Poor call quality is something you may have experienced when using your VoIP phone system. Not only can this be an extremely frustrating experience for your employees and your customers, it can be very bad for business. The good news is that the common issues associated with VoIP call quality have very simple solutions. Here are the top tips for improving the audio quality of your VoIP calls:
Prioritize VoIP Traffic
Delay occurs when there is a higher than normal latency on your network. Latency is the amount of time it takes between one person saying something and the other person hearing what was said. For the audio on a phone call to sound clear, one-way packet delay time should be under 150ms. When latency is over 150ms, the delay is noticeable to your users, and will sound like an echo.
To improve latency and jitter (variation in delay of packet delivery, or “poor audio quality”) issues, you need to prioritize VoIP traffic over the network. Quality of Service (QoS) is a feature available in quality managed network switches that allows you to prioritize your voice traffic. This ensures that your phone calls are going to get the bandwidth needed for high-quality audio, regardless of what else is happening on the network.
Upgrade Your Internet Connection
The success of VoIP depends on the download and upload speed of your internet connection, and while most ISPs deliver speeds sufficient for surfing the web, they aren’t fast or stable enough for VoIP calls. To ensure quality calls, upgrade your connection to business class high speed.
Upgrade Your Network Equipment
One of the most common, yet most overlooked, issues with VoIP call quality has to do with the router. As the device that connects all of your computers and network equipment to the internet, it plays a vital role in the success of your VoIP call quality. Make sure you are using a VoIP router, which is configured for packet prioritization
Additional Tips:
- Make sure your headset has echo cancellation, volume control, and sound masking to ensure quality audio.
- A strong Wifi signal helps with call quality. Consider the positioning of your router. Mount the router on the wall for a signal boost, or purchase a Wifi signal booster antenna.
- Simultaneous uploads and downloads will affect call quality, so pause them before you make a VoIP call.
- Train your IT staff. Make sure they understand how the hardware, software, and data flow work. Fully trained and prepared employees are equipped to handle any problems that arise, and are also able to take advantage of all the great features VoIP offers.