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Chetan Patel

06Sep

What is a Cloud-based VoIP Phone System?

September 6, 2021 Chetan Patel Softphone, VoIP 21

cloud based softphone system

“The Internet is the heart of the new civilization, and telecommunications are the nervous system or the circulatory system.” ~ Carlos Slim

This is an apt description to highlight how significant the internet and telecommunications have been in bringing the modern world together. And one of the most innovative inventions utilizing both these tools has been “cloud-based VoIP phone system.”

Statistics do not lie. They are a good indicator of where a technology stands in the present scheme of things. As per a survey report by Global Survey Research, the global VoIP phone system is expected to grow at a CAGR of 3.1% between 2019 and 2024.

Cloud-based VoIP phone systems have enabled companies to re-imagine how they can connect with other people without compromising their budgets. It has also emerged as a key technology for improving productivity in the workplace and providing flexibility and mobility to employees. No wonder then, that many companies that are trying to control costs are in awe of cloud-based VoIP systems.

 

Busting some Myths about Cloud-based VoIP phone systems

Most people get confused between a Business VoIP (Virtual PBX) and Cloud Phone Systems (Hosted PBX in the cloud) and tend to believe that both are the same. Though essentially the same thing, there is a significant difference in their functionality.

Both phone systems play an important role in lowering business costs when compared to an on-premises phone system. Deciding on the right cloud phone system is an important decisive factor in making a  business a success or failure. Multiple factors play an important role in determining the best cloud phone solutions. With so many service providers in the cloud phone system domain, one needs to evaluate the strengths and weaknesses of each provider to see what suits their requirements the best. As a business owner, you must internally evaluate the output that you expect from a hosted business VoIP phone system or cloud phone provider’s solution. Is that too much information to process? Let’s break it down step by step.

 

Cloud-based VoIP phone system: The basics

A cloud-based phone system is essentially a business communications solution. It is hosted and maintained by your VoIP service provider in its data centers. The services are delivered to you through your internet connection. The key features of a cloud-based VoIP phone system are:

  • Hosted PBX capability, having the same routing and call management features as that of a traditional PBX using voice over IP (VoIP) to facilitate calls over the internet. 
  • A cloud-based VoIP phone system has other capabilities as well, like a traditional office phone system. But these come at a much more cost-effective price point. One example being long-distance calling. 
  • The cloud solution is designed to be offered as a service on a subscription basis. This makes it budget-friendly for small businesses, as they do not have to invest in an expensive on-premise system.
  • Cloud-based phones can also be white-labeled, thereby helping small businesses in brand building.
  • VoIP technology converts analog audio signals into digital messages. This message can travel over the internet. VoIP and softphones enable companies to be mobile without losing the personal touch of voice communications.

Key takeaways:

  • Cloud-based VoIP phone systems are hosted at the VoIP provider’s data center, rather than the office premises. 
  • They are better known as cloud phone systems or off-site VoIP, which means business owners do not have to manage any phone system hardware or “PBX”.
  • From a technical and functionality standpoint it means that cloud VoIP is a package of a traditional phone system (or PBX) and a local/long distance phone service provider, connecting them to hardware that is highly secure, redundantly powered, that is present in geographically diverse data centers, instead of being located at your office. 
  • Cloud VoIP = Hosted VoIP. Cloud-based phone systems are also known as Hosted VoIP or a cloud-hosted PBX. 
  • Hosted refers to a phone system hardware or PBX that is physically located at an off-site place and managed by a team of dedicated VoIP experts. 
  • VoIP is increasingly becoming a popular option as businesses do not have to invest money and resources to maintain and upgrade their business phone system hardware or PBX.
  • It is possible for an office to have a VoIP telephone service that powers their phones in the office. However, they could exercise the option of their PBX to be hosted at their VoIP provider’s data center, hence the term: “hosted VoIP”.

 

Benefits of “cloud-based” VoIP phone system

#1. Text messaging friendly

The millennials and most of the middle-aged population find texting and messaging as an easy way to communicate with peers, co-workers and companies. According to an article in The Washington Post, a whopping 70% of consumers prefer to message businesses rather than call them. Interestingly, the customer satisfaction ratings are also 25% higher for text-based interactions. One can attribute this to a number of reasons, such as:

  • Texting is a convenient option over waiting endlessly on a call. 
  • People may not have the time nor interest to stay on a call with a company executive when they are at work or taking care of their family in their personal time. However, it is easy to stay connected by texting when multitasking. 
  • Texting will not require them to move to a private place.
  • Today’s customers are aware and demanding. They appreciate it when companies provide multiple options and convenience. A cloud-based VoIP phone system gives companies the option to provide the flexibility to switch between phone, text, or chat. 

#2. Call recording features

Exceptional business communication is based on a few tenets such as listening, understanding and following up on important discussion points. This can be difficult in the case of voice conversations as they do not leave a paper trail like emails and texting. However, modern phone systems come with a call recording feature enabling executives to save their conversations. A few benefits of the call recording feature include:

  • Executives can listen to the call recordings and make notes of the important points discussed, verify important details, share call recordings as proof to supervisors to settle customer disputes and fraudulent claims in some cases.  
  • Call recording is an important tool for employee training, performance monitoring and feedback. 
  • Call recordings depict a clear picture of the conversation between the customer and the representative. It helps companies gain insight into what worked, and what didn’t.

#3. Smart Voice Intelligence (VI) backed transcriptions

Gone are the days when one had to plow through bulky transcriptions to find a single detail. Modern-day cloud-based phones come with machine learning and Voice Intelligence (Vi) features that have made transcription smarter. The modern-day transcripts listen to what is being discussed and quickly summarize what is required to base the discussion. These smart transcriptions help:

  • Flag action items and critical call snippets while an executive is still on a call. 
  • This enables the executives to action highlighted items or searches through the full transcription for a particular keyword.
  • This feature eliminates the need for making in-detail notes during a call. The notes taking activity with traditional phone systems can take away the focus from what the other person is saying. Automation of transcriptions powered by Voice Intelligence saves you from the effort of talking and taking notes simultaneously.
  • Smart transcriptions thus play an instrumental role in eliminating the need for mid-call multitasking. This automatically translates to team members being good listeners and communicators.

#4. Promotes a hybrid work culture

The business has to go on as usual despite countries going into lockdowns, pandemics or for any other reason. With what humanity has been enduring in the last 2 years, the flexibility to stay connected from anywhere is a necessity. This makes cloud-based VoIP phones a great choice. Employees just need a device (phone/laptop/i-pad) connected to the internet and Voice over Internet Protocol (VoIP). The softphone software makes it possible to start a call from a computer or a device that is connected to the internet. Softphones often go hand in hand with VoIP as they are commonly powered by VoIP.keygame-changer. They have been designed to integrate with the productivity apps that a business already uses. Being software, that can be installed on any device, and employees can click to call directly from Salesforce or within the business communication hubs like Slack. This also enables team leads and managers to log all call activities of the team members.

