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VoIP Features |
There's a lot of talk about the features of VoIP that make it so attractive to companies. You've read about the basics – why VoIP can save you money, how it works, who uses it. The aim of this article is to provide information about some of the extras, the many services and features that are available through VoIP that aren't necessarily essential but which contribute greatly to the allure of the service.
Let's start with Vemail. Add one more term to the list of aggravatingly trite abbreviations and/or concatenations that floods any technical discussion these days. Start with email – if you're reading this, you're probably familiar with the term electronic mail and its uses. As a connoisseur of telephony, you've doubtless had some experience with voicemail, as well. Vemail, as it is called is the VoIP enabled convergence of the two. It allows you to hear your emails read on the phone, or read your voicemail on your computer screen, whatever is more convenient at the time. Also, the convergence means workers need only check one set of messages, and not two or more.
Along similar lines, the right IP enabled phones can surf the web without a computer intermediary with VoIP. News reports, stock tickers, and weather reports can all be channeled through your IP phone, and with screen that's high enough resolution full web pages can be displayed.
If you've dealt with phone service before, you probably starting to wonder what the catch is – where are the hidden fees? How much do all these wonderful extras cost? At the risk of sounding like a late night infomercial, there really are surprisingly few. In contrast to traditional circuit-based phone service, once you purchase the equipment, these extra features have no extra recurring fee. That's because all information on a converged(VoIP) network travels in the same way – data, video, voice – it doesn't make a difference to your network equipment.
Of course, not all IP phones can do these wonderful things, nor would you want them to. If all you need is basic functionality, VoIP's got you covered there, too. Traditional telephony services still exist on IP phones, and are likely to be less expensive. Voicemail, call transfer, call forwarding, call waiting, conferencing, speed and redial, and various indication options are generally standard with IP phones.
Here's something that those of you who are true veterans may remember. Back in the mid 1990s the first primitive computer telephony software was being pushed somewhat unsuccessfully on the market, often bundled with new PCs. A user would type in a telephone number, dial, and conduct a call via his or her computer and an attached microphone, all without picking up the phone. Since they interfaced with modems and still ultimately used a filtered analogue signal, call quality was low, and there were no service savings.
Avaya has returned to the concept years later and produced a program called Avaya IP Softphone which is the same idea, but does all the things that early attempts could not. All the features of VoIP and IP phones are combined with the additional power of a PC. Integration with Outlook and other directory/address programs allows the automatic retrieval of relevant call information(i.e. customer name, address, file, etc...), and new technology allows for the highest quality communications with only a headset.
Hopefully, this has been of some little use to you, and you've learned something about VoIP that you didn't already know. I'll leave you with this bit of advice – if you're thinking about implementing VoIP, shop around. Do your research and don't get taken by a slick sales pitch. It's still relatively new, and until all the kinks are hammered out there are bound to be some problems. Make sure what you're buying is right for your company, and good luck!
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Definity Systems
