What Is a VoIP Caller?

Part of running a small business is being able to accept phone calls from customers, as well as making phone calls to customers, suppliers, and others. When talking about making calls, you may hear the term “VoIP caller”  but wonder what it is. Learn more about VoIP callers and get a refresher on VoIP in general, including the benefits of using it for your small business.

What Is VoIP? (Voice over Internet Protocol)

A Voice over Internet Protocol (VoIP) is a phone system that uses the Internet to make and receive calls instead of traditional landlines. For most people and businesses, VoIP offers an alternative to having a landline with your local telephone company. VoIP numbers don’t typically require complicated installation and tend to be more versatile, letting you answer them on the go with the right system.

What Is a VoIP Caller?

A VoIP caller is simply someone calling you from a VoIP system. So, they aren’t using a traditional phone carrier such as AT&T or Verizon.

How to Identify a VoIP Caller

Let’s go over a few methods that will enable you to identify a VoIP caller.

Use Caller ID

One of the simplest methods to identify a VoIP caller is to use caller ID.

CNAM Lookup

CNAM stands for caller ID name. This is the name connected to the caller ID. If it shows up, just search for it to determine where it comes from.

Use a Reverse Phone Lookup Service

You can also use one of the many services that give you the name of a caller when you enter a phone number.

Check the Domain

Depending on the VoIP system, the call may show a domain linked to it, as you would get with an email address. You can look this up.

Use a Packet Analyzer

If you have a hardphone or softphone, you can use a packet analyzer to log traffic. It will include the IP details of VoIP calls.

Benefits of Using VoIP for Your Business

VoIP is the right choice for most small businesses due to its long list of benefits.

Nationwide Long-distance Included

Even with a local customer base, you may still occasionally need to make long-distance calls. This is especially true for small businesses with online stores and those who work with suppliers on the other side of the country. If you need to make a long-distance call outside of the U.S., the price will also be much cheaper than with a landline.

Incredibly Easy to Set Up

Compared to landlines, VoIP phones are incredibly easy to set up. You can typically do so without installing too much additional hardware, if any at all. In many cases, you can even set the system up yourself, without needing to pay for expensive installation.

More Affordable

While prices for VoIP can vary greatly, it is almost always more affordable than an equivalent landline. The monthly costs are usually lower, and the installation cost is either lower or non-existent. You will also typically get additional features for free that would cost you more with a landline. These features can include an auto attendant, phone extensions, conference calling, call routing, and more. It’s worth noting that you may have to pay extra for some of those features with your VoIP, but if you do, you would still spend less than you would with a landline.

Additional Features

As mentioned, the additional features you may want for your phone system tend to be more affordable (or included) with VoIP. You can also frequently get access to more features than are even offered by landlines. Overall, some stand-out features of VoIP systems include:

• Call recording
• Call transcription
• Call queues
• Auto attendants
• Call analytics
• Advanced call management
• Conference bridge
• Instant messaging
• Number porting
• Mobile apps
• Desktop apps

These features from a VoIP service provider are especially helpful for small businesses. That is because small business phone systems don’t traditionally include many of the features. With a landline, most of those features are only available to larger companies and come with a premium. 

Getting these features with your VoIP phone number, therefore, gives you access to VoIP technology you wouldn’t otherwise have access to. It can also make your business seem more professional because of client-facing features like the auto attendant. 

Portability Via Mobile Apps and Mobile Forwarding

Thanks to the mobile apps that are part of the best VoIP phone systems, you can easily make and receive calls on the go. Instead of mobile apps, your VoIP system may let you set up call forwarding to a mobile phone, which will essentially do the same thing.

Better Sound Quality

Assuming you have a good internet connection, the sound quality for VoIP calls tends to be much better than landlines. This helps your team gather accurate information from callers and improves the customer experience.

Easy to Scale

Because no or minimal physical installation is needed, it is incredibly easy to scale up your phone solution if you have a VoIP system.

Cons of Using VoIP for Your Business

While VoIP phones are a smart choice for most businesses, you should be aware of a few caveats.

You Need Internet

The most important consideration is that you need to have a strong internet connection. In general, you will need about 100 Kbps per line. A higher internet speed can improve call quality, so this is not an area with much wiggle room.

The Line Is Susceptible to Power Failures

Because VoIP systems require the internet, if the power goes out, so does your phone. By contrast, traditional landlines can continue to work during power failures. However, that will only be the case depending on the physical phone you use.

Some People Block VoIP Calls

VoIP technology is growing, but some people are still hesitant about accepting calls from a VoIP phone number. They are concerned about the risk of number spoofing or other scams from VoIP callers. As such, some people use systems that will block any VoIP call. This can prevent your outgoing calls from reaching your customers. 

That said, this risk is decreasing as VoIP calls become more popular. 

Potential Security Risks

If your VoIP system isn’t secure, there is the risk of hackers listening in on calls or stealing information. However, you can prevent this by choosing a reliable system.

Tips for Improving VoIP Call Quality

As mentioned, VoIP calls tend to be of much higher quality than those made over traditional landlines. But you can still do some things to improve the call quality when using a VoIP system.

• Get a better headset
• Get a router optimized for VoIP
• Get a Digital Enhanced Cordless Telecommunication (DECT) phone
• Get a jitter buffer
• Protect the VoIP traffic stream, so part of the bandwidth is dedicated to the VoIP
• Turn off Bluetooth devices that may be interfering

Get Started with Podium

If you want to be able to make VoIP calls and are looking to modernize your phone strategy, consider getting phone services from Podium.

Stop missing leads. Start growing your business. Get started with Podium Phones today.