Consistency and brand identity is important in today’s business scenario. Customers these days use nearly six touchpoints to communicate with a company, and they expect the communication experience to be consistent across channels. That’s a challenging expectation to meet for enterprises using traditional phone systems. However, the white-labeling capabilities of cloud–based VoIP phone systems have made this possible.

 

Shifting to Cloud-based VoIP phones is the future

VoIP technology has come a long way from its initial days but is still far from reaching its full potential. However, to meet the need of more and more employees seeking flexibility coupled with technological advancements the shift to VoIP phones is significant. As per a report “Artificial Intelligence” (AI) will back 95% of customer interactions by 2025. The COVID-19 pandemic has impacted our lives in unimaginable ways, the most significant being an overnight shift to remote work and hybrid work models. Data shows that cloud-based VoIP phones have played an indispensable role in this transition. See the figures below:

  • Post pandemic 42% of the U.S. workforce works from home. (Stanford Institute for Economic Policy Research, 2020)
  • India witnessed a rise in the usage of VoIP chat applications—from 3.45 hours per week to 5.22 hours per week—in the first phase of the country’s nationwide lockdown. (Nielsen, 2020)
  • Webex supported 25 billion meeting minutes and half a billion meeting participants in April 2020. These figures are triple the software’s average volume. (PR Newswire, 2020)
  • In March 2020, Microsoft Teams witnessed a 500% surge in calls, meetings, and conferences. (No Jitter, 2020)

 

Closing Thoughts 

The message is loud and clear. If you as a business have still not made a shift from a traditional phone system to cloud-based VoIP, now is the time to do it. VoIP helps businesses bridge the gap between managers and remote employees. It enables businesses to connect with customers in any part of the world, and enables businesses to make the communications aspect of operations more cost-effective. VoIP systems can easily accommodate voice calls and video calls and some providers can also enable access to instant messaging and built-in SMS. 

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14Jul

Auto Provisioning – Everything You Need to Know

July 14, 2021 Chetan Patel Auto Provisioning 64

Auto provisioning

 

It is important for an organization’s communication system to be easily available to all its stakeholders – be it employees, managers, or clients. All these users need to have easy access to the communication resources on its network, so they can connect with each other and do their jobs effectively.

The process of accessing an enterprise’s communication resources would get complex if every individual user had to follow a long-drawn manual provisioning process to activate their device. Auto-provisioning is emerging as an automated, one-click solution that is freeing users from the time-consuming process of manually provisioning their phone systems.

The tool is used to provision IP phones in bulk. This includes configuring all user information, local phone book, firmware, and more. With auto-provisioning, what once took hours now happens with a few quick clicks. Businesses can easily deploy an entire enterprise-grade phone system without any IT support or technical know-how. The setup and management of their account happen inside the web browser, just like any other subscription-based service.

Automatic provisioning uses the power of cloud-based technology to help VoIP businesses automatically provision their IP devices.  Without this automation technology, every IP phone would require manual provisioning by a qualified technician, at every customer location.  And if the phone’s firmware or feature set were to upgrade or change over time – which they often do – it would require a follow-up technician visit. This can be a costly and time-consuming process.

Cloud-based auto-provisioning nips this problem in the bud. Using this tool, an organization’s IT department can streamline its operations using a scalable and secure process. The fact that nearly all mainstream IP phones are supported by auto-provisioning is a marker of the convenience that this tool provides.

In this blog, we will look at how auto-provisioning works, its impact on the management of business phone systems, and the benefits it brings to businesses.

 

What is Auto Provisioning?

There are two types of provisioning: manual and automated. An organization’s customer experiences and operational efficiency are directly impacted by the method they choose to provision their devices.

Auto-provisioning allows an enterprise to deploy its telecom services instantly through a software application, rather than doing it manually for every device. This tool is especially useful when deploying large numbers of IP phones that require advanced configuration.

Manual provisioning, on the other hand, requires time and hands-on availability of your network engineers. Choosing an auto-provisioning model is a much simpler and time-saving tool. For instance, to deploy VoIP devices, service providers can connect them to a centralized, auto-provisioning server, allowing them to streamline the deployment process and onboarding operations. IP telephony service providers usually manage thousands of users for multiple clients. A centralized automated system can save time and effort for both their service engineers and users.

Auto-provisioning is emerging as a go-to tool for telecom service providers as it enables them to deploy IP phones that automatically locate the provisioning server and download the correct configuration files once it is plugged into the internet. It allows users to activate their phone service through a web interface without having to enter any configuration settings.

Auto-provisioning comes with a set of pre-defined instructions and procedures that can be carried out electronically to provide customers with speed and instant access to their phone solution. This highly scalable activation solution addresses the multi-services needs of softphones and IP desk phones to accelerate business and productivity.

 

Why Auto Provisioning is Important

In the past, all VoIP PBX and handset provisioning was done manually, unless it was a proprietary system. It was common for IT engineers to spend long hours setting up a business office due to the tedious task of provisioning each phone. This also made the management of the phones a tedious job, as certain phone models were provisioned differently. With each addition, move, or change, the provisioning process became longer, more complex, and less manageable. It was also difficult to quickly diagnose and isolate bugs and other issues.

Modern-day service providers, however, are transitioning their operations from providing traditional telephony services to offering a hybrid of innovative physical and virtual telephony solutions. Not only are these services delivered to customers on-demand, they are also required to respond to the surrounding changes in the network in real-time.

With a growing pressure to deliver services faster, in a more flexible manner, and at minimal costs, it has become critical for IP telephony service providers to use the benefits of auto-provisioning to maximize service agility and operational efficiency.

 

Auto-Provisioning makes companies more Secure

When an employee leaves a company, it becomes imperative for the business to immediately remove all their accounts and access. If a former employee has access to an organization’s system and data, it can be a huge security risk.

Auto-provisioning makes the manual process of on boarding and off boarding users seamless and fully automated. It also fills all the loopholes and gaps in security by minimizing the impact of human error and providing better user experiences. What’s more, it frees up the IT and HR departments to work on more strategic tasks.

Organizations that fail to provision and deprovision quickly can end up battling huge and crippling security breaches. For instance, a study has found that the average cost of a data breach in the US is $3.86 million per breach. Major data breaches can result in companies under performing in the market for years.

Auto-provisioning helps organizations keep their systems and data secure by ensuring that employees have access only to the applications that they need. Automated deprovisioning, on the other hand, helps them reduce security risk by ensuring that whenever an employee leaves, their access is automatically removed from all connected applications.

 

How Auto Provisioning Works

Using auto-provisioning, organizations can remotely set up their VoIP softphone systems across multiple locations. They can do so in bulk and manage the system through an intuitive cloud phone service platform.

Usually, after buying a VoIP softphone, organizations have to connect it to their network, locate its IP address and then navigate to the phone’s GUI from their web browser for the initial configuration. At this stage, they need to indicate the SIP server that the IP phone should connect to and provide other details. This is a long drawn process and is normally performed by a company’s IT team.

