VoIP FAQ
Below you will find answers to the most commonly asked VoIP FAQ. We have attempted to answer these simply and without all the techie words. Scroll through these VoIP FAQ and if you have any questions send us a message in the contacts area or call us on 0800-567-567. Alternatively register for our free no obligation telecommunication audit service.
What is VoIP?
Voice over IP is a technology that delivers your telephone lines to your business over the internet or a dedicated data circuit. Instead of having a separate copper cable coming into you’re your business for each line, your lines are simply delivered over one connection. This saves you money on line rentals and calling costs are drastically reduced.
What is SIP?
SIP stands for Session Initiation Protocol. Don’t get bogged down with tech words however. SIP is simply the protocol that is now the most common form of VoIP delivery. It has fast become the industry standard and we use this method for our VoIP delivery.
Do I need to change to VoIP?
At some stage you will need to change to VoIP. The major carriers have already indicated that they will be turning off their copper networks soon. Now is the time to transition to this fantastic technology. Not only can you save heaps off your phone bill each month but you get added features that add real business benefits.
Do I need a fibre connection?
Fibre connections are great for VoIP as the bandwidth is so much greater however you don’t have to have one to get VoIP. You can use your existing internet connection or we can supply one especially designed for VoIP. These internet connections actively manage your voice data and prioritise it so call quality is not impacted in periods of high demand.
Does Maxicom offer broadband services?
Yes we do. We can offer ADSL, VDSL and Ultra fast fibre broadband services. Contact us today.
So is Maxicom a carrier?
Yes we are. We can provide you with your lines and telephone services and provide you with one invoice each month. Now you don’t need to deal with multiple suppliers. We do it all.
Is this going to cost me a lot?
VoIP is fantastic value. In most cases there is no capital cost if you keep your existing telephone system. Our solutions include all the equipment required to convert your existing telephone system to a VOIP capable unit. All you make is savings.
How much can I save?
This depends on how many lines you currently have and how many calls you make. Usually VoIP scales very well for businesses with 3 lines or more. It is not uncommon for customers to save $250 off a $500 phone bill. We have customers who had a $1300 per month phone bill and who are now saving over $800 per month. Maxicom offer a full audit and cost analysis service free of charge. Just send us your phone bill and we will send you back a full breakdown of that bill as well as a comparison if you changed to VoIP. You will be amazed.
This all sounds too good to be true. What’s the catch?
There is no catch. What you see is what you get.
What added features do I get?
Now this is where it gets interesting. Not only does VoIP save you money buts it adds a huge amount of new features that will really benefit your business.
Call recording. All your calls get recorded if you choose to switch it on. You can download the actual audio conversation of the call and play it back. You can even email it to another person if you wish. This is great for compliance and a good way to establish what may have been said in a disputed business conversation. How much? – Free with the service.
Conference Bridge. This is another fantastic free service. You can setup an audio conference room where your staff, clients or associates can dial into the all be connected together. This is great for staff that are located in different geographical locations. Other carriers charge big money for this service. Our cost? Free with the service.
Voicemail to email. If someone leaves you a voicemail message the message gets converted to a wav attachment and sent to you in an email. You can listen to this on your smartphone or on your PC or laptop. The message can also be forwarded via email for other people to deal with. Once again this service is free with the service.
Faxes to email. Not many people are using faxes anymore but if you do, we have just the solution for you. Are you often concerned about how much paper and ink you use for faxes? In many cases faxes are just junk faxes but it still costs you to print them. The fax mail feature converts your faxes to email and emails them directly to you. You guessed it. This service is also free.
Incoming caller ID. If your phone system can receive it then you will get the number of the person who called displayed on your phone. Many other carriers charge a fee for this service. Our charge is free with the service.
Online call records. You can go online at any time to get a detailed record of all the calls you have received and all the calls you have made. This gives you a huge amount of visibility into how many and who are making calls to your business.
All the other services you would expect like call diversion and forwarding are all included free with the service. The list goes on and on. If you have a particular feature or requirement let us know and we can see if we can do it.
Is there any interruption to normal service when we change over?
No. The entire transition to VoIP is seamless and you will not notice any difference whilst we do the change. Our engineers will project manage the entire change over and even deal with your old carrier for you. All you need to do it get on with your business and leave the techy stuff to us.
Is it reliable?
Yes as long as it is engineered correctly. Our solution includes a number of measures to ensure reliability. All our solutions include a special VoIP router. This router prioritises voice data over all other data to ensure that voice calls are guaranteed sufficient bandwidth so that call quality is not impacted during periods of high demand. Our system also includes an uninterruptable power supply that ensures that the system is protected against power surges, brown outs and failures. Our solution also includes active monitoring of your internet connection. Our servers ping your internet connection every 6 minutes 24 hours a day. If it fails for any reason our engineers are notified automatically. Lastly we also provide automatic fall back to a number of your choice. If your internet connection fails for any reason our system will automatically divert your calls to that nominated number. This can be a mobile phone or any other number. This provides you with even more redundancy than your old analogue or ISDN lines.
What value does Maxicom offer?
We have had years of experience in VOIP. We know how to deliver a reliable VOIP service second to none. Our solution also includes a managed service. No more do you have to deal with a faceless carrier. If you have a problem you simply call us and we deal with it for you.
Do I have to replace my telephone system?
No. We can upgrade any phone system to VoIP no matter how old it is.
I don’t have a telephone system. Do you supply them?
Yes we do. We have a full range of telephone systems to suit business environments from 1 to 1000 staff members.
Contact us
Call us today on 0800-567-567 and let us show you how a complete turn-key solution from Maxicom can save your business money and increase productivity. Alternatively take advantage of our free no obligation telecommunications audit service by clicking here.