number, which was usually only one or two digits. PABX systems continue to be used by businesses around the world to this day, and the advent of IP-based telephony only made these solutions more efficient.

IP telephones are devices capable of connecting to the internet and take advantage of the possibility of carrying out voice communications via internet protocol. This has led to major improvements in call quality, decreased the influence of over-priced landline providers on the communications industry, and allowed for the implementation of plenty of additional features, alongside the basic phone calls.

Benefits of Using IP Telephony

Using IP telephony services can be incredibly beneficial for your business, regardless of its scale and the industry you work in. If you work for a major corporation, VoIP technology will allow you to seamlessly connect to the firm’s other branches all around the world. As for start-ups and small businesses, these establishments can benefit greatly from the money saved by making the switch from a landline-based PBX to IP phones.

Cost-effectiveness

This is probably the most frequently cited reason why CEOs and office managers make the switch to IP telephony systems. It’s simple: if there is an opportunity to save money, most businesses will take it. While changing to IP telephony requires providing each desk at the office with an IP phone, it is possible to implement this system even without such devices, given that most VoIP service providers also offer softphones that can be installed on smartphones and computers.

Regardless of how you choose to go about the device issue, the bottom line is that changing to an IP telephone service will save you hundreds, if not thousands of dollars annually when compared to landline-based business solutions.

Less Clutter Around the Office

Legacy telephone systems tend to require their users to accumulate a whole load of cables all over the office. It is one of the biggest drawbacks of traditional phone lines. It’s also one of the shortcomings that IP telephony has set out to fix. With an internet-based phone system, all you’ll ever need to make phone calls is a working internet connection.

More Extra Features

IP telephony not only fulfills all the functions of POTS (Plain Old Telephone System) without the loss of sound quality but also opens up plenty of possibilities for additional functions, including presence, video conferencing, instant messaging,etc.are all going to be within your reach with IP telephony.

Seamless Integration with Business Tools

One of the biggest doubts managers have when considering switching to IP-based phone systems is whether or not they will be able to integrate their new IP-based communication system with other business tools. Thankfully, doing so is even easier than in the case of landlines. Taking your phone system into the digital sphere means that all of the integration can be done almost instantly, with the help of your IT team. No need to bring in outside experts to install complicated equipment!

Ip Telephony Benefits

What You Need to Get Started with IP Telephony

The best thing about VoIP is the fact that to get started with it, you don’t really need anything except a working broadband connection and devices capable of connecting to the internet. Of course, buying actual IP phones for your office is preferable, but it can be done later on in the process. If you’re in a hurry to get the system up and running, all you’re going to need is a working internet connection and devices capable of going online, such as computers or smartphones.

Yeastar IP Telephony Solutions

When choosing Yeastar as your unified communications provider, you’re going to gain access to a whole host of great features on top of your regular PBX phone service. These include call center capabilities, video conferencing, instant messaging, presence, CRM integration, and many more. Most of these features are accessible through Linkus UC Clients, available on the web browsers, iPhones, and Android devices as well as Windows, Mac OS.

With Yeastar, you’re also going to be able to choose between a cloud-hosted service or on-premises equipment to gain total control over your office’s communications. Both of them will grant your company more freedom and flexibility in handling your communications.

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User Login

Instantaneously receive user login credentials via email once the extension has been deployed by the adminstrator.

Log in conveniently via any web browser for access to the user portal.

Integrations

Integrate various CRM software for better customer service and satisfaction.

Enable transcription of audio messages into text with integration of third-party transcription service.

Enable API for integration with various third-party integrations for advanced performance such as call center and hotel reception services.

System

Provision email SMTP and template settings for event notifications to be sent out.

Manage storage allocation and duration of various types of data being stored on the PBX.

Determine the types of event notifications to be sent out, and the parties receiving them.

IVR

Add various audio voice prompts to be played according to different call scenarios.

Add voice prompts on multiple levels for more effecient and precise inbound call routing.

Voicemail

Customize default voicemail settings for each user extension.

Add various voicemail messages for allocation to different call scenarios and users.

Provision specific rules to how voicemail messages are played over the PBX system for better caller experience.

Reports and CDR

All call log activities are stored, with the option of having audio conversations recorded by default or for specific extensions.

Use intuitive visual call reports, to check various call statistics over extensions, trunks, queues, ring groups, and more.

Call reports can be viewed and downloaded directly from the PBX, or scheduled to be sent via email to respective parties.

Security

Restrict a general group or specific IP addresses to prevent unauthorized access to your PBX.

Limit the number of otbound calls users are allowed to make within a time period to protect against toll fraud.

Restrict certain country codes for outbound calls either company-wide or on certain extensions.

User Login

Determine extension ranges for different functions.

Define use of different voice prompts depending on call scenarios or intended function.

Provision basic and advanced SIP settings to be used on the PBX.

Recordings

Record all calls made on specified trunks, including inbound and outbound calls.

Recordings

Record all calls made on specified extensions, conferences, or call queues.

Paging and Intercom

Create different types of paging and intercom broadcast groups for selected extensions.

Set a time schedule to automatically start your broadcast.

Maintenance

Check for and download firmware upgrades to ensure that your PBX is always up-to-date.

Perform back-ups to prevent data and settings from getting lost.

Perform troubleshooting on your own to debug.