Auto-provisioning is a game-changer. It’s a plug-and-play tool as VoIP phones auto-provision themselves as soon as they are plugged into the network.

This automated provisioning tool works by connecting a plugged-in phone to a provisioning server. This server is housed either at the PBX provider or the phone manufacturer’s data center. Using the MAC address of the IP phone the server allows it to download the required provisioning files. These files contain the complete configuration details of the phone, which include the username, password, proxy server, and time zone.

This provisioning setup saves the carrier the cost and effort that goes into programming an IP phone to connect to their servers. This method is often used by mail order VoIP firms as they don’t need to log into an IP phone if there is an issue to be resolved. Instead, they change the configuration file on their server, and all the user has to do is restart the phone.

Some VoIP routers provide the option to point all phones on a network to one provisioning server. Each phone that connects to that specific router receives a packet that points the phones to the provisioning server. It automates the process of pointing the actual devices to the provisioning server.

 

8 Benefits of Auto Provisioning

Modern businesses gain a lot from auto-provisioning as it eliminates deployment and management roadblocks, allows service providers to configure and manage all devices remotely, enables bulk provisioning, provides flexibility, and saves costs. All that a user needs is a computer and internet access to get started.

Let’s look at the top benefits of adopting an auto-provisioning solution:

 

#1. Boosts productivity

When an organization brings in new employees or partners, they need access to company applications, resources, and data, and the company has to provide them with this access in a quick time. Manual onboarding can take several days to create an account, approve and move access requests for every user. This can massively increase the workload of the IT and HR departments, especially when bulk provisioning is required as you scale your business. Auto-provisioning reduces the time, effort, and costs incurred in configuring and provisioning phone systems.

#2. Easy to scale

Auto-provisioning allows businesses to scale their IAM (Identity and Access Management) platforms at the same pace as their growth, by automating and streamlining the onboarding and offboarding process as well as the lifecycle management of their identities.

If an organization’s workforce is working at capacity, it can be difficult to add additional load without the risk of a process breakdown. Auto-provisioning, however, is run by predefined workflows that are extremely scalable. Instead of adding people to their processes, enterprises can simply boost their IT infrastructure to cope with the new workload. It’s also easy to add to your technical capacity, as the software is able to perform multiple tasks in one go.

#3. Helps organizations stay compliant

Using auto-provisioning, organizations can exercise control over what tools and applications they grant access to, and can also trace account activity, and review and certify access. This helps them keep their network secure.

Many regulatory compliance policies ask for strict provisioning requirements, like assigning each user with a unique ID or revoking access immediately for a terminated user. Auto-provisioning ensures compliance with such policies.

#4. Reduces the risk of manual errors and revenue leakage

For businesses, systems that are out of sync with service platforms are the most common cause of errors and revenue leakage. This usually happens because processes are either incomplete or have been wrongly completed. This means the services are not activated or suspended correctly and this often results in clients being billed for services that they haven’t utilized.

It is imperative for organizations to reduce these errors by ensuring a seamless connection between provisioning and billing. This can be achieved through auto-provisioning.

#5. Auto-provisioning provides a single window, connected platform

A manual provisioning process usually involves a lot of paperwork and disconnected software and systems. Auto-provisioning, on the other hand, provides a single, connected platform to manage the entire process.

Every department is connected to the same database. This makes it easier for organizations to manage and maintain their IP phone systems more efficiently. It also minimizes the need to invest in maintaining the system and plugging holes.

#6. Increases transparency and optimizes visibility across the environment

Auto-provisioning gives employees access to tools and applications based on their roles in an organization. This gives their managers a complete view of who is accessing what tools and how they are utilizing this access. This way, resource access is not left to chance. Manual processes, on the other hand, can create inefficiencies as they don’t provide transparency into the tools being used by employees or in tracking access. Auto-provisioning gives a centralized, connected view of user access and identities.

#7. Improves accuracy

Auto-provisioning removes the need for manual data entry, thus reducing the chances of errors. It ensures that all attributes are mapped correctly.

#8. Improves user onboarding experiences

It’s not just organizations that benefit from auto-provisioning. The seamless onboarding improves employee experiences, and in the long run, helps enterprises retain their workforce.

 

Conclusion

Auto-provisioning is becoming a must-have tool for organizations as it secures and speeds up provisioning, helping businesses scale and optimize the onboarding and lifecycle management process. It’s emerging as a key to building an agile framework to support enterprises through technology, architecture, and software, by creating a connected operational process environment that is managed by a single software. In the long run, organizations achieve increased productivity and efficiency, reduce human error, increase security, and maintain compliance.

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29Jun

16 VoIP Softphone Statistics 2021: Market Share, Growth, Costs

June 29, 2021 Chetan Patel Softphone 70

VoIP Softphone Statistics 2021

 

As the world grows increasingly digitized, companies are switching to VoIP-enabled softphones for a more versatile and affordable solution to their unified communication needs. Not only do softphones improve an enterprise’s operating effectiveness, they also cut telecom costs, boost responsiveness, and yield greater profits. According to FinancesOnline, businesses can save $ 1,727 per month on mobile and long-distance calls using softphones.

When it comes to endpoints, businesses have a choice between softphones – that live on their computer desktop and draw from software solutions – or desk phones – the traditional telephony system we are all familiar with. While some phone system vendors are convinced that the days of the desk phone are drawing to an end, others believe that this legacy solution will continue to be a part of business environments for years.

A survey of more than 1,000 IT decision-makers by Frost and Sullivan found that, just like fax machines and typewriters, desk phones are headed towards becoming obsolete. The study found that half the respondents had already deployed softphones to provide telephony and unified communications (UC) services using desktop computers and mobile devices.

Deciding between deploying a desk phone or a softphone solution is a question that many enterprises face. In this blog, we’ll check out 10 statistics that make a compelling case for softphone use.

Phone calls without cables

The number of people using softphones has increased dramatically due to better quality of service, ease of use, and cost-effectiveness.

1. According to MarketResearchStore.com, the estimated global demand for the VoIP services market will be valued at $140 billion in 2021, with an anticipated CAGR growth of at least 9.1% between 2016 and 2021.

2. The number of VoIP residential subscribers in the US grew from 53.4 million in 2014 to 58 million by December 2016, as per Benzinga. Although the latest figures are yet to be released, as per the data company an estimated 60 million users have made the switch to softphones.

 

Unified communications and collaboration to drive businesses

The future of business communication is the unified model. The ongoing Covid-19 pandemic is a testimony to the changing conduct of business, pushing organizations of all sizes to adopt scalable, flexible, cloud-based phone systems for unified communications and collaboration.

3. As per the statistics from International Data Corporation (IDC), the worldwide Unified Communications & Collaboration (UC&C) market grew 29.2% year over year and 7.1% quarter over quarter to $13.1 billion in the fourth quarter of 2020.

4. Further, in 2021 and beyond, IDC expects worldwide UC&C growth to be driven by customers with interest in video, collaboration, UCaaS, mobile applications, and digital transformation (DX) projects. Vendors and service providers operating in the segment saw phenomenal growth in the number of users who opted for these services.

