Clearing up some VoIP confusion

Ask people on the street for their opinion of Voice over IP or VoIP services and do not be surprised if most of the conversation revolves around consumer products like Skype. However, the marketplace is much more advanced than that and systems that are currently available can provide a number of benefits to consumers and businesses alike.

According to a recent study by the industry analysis and technology division of the Wireline Competition Bureau, VoIP in the business landscape on makes up 10 percent of all business access lines. However, over the next two years it is projected to be adopted at a compound annual growth rate of 15 percent.

In a recent blog post, David Byrd, the CMO of ANPI – a voice and data carrier solution provider – spoke about the misconceptions in the market over what VoIP is. According to Byrd, some of the sluggish market can be chalked up to fear over poor quality and reliability. A lot of this stems from a decision maker’s experience with a consumer version of the technology and not realizing that complete business solutions offer a different experience.

“There is a misconception that, because of the precipitous increase in mobile device usage, users are comfortable with the sub-par quality of current voice service quality,” wrote Byrd. “Largely, that is a function of the false understanding that current quality is what’s available, and a lack of familiarity with what it possible.”

While companies may think they have the talent to manage a small network, most small and midsize businesses do not have the same level of infrastructure or internal telecom skills. This is where an experienced IT consulting firm with telecommunication experience can help any company get the most out of an updated phone system.

From our offices in Dayton, Columbus, Cincinnati and Cleveland, PRO OnCall is your single-source technology consulting service, offering managed IT support, unified communications solutions and on-call IT support.