VoIP is much discussed technology around. We hear everyone talk about benefits and opportunities with VoIP. But one thing which is not much discussed is :-
Does VoIP have any limitations? If yes then What kind of limitations?
There really are few limitations, VOIP is one of the most flexible phone systems out there. Your only going to limit yourself based on the money you want to spend, and how deep you want to dive into configuring your own system.
Probably the biggest obstacle you will run into is your internet connection, and if you utilize it for data and your SIP trunk, you can run into latency issues, however this is not something directly related to VOIP. This would be more of a 3rd party type issue, and if you are aware of what you will need when it comes to the connectivity side, you should not have any issues.
On the VOIP side, there are so many flavors and distributions as well as providers, the possibilities are almost endless. While choosing a hosted solution, you will have limits on how many conference rooms you might be able to have, you may not have the option to forward voicemail to email, your IVR tree may be limited, but again, for more money, you can always remove those limitations.
When configuring your own VOIP system, and simply outsourcing the internet connection and SIP trunk, you can remove just about every limitation. Again, not all of them, but the ones that are left again, relate to hardware and money, as well as office footprint. Current systems can handle 100+ calls simultaneously, are you willing to spend the money on the switches and handsets to handle 100+ handsets? Can you have your ISP provide the needed bandwidth? Is there room in the office for all the equipment?
Typically we see between 40-50 handsets in a typical mid-size business. I currently have a customer with just shy of 50 handsets, spread throughout the United States, and 1 single server located in Chicago. The system is extremely flexible and proven solid and reliable. Not only will your own system handle the calls, IVR trees, and ring groups, voicemails, it can, and when configured, alert you to updates, provide reports on calls, times of calls, inbound/outbound calls, to what countries etc. You don’t have to wait on a invoice from a provider or request the information, all of that is contained within the system itself.
The other limitations you may actually have are more than likely software dependent. While I utilize open source PBX systems, running over a Linux operating system, there are proprietary systems out there, such as Cisco, and Microsoft. The fact is you will more than likely be utilizing support when using those types of systems, and not running or installing on your own, but, again, you will hit limitations imposed by the company your dealing with. And it is not that these are deal breaking limitations, but having spent the last year and a half administering phone systems, the limitations are in place to ensure quality service, and reliability, not to hinder use of the system. I should also point out, that when paying for this service, while you may have extra charges to increase conference rooms, or increase and IVR tree, or alert to voicemails via email, most will supply a far more user friendly detail records available in a web interface.
Choosing to use a provider, or to do it yourself, understand and realize, that this is not, as with anything going to have 100% up time. While your side, or the provider can remain up, there are so many other places for issues to arise as well. Switch’s, core routers in major data centers, the receiver of the calls you make, while these remain very scant in occurrence, they can happen, and it does not, and should not reflect negatively on VOIP systems. Today we are heavily reliant on the internet and network connectivity, and will always face challenges to keep the information flowing, but in the world of phone systems, VOIP and SIP trunks are flexible and reliable for all of today’s business!
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