 

Significant cost savings

5. As elaborated above, businesses can save $ 1,727 per month on mobile and long-distance calls using softphones. Those moving to other unified models of communication. including the cloud, also reported significant savings.

6. IT World estimates that switching to VoIP phone solutions translates to over 45% savings for businesses per month as compared to traditional phone services.

 

Facilitates remote work

Apart from operational benefits, softphones offer several advantages for remote working as well.

7. In a study by Software Advice, 72% of respondents ranked softphones higher due to its seamless use for remote working. The future of workplaces is going to be remote where unified communication will play a major role.

8. Gartner predicts that by 2024, in-person meetings will account for just 25% of enterprise meetings, a drop from 60% prior to the pandemic, driven by remote work and changing workforce demographics.

 

Reduced cost of phone calls 

9. VoIP phone call and service costs are expected to fall substantially for both businesses and residential users. Tech.co in a report stated that prices for VoIP can be expected to decline by between 3% and 5% annually.

10. The reduction in cost will happen due to a number of factors including lower call charges, no monthly contracts, no service fees or hidden charges, no need to purchase expensive hardware, etc. This will result in continuous savings and not just a one-time discount.

 

Saves times and improves productivity

During the Covid-19 pandemic, employers were concerned about their worker’s productivity.

11. A study by Software Advice showed that 74% of employees who had access to softphones spent more than half of their working week using them while telecommuting.

12. The mobile workforce can save 40 minutes each day, which results in productivity gains of 3.5 days per year.

 

Easy integration and deployment

The ease in integration of softphones with any other software is helpful for employees. Softphones are a better choice for integration with Customer Relationship Management (CRM) software and office productivity suites like Microsoft Office or Google Suite.

13. The VoIPHub reports that only 14% of companies that implemented VoIP without any full-time IT staff faced technical issues.

 

Reduced teleconferencing costs

14. A study by Fusion Connect showed that the use of integrated communication, which combined voice and web conferencing, saved up to 30% in teleconferencing costs for companies, and an average of USD 1700 per month travel costs.

 

Government organizations use cloud services

15. Nearly 50% of government organizations today use cloud-based services. Cost savings and increased efficiency were the main reasons behind the shift, as per a Gartner report. The main driver towards cloud is largely data sovereignty, other than the immediate benefits of costs and innovation.

 

Collaborative work environment

16. A survey by Lifesize found that the adoption of video conferencing at work by employees increased by 48% as compared to its usage two years ago. This affirms the need for effective video conferencing tools as well as a communications shift toward collaboration.

Softphones are the future of unified communications. Depending on which solution you choose, organizations can operate entirely on the cloud, making them accessible from anywhere with an internet connection. Remote work and work from home are possible with browser-based, mobile, and downloadable desktop phone applications. These statistics make an excellent business case for switching to Softphones.

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18Jun

9 Limitations of Using VoIP DeskPhones

June 18, 2021 Chetan Patel VoIP 59

voip desk phones

The development of VoIP, or Voice over Internet Protocol, has transformed deskphones, or hard phones. The old traditional desk phones are fast turning obsolete, as most modern deskphones now operate over VoIP.

VoIP phones fall into one of two categories – deskphones and softphones. Deskphones are tangible devices that sit on your office desk. Although their look and feel are similar to analog PSTN phones, they connect to IP networks instead of telephone lines. On the other hand, softphones are applications that can be installed on PCs, laptops, tablets, or even mobile devices. Softphones don’t need a physical phone and you can use a window on your computer to dial numbers and receive calls.

As global work forces turn mobile and remote working becomes a norm in a post-pandemic world, organizations are increasingly leaning towards softphones, for the flexibility and mobility they provide to employees. Deskphones, on the other hand, keep employees desk-bound.

In this blog, we will understand what VoIP deskphones are, how they work, why this telephony solution is no longer a go-to option for enterprises, and the reasons it’s not considered a holistic communication solution by businesses any longer.

  •   What is a VoIP Deskphone?
  •   Top reasons why businesses choose VoIP Deskphones
  •   The Different Types of VoIP Phone Systems that Organizations Use
  •   Why VoIP Deskphones Are Not a Best Fit for Modern Organizations

What is a VoIP Deskphone?

VoIP deskphones are the phones that plug into your company’s IP network via an Ethernet cable to connect calls through the internet using a VoIP service. With this phone system, businesses can choose a managed service, where a service provider provides support and configures your system through a platform located in the cloud.

desk phone alternative solutions

Top Reasons Why Businesses Choose IP DeskPhones

Organizations usually migrate from traditional copper-wire telephone systems to VoIP systems for two primary reasons:

–    To save costs.

–    To bring about bandwidth efficiencies.

Since VoIP desk phones offer both voice and data to run on the same network, use a company’s existing hardware, and are more cost-effective when compared to PBX (private branch exchange) lines, businesses opt for this phone system. Some of the other reasons that organizations go for IP Deskphones include:

–   VoIP phone systems for businesses offer a communication package deal that includes phone calls, fax, voicemail, email, and web conferences.

–   IP Deskphones save organizations on monthly phone bills.

–   They can avail an array of features including customization, and personalize your phone, create shortcuts, and increase your efficiency.

The Different Types of IP Phone Systems that Organizations Use

VoIP Desk Phone systems digitally transmit communication as data packets via the internet. There are many ways in which this process occurs. Each process has its unique level of complexity that has an impact on the ease of deployment and maintenance. Let’s look at the different types of VoIP technology that power the Desk Phone systems:

  • Integrated Access

This makes VoIP phones function like traditional phone lines – where businesses can use their existing legacy phone systems. This happens by integrating the VoIP software with your phone system. Organizations stand to benefit as it reduces the cost of implementation, as they do not have to purchase any new hardware. They can keep their old equipment and phone number to access VoIP’s telecommunication features.

  • Session Initial Protocol (SIP)

SIP trunks create digital pathways for voice communication. They leverage existing traditional phone hardware and add the benefits of VoIP to it. The flexibility of SIP trunk enables VoIP desk phones to easily integrate with private branch exchange (PBX) telephone systems and cloud technology.

Businesses can avail the advantages of shared lines by transmitting voice and video information across data networks. Since all communications data goes through a network, SIP trunk acts as a replacement for analog phone networks. They also allow for an integration of legacy phone systems with SIP trunking using a VoIP gateway.

  • Hosted IP Private Branch Exchange (PBX)

Hosted IP PBX is one of the more popular forms of using VoIP Desk Phone technology. Telecom vendors host and operate a private branch exchange through which they offer unified communications solutions to businesses. Organizations can access a vendor’s VoIP service by connecting to the cloud-based PBX network through their IP network.

The vendor maintains all the hardware that is needed for communication in an off-site location and takes charge of hardware and software maintenance, upgrades, and security as well.

  • Managed IP PBX

This technology is very similar to Hosted IP PBX. The service is managed and maintained by a third-party provider. But the organization manages the phone hardware on-site. The PBX provider charges a fee as per the number of phone lines they install, configure, and update, as well as the equipment upgrades needed to facilitate VoIP communication.

