More and more small to midsized businesses are switching over to Voice over Internet Protocol (VoIP) phone systems as they go remote. This is a smart move for many reasons, but it can be frustrating to encounter issues regarding VoIP call quality—especially when higher call quality was one of the reasons you changed to VoIP in the first place. Read on to find solutions to the top 7 most common VoIP call quality issues.
1. Make Sure You’re Not Using Wi-Fi
You’re more likely to experience VoIP call issues if you’re placing them through a Wi-Fi network because Wi-Fi networks often have spotty connections and can be over-congested with devices. You’ll get better results with ethernet or, if using a smartphone, a strong LTE connection.
2. Update Your Router
Especially if you’re now conducting business from home, your router may not have the right capabilities for transmitting business VoIP calls. You’ll want routers that offer a QoS (Quality of Service) feature and virtual LAN (VLAN) support.
3. Make Sure You’re Allocating Sufficient Bandwidth
If you’re not setting aside enough bandwidth on your network just for VoIP, you’re bound to experience call quality problems. Voice packets go through a complicated process before reaching a call recipient, so the less bandwidth they’re working within, the more likely a bottleneck will occur.
4. Reconfigure Your Network Properly
Once you’ve made sure to allocate the right amount of bandwidth for VoIP, you also need to assess whether or not your network traffic is being routed the right way. This is often done with the aforementioned QoS feature, which makes sure that your VoIP voice packets have bandwidth priority over other data packets.
5. Eliminate Jitter
If you’re experiencing audio that seems to occasionally skip out, it’s likely a case of jitter, which occurs when audio packets are delivered to a recipient at a slow or irregular pace. To prevent jitter, you’ll likely need to update your ethernet cables. If new cables don’t fix the problem, get in touch with your VoIP vendor to discuss implementing a better jitter buffer or improving the one that you already have.
6. Invest in Higher-Quality Headsets
It’s possible that the VoIP call quality issues you’re experiencing aren’t due to network issues but are instead related to the quality of your employees’ microphones. Bluetooth and other wireless headsets often just don’t perform as well as we’d like them to, so you might want to invest in corded or USB headsets with high-quality microphones and noise cancellation features.
7. Work with a VoIP Expert
If you feel like you’ve tried everything and your VoIP calls still aren’t at the level of quality you’d like them to be, consider reaching out to your VoIP provider for help. If you’re considering switching VoIP providers, or if you’re already a customer of ours, Press8 Telecom has solutions to even the most complicated problems, including call quality. All of our service tiers, no matter the size of your small business, include 24/7, US-based tech support.
Why Choose Press8 Telecom?
Especially if you’re located in Austin, Press8 Telecom is the best choice for VoIP solutions. We’re headquartered in Austin and have been offering cities everywhere and residents of Austin VoIP systems since 2006. Over the years, we’ve rigorously updated our systems and protocols and are always aware of the latest best practices. Countless small business owners happily rely on Press8 for their business telephone systems.
Get Started with Press8 Telecom Today
We provide Austin VoIP solutions of the highest caliber. Here at Press8 Telecom, our staff of business communication specialists is ready to answer whatever question you might have—whether related to VoIP call quality or not—so get in touch today.
