Expert in Unified Communications Shares Reasons Why Many Organizations Are Not Benefiting from VoIP
Baton Rouge, LA – January 30, 2017 – Gage, a leading provider of unified communications, has been informing small to mid-sized businesses of the top five VoIP audio issues so they can maximize utilization and reap the rewards of this technology. Unfortunately, many companies that have made the investment in VoIP have experienced subpar performance, particularly in the area of call quality. This is due to a variety of factors and left untouched, will cause frustration for everyone associated with the phone system including employees, customers and vendors. Gage has been educating customers on the five most likely culprits of subpar VoIP performance and what steps an SMB can take to fix these issues quickly and simply.
- Disable The “Comfort Noise” Setting. This is a setting on many VoIP systems that inhibits the flow of data that simply doesn’t need to be turned on. Usually, its default setting is “on” but it’s as unnecessary as jazz music in an elevator. It’s especially important to turn off when users are having call quality issues, as this directly affects performance. Imagine an elevator that doesn’t stop at every floor because it’s running low on power, but you still are expending power on soothing jazz music.
- Make Sure Your Firewall Isn’t Accidentally Blocking Out VoIP. Nowadays, intelligent CIOs are erring on the side of overprotection, and one of the byproducts of that aggressive approach is that sometimes firewalls block out mission-critical applications, like VoIP. Firewalls are built specifically to keep things outside of a network and SMBs would do well to make sure that VoIP audio packets aren’t being blocked from access. In other words, VoIP audio data packets should be treated like VIP data coming into the network, instead of having to wait in line to be let in. This often results in one-way audio.
- Ports Aren’t Open or Are Misdirecting Data. Take a look at your gateways and ports on your network. If the correct configuration isn’t set up, your incoming data has no choice but to get mixed up, like an air traffic controller who has no idea which gates are open and which already have planes at the gate. This is happening all the time, but we notice it with audio because we can hear it immediately.
- Make Sure Your Codecs Match. Since VoIP data is real-time-transport protocol (RTP), both sides of the interaction must be set to the same codec, otherwise the audio packets won’t function properly. It’s like one person speaking through a cell phone and the other using a walkie-talkie. Since, they’re not using the same frequency, there will be distortions even if they can vaguely hear what the other party is saying.
- Make Sure You Have Enough Bandwidth to Avoid Jitter and Latency. Everyone has experienced spotty conference calls that sound crystal clear one minute, and then very choppy the next. The big culprits here are jitter and latency, which are the result of too much traffic on a network. Just like traffic, instead of focusing on optimizing the car, it’s best to just add lanes to your freeway so that all the data functions better. This is accomplished simply by purchasing more bandwidth for all your devices. It should be a last resort, after you’ve tried everything above.
“This is how we differentiate ourselves,” stated Jason Landry, VP of Sales at Gage. “We conduct all of this assessment up-front, instead of waiting until our customers report issues with call quality. Our clients can’t afford to have poor quality calls with their prospects, employees, and vendors so we take care of this with every customer. We take a consultative approach and become a trusted IT advisor to our customers so they can focus on their business, instead of IT and telecommunications.”
ABOUT GAGE
Gage was established in 1980 by Gregory A. Wood, Sr. The company’s original mission continues today, which is to provide the very best products and services that enable its clients to increase their profitability, obtain a competitive advantage, and improve employee productivity. Gage has served the Baton Rouge and South Louisiana business community for nearly 30 years through a culture of striving towards excellence and unparalleled commitment to customer service.
Gage helps companies of all sizes simplify their technology decisions with straight answers about everything from business telephone systems and computer networking to VoIP and voicemail services. The company conducts a complete needs analysis to ensure that each customer implements the right technology to meet their needs now and into the future.
Gage has built a strong team of highly experienced and industry certified voice and data specialists. These individuals proactively assist customers through high-level support and strive to exceed their expectations on a daily basis. The team is backed by a fleet of state-of-the-art service vehicles ready to respond to customer calls 24 hours a day, 7 days a week. Gage has distinguished itself from the competition by becoming one of the region’s leading telecommunications companies.
For more information on Gage please call (225) 753-4243 or fill out our contact form.