9 Limitations of IP Deskphones for Modern Organizations

There are several downsides associated with VoIP Desk Phones that enterprises are often not aware of. Let us look at them:

1. VoIP Desk Phones need a reliable and fast internet connection

VoIP carries voice calls, texts, faxes, video chats, and all other types of data, across the internet. Your VoIP Desk Phone works only as well as your internet connection. This means that a VoIP Desk Phone service needs a reliable and high bandwidth internet connection to function seamlessly. If your network bandwidth is poor, it will affect the quality of your communication. It is critical for VoIP devices to receive a low latency on your network. Each device should have at least 100 kbps of upload speed.

2. VoIP desk phone systems can be expensive in some cases

Although one of the biggest USPs of VoIP phone systems is that they’re cost-effective, they need certain basic conditions to be met to offer monetary benefits. Factors such as expensive internet connections, hardware, mobility issues, service plans, and government-imposed restrictions can make VoIP systems dig deep holes in company pockets. For instance, you may register with the wrong type of VoIP service plan and end up using much less of the service than you are paying for. Alternatively, your call volume may go beyond the package you have taken, thus increasing your per-minute usage expenditure.

3. VoIP desk phones lack some key features and can be complicated to use

Many users find VoIP desk phones complicated to use and complain that the phone comes with unnecessary features and a confusing-to-use menu. For instance, these phones don’t offer the one-touch buttons that are found on all digital business phones. These buttons enable users to access another extension with the touch of a button and make phone usage seamless. VoIP phones usually use a complex menu that can be accessed using up, down, left, and right arrow buttons which can prove cumbersome. Also, VoIP-based desk phones need six or more buttons to be pressed to connect to conference calls.

4. VoIP desk phones face battery backup and power source challenges

All VoIP phones need a 48-volt DC power source which is supplied through an expensive POE (Power over Ethernet) switched hub or a power pack. If an organization opts to use power packs, then the phones need to be located next to electrical outlets – creating an extra logistical burden in office spaces. Every VoIP phone doesn’t come with its own battery backup and is generally connected to an AC wall adapter This means if there is a power outage, the phone goes dead.

5. VoIP desk phones don’t have easy access to the Main Box or Voicemail box

VoIP phones have off-site computer servers, leaving the end-user with no control over the main box and open to facing issues like server crash, network lock-up, a failed switched hub, or a router lock up.

6. VoIP desk phones add to the IT departments workload

With VoIP phones, an organization’s IT team will have its hand full, as they require constant maintenance such as virus updates, computer repair, and software and firmware updates. With IT engineers already busy servicing the company’s network and computers, this unnecessarily adds to their workload.

7. VoIP desk phones can have complicated features

VoIP desk phones typically lack the one-touch buttons that are found on digital business phones. With these simple buttons, users can access another extension or any other phone feature with a mere touch. The complex menu of IP desk phones can be a problem for users to navigate.

8. VoIP desk phones have wiring issues

Wiring for IP-based desk phones comprises a 4-pair category 5e or category 6 cable with a modular plug. This means the wire is much larger than a standard thin one pair telephone line cord that is in traditional office phones – which, in turn, means that one may have to bear the expense of installing new wiring across their office in order to accommodate VoIP desk phones.

9. VoIP desk phones face challenges because of an off-site server

If an organization has a VoIP phone network where the main server is off-site, your company’s office phones and other organizations’ phones will all share the same computer server. So when the server crashes, thousands of phones may go down. Additionally, these systems do not allow customized auto-attendant greetings and make do with a general voicemail greeting.

Also, enterprises lose control over the main box with an off-site server. This can cause diverse challenges like a server crash, the internet may go down, the network may lock up, the switched hub may fail, the router may lock up, the VoIP company may shut shop, or even a rogue employee may turn your phones off from an alternate location.

 

Conclusion

It goes without saying that people are used to desk phones, and even if VoIP desk phones are totally different from regular landline phones, people are comfortable with the familiarity of using them.

However, organizations are rapidly realizing that VoIP desk phones are more costly than softphones, require regular hardware maintenance, and the cost of these phone systems increases with every feature that you add to them.

In order to do away with these challenges, a growing number of enterprises are now gravitating towards using the VoIP softphone – to avail the low-cost, low-maintenance, and high-feature benefits they bring.

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19May

5 Benefits of Softphone for Telecom Companies

May 19, 2021 Chetan Patel Softphone 59

softphone benefits for telecom companies

The global telecom industry has been undergoing a seismic shift in the last few years. The technology that has driven this change is Voice over Internet Protocol or VoIP. VoIP-based mobile dialer phones – or Softphones – are an entirely new way to make voice and video calls. As this technology matured, its impact on the telecom sector has increased. Today, VoIP is the driving force behind many telecom majors and continues to grow in influence.

An important reason for the growth of VOIP technology is the increased global reach of businesses and changing working models. The gig economy is growing, and the changing nature of business requires organizations to retain the ability to communicate anywhere in the world at a minute’s notice.

A report by UK’s Ofcom suggests that “in the coming years’ broadband-based call services will become increasingly common, as PSTN is reaching the end of its life, becoming increasingly difficult and costly to maintain. Many major telecom providers are offering VoIP products delivered over broadband to their customers.”

How are VoIP-based mobile dialers changing the telecom industry?

A 2021 Global Market Insights estimates that the size of the VoIP market was over USD 30 billion in 2020, and is expected to grow at a CAGR of 15% from 2021 to 2027. Innovation by the VoIP industry, as well as improved internet connectivity, is driving this trend. Also, with over 80% of global organizations adopting Unified Communications, it is clear that softphones have a booming market.

In this blog, we will look at the VoIP mobile dialer technology and how it has metamorphosed the global telecommunication space.

  • What is a Softphone or VoIP mobile dialer and how does it work?
  • Why Softphones are a game changer for the telecom sector.
  • Benefits that telecom companies can offer global enterprises through VoIP-based softphones.
  • What advantages do telecom companies get by offering VoIP mobile dialers to enterprises?
  • The future of a VoIP-powered telecom sector.

Softphone: What it is, How it Works, and its USP for telecom players

What is a Softphone or VoIP mobile dialer and how it works

What is softphone

Softphones are software-based dialers that can be used on any computing device. They are quick and easy to deploy as well as maintain, and system admins can implement and update VoIP software across all machines in one go. Since no new hardware installation is required, they’re cost-effective as well, with organizations needing to pay only licensing and service fees.

VoIP-enabled softphones are the new way of making voice calls – as it revolutionizes the way audio voice calls are transported. In traditional telephony, the sound was converted into electrical signals, which were then transmitted through a network of phone lines. This system is called a Public Switched Telephone Network (PSTN).

Voice calls work differently with VoIP. Now, the audio doesn’t get translated into electrical signals. Instead, it is converted into internet protocol (IP) data packets that are transported via the internet from one end of a call to the other. Softphone devices include computers, smartphones, or tablets. The software itself is provided by a dedicated VoIP or communication service provider.

