Everything You Need to Know Before Buying Enterprise VoIP

Enterprise VoIP is a confluence of communication solutions such as traditional phones, softphones, mobile devices, and video conferencing to make collaboration easier. You may wonder what the difference between business VoIP and enterprise VoIP is.

While there might be limits to the number of users a business, a good VoIP system can handle, enterprise VoIP can handle an unlimited number of users. With enterprise VoIP, you can also assign user-based roles so that your enterprise VoIP solution would not be abused by the wrong users.

Like other emerging technologies, enterprise VoIP comes with its own set of buzzwords. These often cryptic terms can be confusing to newcomers and tend to make enterprise VoIP technology sound more complex and formidable than it really is.

Here's a quick rundown of some of the common terms you'll see when reading about enterprise VoIP vs. PBX:

Firewall

A set of related programs, usually located at the network's gateway, protects a private network's resources from external users.

Gateway

A network interface that converts calls in real-time from a public-switched telephone network (PSTN) to an IP network.

H.323

An international standard for real-time voice, video, and data communication over packet-based networks, including the Internet.

IP

Internet protocol. The network layer protocol in the TCP/IP communications protocol suite that forms the foundation of the Internet and intranets.

IP PBX: Private Branch Exchange

An enterprise telephone switching system that interconnects telephone extensions to each other as well as to the public-switched telephone network (PSTN).

Packet

A bundle of binary data sent over a network.

PSTN

Public-Switched Telephone Network. The traditional phone network.

QoS

Quality of service. The ability of a network (including applications, hosts, and infrastructure devices) to deliver traffic with minimum delay and maximum availability.

VoIP

Voice over Internet Protocol. The general term for the family of technologies that use the Internet Protocol's packet-switched connections to exchange voice, fax, and other forms of communication that have traditionally been carried over the PSTN. 

SIP

SIP trunking or Session Initiation Protocol. A protocol that provides telephony services similar to H.323, but is less complex and requires fewer resources.

Softswitch

A programmable network switch that can process signaling for all types of packet protocols, including IP.

VPN

Virtual Private Network. Often used by enterprises to create WANs that cover large geographic areas, VPNs let IP packets travel securely over a public IP network by encrypting all traffic from one network to another.

WAN

A network that covers a wide geographic region, such as a state or country.

Most enterprise VoIP solutions include features such as:

• Voicemail
• Audio calls
• Call Blocking
• Conference calls
• Caller ID options
• Call forwarding
• Call routing
• SMS
• Call recording
• IVR
• Screen sharing
• Virtual faxing
• Auto-attendant
• Real-time call transcripts
• Call analytics and reports

All of these features of enterprise VoIP systems can help you manage a successful customer service contact center for your business while also promoting collaboration within teams.

If your business operates an active customer service contact center, enterprise VoIP can be one of the most economical solutions to your needs. With enterprise VoIP, you are able to transfer calls to the right agent to ensure that the customer’s needs are met properly.

With access to analytics and reports when using an enterprise VoIP solution, you can have a better overview of your contact center call agents and help you manage your employees more efficiently.

And with an integrated CRM solution, you are able to provide an even better customer service experience when the complete customer interaction history is available to your contact center call agents. Enterprise VoIP can help make customer communication easier and more seamless for new and potential customers to foster customer loyalty.

There are several enterprise VoIP solution providers that are popular among businesses of all sizes:

Zoom

Zoom is an enterprise VoIP system that gained in popularity during the early days of the pandemic and its rising popularity seems here to stay as more and more enterprises have adopted Zoom as their chosen enterprise VoIP provider. With its cloud-conferencing platform that doesn’t require any installation, Zoom is a popular choice in the enterprise communications circuit. With its mobile app, you can have more flexibility in your enterprise VoIP system and promote collaboration within your remote workforce.

Cisco Webex

Cisco Webex enterprise VoIP system is also a cloud-based solution that allows collaboration between teams in different locations, which is also ideal for remote workers. Cisco Webex is a cost-efficient enterprise VoIP solution with an easy-to-use interface and can fit companies of any size.

Genesys

Genesys is an enterprise VoIP provider that provides an omnichannel presence to promote seamless collaboration. This way you can maintain communication from start to finish, which is helpful if you are running a customer service contact center with your enterprise VoIP solution. With its ease of deployment, Genesys enterprise VoIP has become a popular enterprise VoIP choice for my businesses.

Vonage

Vonage enterprise VoIP is a unified communications suite with packages and plans that can be customized to fit your business’s unique needs. With its cloud-based software suite, there is no investment in communication equipment when using its web-based user portal from any desktop or mobile device. With over 40+ enterprise VoIP features, Vonage can be an all-in-one communication solution for your business.

Dialpad

Dialpad enterprise VoIP solutions is a cloud-based system for agile business communication and collaboration. With its AI voice intelligence, mobile apps, and ability to be integrated with Salesforce, Microsoft Teams, and other systems you can create a dynamic workflow within your establishment. With Dialpad’s customizable enterprise VoIP plans, you can get exactly the type of features that would improve productivity in your business.

To get more assistance in selecting the best enterprise VoIP provider for your unique requirements and what you should consider before picking a service provider, consult with our Phone Systems Buyer’s Guide and compare the different enterprise VoIP solutions available on the market.