When your team engages in a conference call, video chat, or sifting through voicemails, you want to ensure the experience is smooth. Optimizing your network for VoIP can help you avoid call quality issues and boost productivity. The steps in optimizing your network vary but could include running a bandwidth test or upgrading routers and switches to newer models. You may also need jitter buffers to protect VoIP data packets from delays and dropouts.
Monitor Network Performance
VoIP relies on a stable internet connection, and it’s important that your business’s network infrastructure can handle the additional load without compromising call quality or experiencing downtime. Having a backup internet service provider to switch to quickly if your primary provider experiences an outage is also helpful.
VoIP calls are transmitted as data packets, and if these packets get lost in transit, you will experience choppy audio. To avoid this issue, use a router that supports QoS and can prioritize how bandwidth is allocated to different applications and tasks. Consider upgrading your router to a newer model that is optimized for VoIP. These models can improve call quality and are built with faster Wi-Fi speeds that can reduce lag time and congestion. It is best to check the Ooma guide: improving VoIP systems to optimize VoIP for business use.
Optimize Resource Utilization
VoIP offers several benefits to businesses, including cost-effectiveness and flexibility. It also helps improve collaboration and enhance productivity. However, VoIP calls may experience low-quality audio if the network isn’t optimized for VoIP phone services. VoIP uses data packets to transmit audio, but these packets may get dropped due to congestion on your network or a limited internet connection. This can result in delayed audio or a jittery voice. To eliminate these problems, you can monitor bandwidth availability with network monitoring tools and consider upgrading your internet connection or implementing Quality-of-Service on your router. QoS prioritizes data traffic so that voice packets receive the highest priority, which prevents them from being dropped and improves call quality. QoS can be done by changing the router settings or working with an ISP that supports it.
Implement Quality-of-Service
VoIP relies on a solid internet connection; insufficient bandwidth can cause poor call quality. Data-heavy applications, low-cost plans, and overcrowded networks often need more bandwidth to be improved. Identifying and addressing these issues is critical to ensuring VoIP’s performance.
To optimize VoIP, businesses should implement QoS and virtual local area network (VLAN) separation. This ensures voice traffic doesn’t compete with other data on the same network, maintaining high-quality call resolution and consistency. Another way to maximize the benefits of VoIP is to integrate it with customer relationship management (CRM) systems and other apps. This helps businesses to track and analyze call data, improving customer service and enhancing business efficiency. This is especially important during the holidays, when businesses may receive many customer calls.
Upgrade Your Internet Connection
If your business plans to switch to VoIP, you must ensure your internet connection is up to speed. The increased network traffic will strain your broadband connection, so you must understand how to optimize VoIP for business and ensure your router can handle the new workload. VoIP can reduce line rental costs, eliminate the need for bulky hardware and monthly maintenance fees, and offer scalability, which means you can instantly add additional lines or features. With proper network preparation, you can ensure that your VoIP system performs at its best and offers the highest call quality for your customers.
Consider Jitter Buffering
Jitter buffering helps to ensure that voice packets are not delivered in the wrong order. The buffer depth depends on the packet transmission characteristics observed in your network. A jitter buffer can delay data packets enough to allow for proper reordering, but if the buffer is too shallow, it will result in higher latency and poor audio quality. It’s recommended that jitter buffer depth is kept below 200 milliseconds. VoIP relies on a stable, high-speed internet connection to function properly. Make sure your network infrastructure can handle this traffic before implementing VoIP. Consider upgrading your bandwidth, scheduling large data transfers outside business hours, and enabling QoS to prioritize voice traffic over other applications and services.