Modern softphone applications have an accessible, user-friendly interface that users can navigate with ease. This means an organization’s entire workforce can make calls using their own devices while using simple and familiar dialing and calling experience.

Now that you know what a softphone is, let’s understand how it’s changing or impacting the telecom sector.

Why Softphones are a game-changer for the telecom sector

softphone for telecom company

In an established commercial sector like telecom, not all new technologies capture the collective industry imagination like VoIP mobile dialers have done. Why has this new technology taken such a hold over the telecom sector?

The answer to this question can be found in the number of advantages VoIP offers over the older telephony method.

As VoIP technology gets more mature and better developed, its benefits outrun PSTN on a number of fronts.

Telecoms companies and carriers, then, have little choice but to adapt to VoIP. It’s what customers want, so it is what they must deliver. Also, it is not only customers who will benefit from a switch to VoIP dialers.

The seemingly unstoppable migration to VoIP is good news for telecoms firms, as there are several notable advantages for them too. Let’s look at some of these advantages:

  • Cost

Making calls via VoIP is more cost effective than doing so via a PSTN. A VoIP mobile dialler doesn’t need expensive hardware installation or phone lines. It can be up and running in the time it takes to install the required software. Since geographical distance doesn’t matter in VoIP calls, long-distance calls don’t come at a premium.

  • Portability

Modern organizations are no longer restricted to a single geography. Companies work out of multiple premises and even encourage remote working. VoIP telephony is in sync with this modern, mobile style of working.

  • Unified communication

VoIP mobile dialer systems offer users more than just voice calls. They deliver Unified Communications as a Service. Voice calls, instant messaging, and video conferencing can happen through one system.

  •  Maintenance

The traditional PSTN relied on an aging infrastructure. Telecom companies often ended up providing services using outdated copper wire phone line networks. As these networks got older, the cost of maintaining them rose multiple folds.

Also, a physical network of phone lines is vulnerable to issues like weather or vandalism acts. VoIP-delivered services are much easier to maintain and fix.

  • Convenience

Across the world, major telecom carriers are already leveraging VoIP technology, building internet protocol (IP) based networks to provide both voice calling and broadband services. Relying on such IP-based networks is far more convenient for carriers as they don’t have to maintain a separate PSTN for call services.

Benefits that telecom companies can offer to global enterprises through VoIP-based Softphones

The move to Unified Communications (UC) by businesses around the world is unstoppable. A Grand View Research forecasts that the global UC market will register a CAGR of a whopping 17& from 2019 to 2025.

Workers are increasingly demanding packaged mobile solutions and organizations are driving softphone adoption in a big way. This means that ignoring the opportunities this market presents is not possible anymore. 

As the COVID pandemic unfolded, enterprises of all sizes transitioned their workforce to remote working technologies.

A major challenge for many businesses, especially small companies with limited resources, is to equip their remote workers with the right tools. No business can afford to lose touch with its customers, which makes communication technology a key requirement. In fact, many work from home employees use their own devices, be it a desktop or mobile phone. This makes Softphones a handy tool. What are its advantages for organizations?

  • Low cost and minimum hardware

Softphones can be downloaded on existing devices, eliminating the need for hardware investment, cabling requirements, or dedicated lines. If a softphone requires a software upgrade, most providers let you upload the latest version for free.

  • Easy scalability

To make communication quick and seamless for employees, downloading a softphone is the easiest option. That way, new employees can be easily provided with a phone and phone number in no time. In fact, some companies are avoiding landlines altogether by switching to VoIP and taking advantage of softphone options.

  • Increased privacy

No one wants to give out their personal number for work purposes. Softphones allow employees to hand out one business number through a simple softphone app download on their mobile device or laptop. This way, they don’t miss any calls and don’t compromise on privacy.

  • Video capabilities

Most softphone applications include video conference capabilities. This is a very useful feature for organizations that conduct frequent meetings with external clients or with overseas teams.

  • Security

Most softphones come with end-to-end encryption and have systems to detect and stop fraudulent callers, keeping organizations, their employees, and their data safe. They also have firewalls against hacking and making fraudulent calls on a company’s behalf.

  • Benefits of unified communications

As more and more telecom companies offer a VoIP-powered common communication platform across devices, it makes it easier for employees to communicate with one another and simplifies the way they connect with clients. They can schedule conference calls, send instant messages, converge voicemails with emails, and access several other communication options that PSTN and traditional phones do not offer.

  • Softphones are future proof

Like any software, a softphone app can be easily upgraded. This enables organizations to have access to the latest features and functionalities when updates are rolled out, without investing in any additional equipment.

  • Softphones support BYOD policies

A bring your own device policy encourages employees to use their own devices. This works well for remote workers, and employers don’t have to incur the costs of providing equipment. Softphones easily fit into an enterprise’s BYOD policy as users can convert any device into a business communication tool.

What advantages do telecom companies get by offering VoIP mobile dialers to enterprises?

The telecom sector was originally built on the foundation of the Public Switched Telephone Network (PSTN). This network required telecom companies to invest heavily in physical infrastructure.

VOIP mobile dialers do not require such an infrastructure, as the entire process of making and receiving calls happens on internet waves. Audio is transformed into data packets whenever a call is made. VoIP technology uses the internet to carry data packets to call recipients anywhere in the world. This process of conversion to data packets happens in the same way that all forms of online information are sent or received.

The benefits of Softphones far outweigh that of PSTN. In terms of connectivity, they do not require public bodies or private companies to establish and maintain physical infrastructure – only an internet connection is needed.

Similarly, expanding and upgrading PSTN requires huge financial investments. For VOIP mobile dialers, the upgrade can happen with a simple software update.

Many of the features that are offered on VOIP mobile dialers, such as call waiting or call forwarding, come as part of a complete package, and at no extra cost. On the other hand, most of these are paid features on PSTN.

Major telecommunication companies are moving to VOIP dialer services because advances in internet technologies, such as 5G networks, remove obstacles for VOIP such as internet speed.

The future of a VoIP-powered telecom sector

What does the rapid advance of softphones mean for the future of the telecom sector? Will it displace traditional telephony and become the communication technology of the future? Current trends and statistics definitely point towards this.

Let’s consider the US market. The shift to softphones is accelerating in North America, and some experts predict that the technology could replace PSTN as early as 2025. To stay in tune with this trend, many leading telecom firms are already moving significantly towards VoIP dialers. Also, many big US companies already power landlines via VoIP.

In a report on the future of fixed telephone services and the growing traction for VoIP, the United Kingdom’s Ofcom observed: “PSTN is reaching the end of its life and becoming increasingly difficult and costly to maintain. We recognize that the migration to VoIP is necessary to ensure the continued provision of reliable landline telephone services given that the PSTN can no longer be sustained in the long term.”

There is growing consensus that VoIP mobile dialers are the future of the telecom sector. To survive and prosper, all telecom companies will have to become VoIP-enabled firms.