Conference

Pre-set conference settings and dial-in passwords for security, and allow internal users to send conference invites to external parties.

Speed Dial

Create multiple speed dial numbers to respective external numbers frequently used for outgoing calls.

Speed dial is activated when the set prefix (default or customized) is dialed.

Ring Group

Create multiple ring groups and determine custom ring strategies and failover settings for each.

Call Queue

Create different call queues with specific ring strategies and failover settings.

Static agents permanently answer calls in queue, while dynamic agents can log in and out. Allocate different extensions to each group.

Determine what actions are to be allowed for Mangers or Agents to manage on the Queue Panel.

Call Control

Have calls received on specific SIP trunks routed to designated extensions or destinations within the PBX.

Set-up dial patterns so that outbound calls are routed to their intended destinations.

Determine how calls are routed and received at different times of a day.

Contacts

Store, retrieve, and share company contact details easily on your PBX.

Organize company contacts into dedicated phonebooks and determine accessibility rights to extension groups for each.

Bulk import a list of contacts instead of having to key details in individually.

Role and Client Permission

Pre-defined user roles within the PBX are conveniently available for allocation, or create your own set of permissions.

Restrict users from viewing specific extensions, departments, or extension groups with Extension Visibility.

Allow or resrict specific users from managing or viewing certain company contacts

Auto Provision

Pre-defined setting parameters specific to respective IP phone models are conveniently available for easy set-up.

IP Phones can be quickly provisioned to your Yeastar PBX with just the pre-defined template and device MAC address.

Trunks

Register multiple SIP trunks on a single PBX as needed.

Different types of trunks can be created, Caller ID can be customized.

Extensions

View, deploy, add, and remove user extensions within your PBX system.

Configure default call and user settings for individual extensions.

Customize allocation of user extensions to specific ring groups.

Portal Login Page

Receive your administrator log-in credentials and set-up guide via email.

Log-in on any web-browser to get started with PBX set-up.

Installation Wizard will guide you through basic configurations.

User Login

Access all company contacts made available to you by the administrator.

Create your own personal contacts list for easy reference and dialing.

Bulk import contact details for convenient data entry.

User Login

Access and manage user settings for softphone application and voicemail.

Manage call routing and presence status for your individual extension.

Retrieve or download your personal call logs and recordings.

User Login

Receive your log-in credentials and set-up guide via email, sent by your admin.

Log-in on any web-browser to get started with PBX set-up.

Configure contacts and personal settings from the web portal.

Auto Provision

Add, remove, or modify IP phone settings from your web interface.

Upgrade IP phone firmware conveniently from your PBX.

Upload various default setting parameters specific to respective IP phone models for greater convenience during set-up.

Contacts

Store, retrieve, and share company contact details easily on your PBX.

Have detailed contact information for your vendors and clients conveniently stored .

Bulk add a list of contacts instead of having to key details in individually.

PBX Monitor

Monitor the status extensions, whether they aren idle, in use, or unavailable.

Know whether your SIP Trunk running properly, or experiencing problems.

Monitor the number of call conferences currently running on your PBX, and their individual durations.

Maintenance

Check for and download firmware upgrades to ensure that your PBX is always up-to-date.

Perform back-ups to prevent data and settings from getting lost.

Perform troubleshooting on your own to debug.

Call Detailed Report

All call log activities are stored, with the option of having audio conversations recorded by default or for specific extensions.

Filter by date, time, or extension number to retrieve specific call logs or recordings

Playback call recordings directly from the PBX or download to store externally.

Event Center

Determine what events and logs are to be recorded and/or have notifications sent.

Specify particular notifications to be sent to respective authorized personnel.

User Permission

Set up vaious groups of users for allocation to certain sets of access rules.

Determine what features a certain group of extensions can or cannot access.

Determine if users can access, play-back, or download call logs and recordings from the pbx.

Security

Restrict a general group or specific IP addresses to prevent unauthorized access to your PBX.

Determine specific the range of SIP ports for connection between your PBX and endpoints.

Restrict country codes for outbound calls either company-wide or on certain extensions.

Voice Prompt

Upload and designate customised audio recordings at multiple levels of a call journey.

Upload recorded music to fill the silence that would be heard by callers on hold.

Upload customised voice prompts to create a professional call experience.

General

Customize general call preferences either company-wide or for individual extensions.

Set-up feature dial codes for convenient user navigation to specific call features.

Determine how voicemails are retrieved, and also upload custom voicemail recordings.

Call Features

Add multiple automated responses to be played at different phases of a call journey.

Designate specific extensions to ring concurrently based on an external caller's dial pattern.

Customize messages and waiting times to keep external callers engaged when put on hold.

Call Control

Have calls received on specific SIP trunks routed to designated extensions within the PBX.

Set-up dial patterns so that outbound calls are routed to their intended destinations.

Determine how calls are routed and received at different times of a day.

Trunks

Register multiple SIP trunks on a single PBX as needed.

Provision SIP trunk settings and dedicate them to particular extensions.

Bulk add DDIs on each SIP trunk, for allocation to an individual or groups of extensions.

Extensions

View, deploy, add, and remove user extensions within your PBX system.

Allocate and deploy specific extension numbers to respective users via email.

Set-up default ring and presence status settings for individual users.

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