Many of the companies has decided to change completely their communication system and use softphones. Softphone is a software program based on the Session Initiation Protocol (SIP) used for making and receiving phone calls. Instead of using the actual fixed or IP phone, you can just install it on your desktop, tablet or mobile. It is being considered by many people as the best system to do it, since it presents many advantages like lower cost, no hardware and no additional investment. But before you believe it is all rosy and softphone is the best thing could happen to your business, we want you to present some characteristics the softphones providers are hiding from you, so you can decide on your own if indeed is the best solution for you, or if you would prefer the WebRTC phone services.
Main problems of using softphones
- It must to be compatible with your operating system. If you want to start using softphones you will have to look for a provider who can offer you the one compatible with your operating system. Depending on if you are using Windows, Linux, Android, iOS or any other, you will have to choose one provider or another. It means you have less choice of providers, and less flexibility to choose the best offer. Also, if you use different operating systems at your company, for example some of your employees use Android phones and others use iPhones, it will make it even more difficult to find a softphone that suits both of them.
- It requires installation. You can only use it on the devices you have previously installed it, so it reduce your mobility since you cannot use it wherever you are, from any device you want. Installing the software implies reducing the memory capacity, so it is better if you could avoid it.
- Difficult configuration. Even though softphones do not require any hardware, the configuration still can be problematic. It might require opening the router ports or changing the local network. If you do not do it, it will reduce the Internet speed and make impossible to do various phone calls at the same time. But, it could bring a serious inconvenience, since opening the port make the network more vulnerable to hacker attacks and make it less secure.
- Low quality. The softphones are well known for the low quality of its services.The metallic voices and interruptions is its day to day. Since it uses the SIP it means that the quality will depends on the Internet connection. And if you, for any reason, lose your connection, you will be cut off from your clients and there will be no possibility to contact you.
What other options do you have?
So, if softphones are not that great as it seemed to be, and you do not want to spend a lot of money on the IP phone, or keep using an antiquated fixed phone, what choice do you actually have? At Fonvirtual we give you the right answer, which is WebRTC (the newest VoIP service). It is an open-source technology developed by Google that improves the IP telephony. It performs all of the advantages of the softphone, but in addition is able to overcome the problems we have mentioned earlier.
In order to use it you do not have to install any hardware, software, plugin nor application. You can perfectly use it from your browser. That means that you can use it no matter what operating system you use and from any device with Internet connection. Neither will you need to do any type of configuration. No router port opening, so you do not have to be worry about your cybersecurity.
And one of the best characteristics it has is its HD quality. You do not have to be worry about interruptions or metallic voices. And it adapts to your Internet connection, so you can still enjoy the best quality possible even if your signal is not good. And even if you do not have the Internet connection at the moment, your calls can be forward to your fixed or cell phones, so you will never lose the contact with your clients and we will not charge you anything for doing that.
So, are you still thinking the softphone is the best option for communication at your company? If you are still not convinced that WebRTC phone services are not the best solution for you, do not hesitate to contact us and we will solve all the doubts you have.