Conclusion

The telecommunications industry is changing, and VOIP telephony technology is set to replace older PSTN systems that are currently in place. It is no longer if, but when.

VoIP has been proven to be a more superior and feature-rich technology. For organizations, there are added benefits and significant savings on communication costs. There are already VoIP services in the market that cater to the unified communications needs of businesses. For companies that wish to cut down on expenses and boost communication efficiency, VOIP mobile dialers are the way to go.

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05May

What is WebRTC and How it Benefits Enterprises?

May 5, 2021 Chetan Patel WebRTC 69

What is WebRTC

Web Real-Time Communications (WebRTC) is an open source solution that was built by Google in 2011. It allows peer-to-peer communication in web browsers and mobile applications through the use of application programming interfaces (APIs). This includes audio, video, and data transfers.

To define broadly, WebRTC reduces barriers in communication. This disruptive technology leverages plugin-free APIs and can be used in both desktop and mobile browsers. Today, WebRTC is supported by almost all major browser vendors. Before the birth of WebRTC, external plugins were needed to achieve the same functions.

In the last decade, WebRTC has seen steady growth in popularity and adoption. By 2016 there were an estimated 2 billion browsers enabled to work with WebRTC. It has also logged over a billion minutes and 500 terabytes of data transmission per week from browser communications.

WebRTC’s main function is to allow access to devices. Users can access the microphone or camera on their phone or laptop, or even the entire screen. They can capture displays and even have that screen shared or recorded remotely.

WebRTC isn’t limited to voice and video. It allows sending and receiving any type of data. It’s also becoming a go-to choice for real-time communications as it is an open source project, is free for commercial or private use, is available in all modern browsers, and since the source code is portable it can be used in mobile apps as well. WebRTC has created a vibrant ecosystem of different vendors and companies, which, in turn, has enabled the creation of new use cases and business models.

In this blog, we will take a holistic view of how WebRTC works, how it powers softphones, and in what ways can businesses benefit from using this open source technology:

  • How does WebRTC work?
  • VoIP Vs WebRTC powered Softphones
  • Why you should use WebRTC Softphones
  • How WebRTC enhances SIP capabilities
  • Is WebRTC Secure?
  • Benefits of WebRTC
  • WebRTC & Enterprises: How business can use and benefit from it

How does WebRTC work?

If you wanted to build something that allowed for voice or video calling a few years ago, you would have used C/C++. This would involve long development cycles and high development costs. WebRTC changes all that – it replaces C/C++ with a Javascript API.

WebRTC makes use of 3 main Javascript APIs:

  • Media Stream: It acquires audio and video by accessing your device camera and microphone.
  • Peer Connection: It communicates audio and video. Allows peer-to-peer audio and video communication. This includes establishing the initial connection, monitoring, and closing the connection.
  • Data Channel: It communicates arbitrary data. Enables bidirectional transfers of data between two peers.

These APIs allow browsers to use and send audio, video, and data to other browsers or endpoints.

VoIP Vs WebRTC powered Softphones

You can have VoIP without WebRTC, but you cannot have WebRTC without VoIP, as WebRTC is an evolution of VoIP.

Questions have been raised in the telecommunication industry whether WebRTC is compatible with or runs against VoIP? Are they friends or foes? Can the two systems coexist, do they overlap, and how do organizations benefit from them?

VoIP has been in the telecom arena for a while and has grown to become a formidable communication replacement. Many businesses now rely on the cloud power of business VoIP to take care of their business communications.

So where does WebRTC fit into this? The short answer is that the two work well together. With the addition of WebRTC, VoIP not only thrives but gets a boost as well. The WebRTC standard makes VoIP more robust, user friendly, and flexible. We now commonly find VoIP coming directly onto websites. It also has started popping up in mobile apps to allow for simpler, powerful, and accessible unified communication platforms.

WebRTC can be considered an extension of VoIP that brings the potential of making phone and video calls, chats, and Peer 2 Peer file transfers directly to the web browser or mobile app. WebRTC allows for more widespread adoption of VoIP, acting as an extension for VoIP into new platforms.

Why you should use WebRTC Softphones

VoIP softphones are emerging as the fastest way for organizations to start making and receiving calls. You can download apps made by vendors, or even third-party ones that work with your VoIP Solution. However, not all softphones are the same. Some of these are free of cost, some are payment-based, while others may not be compatible with all the features offered by your service provider.

For instance, some vendors provide VoIP softphones only for a few platforms like Windows laptops and iOS phones. So if an employee is using a different device, he doesn’t have the software option to use a VoIP softphone.

VoIP softphones that are based on WebRTC are an ideal solution for businesses as they require no plugins, frameworks, or applications, are entirely peer to peer, and clock the highest performance and lowest latency. What are the other reasons that make WebRTC based softphones the most go-to option?

  • With web-based calling, the hardware or operating system is not of importance. The solution works on any WebRTC-supported browser.
  • Organizations don’t have to worry about updates. Most companies apply security patches to operating systems and software applications like web browsers by default.
  • WebRTC based calling has benefits over hardware VoIP devices as well. Businesses don’t have to buy separate equipment for calls. Most employees already have laptops, desktops or mobile devices with a browser. In that case, they don’t require physical equipment at all. This eliminates the costs associated with VoIP calling and lower CapEx and OpEx. You don’t have to plug phones into the network, provision them for VoIP or fix them when something malfunctions.
  • Secure or HTTPS WebSocket calling reduces security risks for enterprises. Every new piece of hardware or software application that you bring into your business poses a security risk, as it can be an avenue for hackers to exploit. However, no modern enterprise can do business today without using a web browser. And if you can make calls using the same browser, you close several security loopholes.

How WebRTC enhances SIP capabilities

Though WebRTC and SIP don’t need each other to function, connecting them together can help organizations extend their communication possibilities in a big way. The most significant benefits of integrating WebRTC to SIP include a more seamless user experience with one click audio contextual communication and a provision to receive inbound calls over the Internet without crossing the PSTN. This way, web users can connect with legacy PBX equipment with a single well-defined protocol.

Another positive outcome of using SIP and WebRTC instead of PSTN is the HD audio quality. It also results in improved audio transmission reliability by using codecs that are included in WebRTC, like Opus, which is a better fit to be used over the public internet. This codec is well integrated in PBX like FreeSWITCH, Asterisk, and almost all modern softphones.

As the adoption of WebRTC grows, it will result in VoIP and SIP becoming more robust, user friendly, and flexible. Organizations that leverage deeper customizations of WebRTC can offer greater web browsing experiences to their customers and deliver better communication tools as well. As the value of personalized communications and platforms grows among modern-day users, innovative tools that enable simple, direct, and customized communications will become a key factor in gaining an edge over the competition.

Is WebRTC Secure?

While WebRTC offers new and innovative value propositions like in-browser audio, video, and data communication without plugins, it also raises important security questions. Is the technology secure to use? What must developers implement to ensure seamless security while using WebRTC?

  • All components come with mandatory encryption, and all JavaScript APIs need secure origins via HTTPS or localhost.
  • WebRTC requires explicit permission from the user before it can allow the use of their microphone and cameras.
  • WebRTC ensures complete and always-on end-to-end encryption. Also, it provides security for both voice and video as it uses the Secure RTP (SRTP) protocol for encryption and authentication.
  • WebRTC does not need any software plugins. Therefore, it provides the security benefits of avoiding downloading software platforms like Flash.
  • WebRTC enables an organization’s employees to work from a single communications device, be it BYOD or tablets. This opens up new ways of getting maximum benefits from a web browser. As WebRTC is supported by the security benefits of TLS (Transport Layer Security), it makes the use of BYOD safe from a security standpoint.

Benefits of WebRTC

Benefits of WebRTC

It is easy to understand the hype around WebRTC when one looks at the advantages it delivers to both users and developers. Be it the fact that WebRTC is open source, to its low latency and interoperability, makes it an attractive technology option:

  • Low latency delivery and networking: At sub-500-millisecond glass-to-glass latency, WebRTC is the fastest way to transport video across the internet. A video call API with a WebRTC integration enables users to share data directly to a device or application without getting into the series of servers.
  • Platform and device independence: WebRTC is supported by all major browsers and devices. This makes the technology easy to integrate into a range of apps without needing any dedicated infrastructure. Any WebRTC-enabled browser that uses any operating system and web services application can create a voice or video connection with another WebRTC device or media server. The browser operating system is not relevant.
  • It’s an open source technology: WebRTC draws huge benefits from having thousands of software developers working on it in tandem, standardizing conferencing protocols, and making interoperability less of a concern.
  • Adapts to any network condition: WebRTC makes reliable publishing over poor network conditions possible because it supports ‘simulcasting’. With WebRTC simulcasting, a user can generate multiple streams at varying bitrates and quality, so that poor network conditions don’t obstruct video contribution.
  • Screen sharing: WebRTC video chat applications enable the sharing of a screen remotely with another device or user who has appropriate access.
  • Seamless multi-user video conferencing: WebRTC signaling servers enable organizations to make real-time and smooth multi-party video and voice calls globally. WebRTC video and voice calls require minimal media stream to connect users in multi-party video calls.
  • Easy collaboration: The old process when you had to sign in for an account, download the platform and install several platforms to connect with another user is gone. WebRTC text chat makes it convenient and simple to collaborate.
  • Real-time services for live communication:  WebRTC can integrate with any application to experience a live conversation across sectors. The WebRTC infrastructure and video chat SDK creates a direct route to make live conversation possible and provide real-time communication services, whatever the industry.
  • Interoperability with VoIP and video: This could easily be the biggest benefit of WebRTC. It provides interoperability with existing voice and video systems. These include devices that use SIP, Jingle, XMPP, etc.
  • Secure voice and video calls: WebRTC provides always-on voice and video encryption. It uses the Secure RTP protocol (SRTP) for encryption and authentication, for both voice calls and video. This is hugely advantageous over WiFi networks as it prevents eavesdropping and recording of calls.

WebRTC & Enterprises: How businesses can use it 

WebRTC is already widely accepted and used in office communications and its growth trajectory is going further up. Let’s look at some industries where WebRTC plays a key role:

#1. Contact Centers

For contact centers, WebRTC opens up huge possibilities for communicating with customers. Most major web browsers support WebRTC, which means contact centers can offer customers more contact channels that do not require downloads.

With WebRTC, customers can call a company using their website. This is a viable option as they don’t need to leave the company’s web page to get in touch with them. It also provides the contact center with critical data on the customer journey.

Contact centers can directly go through their website to have live video calls with customers, eliminating the need for downloads or plugins. Also, since WebRTC allows sharing data, video, and audio, contact centers can use it to offer support to customers.

WebRTC enables online messaging, or live chats. This creates a space for real-time communication through a website. Customers send a message and agents can reply instantly. As WebRTC can be embedded in both mobile apps as well as browsers, contact centers can also offer live chat from mobile devices.

#2.  Business Communications

From fixed lines to mobile networks, circuit-switched systems to VoIP, telephony has taken huge steps in the last few years. WebRTC is currently the biggest driver behind telecom innovation, as IoT and browser communications are set to drive future telecom growth.

A few seconds of delay is immediately noticeable when engaging in a video conference. With WebRTC, users don’t have to download bulky plug-ins and apps or deal with a codec that can’t facilitate high-level data streams. Now, your conference calls – be it audio or video – can proceed smoothly.

File sharing is a major feature of WebRTC. Recording, sharing, and hosting, files are in expansion mode today. Creating and hosting videos on your website helps promote your brand and build relationships with consumers.

#3. E-Commerce

What if you could click on an ad and immediately be connected with the company rather than waiting for the web page to open, scrolling and finding things out for yourself, and then hunting for a phone number to contact? WebRTC changes the way people interact with ads and companies.

#4. Healthcare

Healthcare providers and startups are jumping onto the WebRTC bandwagon. If you need to see a specialist anywhere in the world, WebRTC video streaming means your feed is less likely to cut and is more secure than if you used a plugin. WebRTC is making medical innovation accessible to all. Location or mobility will no longer come in the way of a patient’s ability to receive healthcare.

#5. IoT

WebRTC was initially used by social apps like Facebook Messenger, Discord, and Houseparty. Now it is a part of the smart home devices domain as well – as doorbells stream video to your phone, and remote building security and access use voice and video.

How WebRTC can benefit businesses

WebRTC’s unique features like easy collaboration, low latency delivery, and secured multi-user voice and video calls make it a viable technology option for businesses:

  • WebRTC can be easily integrated into an organization’s website. Once that is done, all it takes is a click of a mouse for users to call the business directly, be it for sales, support, or a customer service query. The outcome for an organization is that its service personnel can engage with more customers, faster and get more issues resolved.
  • WebRTC can be embedded in a company’s website, mobile apps or on marketing banners that are published on the internet as advertisements. This creates new and additional call-in channels for consumers to reach out to the company.
  • WebRTC enables the sharing of relevant data – for instance, customer-specific information – with an organization’s support staff that’s handling a customer query. WebRTC enables organizations to know more about their end users. When a user is surfing a company website, his browsing information can be passed to the agents, along with the incoming call. This reduces the time taken to collate this information during the call.
  • WebRTC makes collaboration simpler. With no additional software needed, a company’s staff can attend key meetings online with no obstructions. This enables them to work more efficiently. It also saves money as there is no requirement to buy updated software.
  • WebRTC facilitates inviting external parties to web conferences over the internet without the need to install any plugin or application, with or without authenticating the person’s identity. This reduces resistance and helps meetings turn more productive.
  • Due to its increased security WebRTC can also be used for information transfer.

Conclusion

WebRTC has emerged as a disruptive and innovative communication solution that is driving the growth of business unified communication. As this free, high-quality technology, that seamlessly enables P2P connections, grows from strength to strength, it is not hard to imagine a day when WebRTC enabled communication will rule voice and video calling, as well as data transfers.

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