Sales Director
For customers who want to understand what a product or service can do for them, industry jargon can be super frustrating. As a technical industry, VoIP providers and experts are often guilty of using industry speak when describing the features and benefits of their services. And let’s face it, as a small business owner, you’ve already got plenty to think about, without having to reach for a dictionary every time you want to buy something.
We’ve pulled together some of the most frequently used VoIP jargon and created a handy guide to take the pain out of learning about digital communication. If you’d like to learn more about VoIP, what it is and how it works, head to our article ‘What is VoIP?’
An API is a tool which allows two pieces of software to interact. For VoIP users, APIs play a huge part in VoIP integration, a feature which enables you to pair your favourite tools and platforms (e.g. CRM, email clients) with your VoIP platform. It does this by acting as a bridge between your VoIP system and the desired tool, allowing them to talk to one another.
If you’re switching to VoIP, but want to hang onto your analogue phone, an ATA can help. By converting your landline signal into digital data, an ATA allows you to make VoIP internet calls using your analogue phone.
You call your doctor's surgery and are greeted by a message saying, “Welcome to your local surgery; we can help you with a range of different services. For reception, press 1. For prescriptions, press 2. “ This function is known as an auto attendant or virtual receptionist.
It allows your small business to automate call routing, greeting customers and giving them a series of options to select the service they require. It also saves small businesses from taking unnecessary calls, freeing staff up to focus on the job at hand.
Your bandwidth is the amount of data that can be sent across your broadband connection during a particular period of time. For VoIP users, this often means the amount of calls or general data you’re able to send or receive.
If you don’t have enough bandwidth to handle the volume of call traffic you receive, your call quality may drop, resulting in delays and call dropouts. If you feel your call quality is being affected, chat with your provider, who should be able to assist you to increase your bandwidth.
Call routing is a handy feature of most VoIP systems. In many cases, it works hand in hand with an auto attendant feature, giving the customer a series of options and allowing them to select which service they require. Once they’ve made a choice, their call is then routed to the correct department or team that can help them.
Calls can also be routed depending on the specific skills required, and the availability of certain teams - even via hunt groups, which allow calls to be routed evenly throughout a particular team.
Cloud or hosted VoIP is often when your solution is looked after by your provider, instead of hosting it on your premises and maintaining it yourself. As per the name, these systems are hosted in a cloud environment and, while often maintained by your VoIP provider, are also available for you to manage if you prefer.
Both options can be great for small businesses, offering the perks of traditional VoIP without additional security or maintenance worries.
Codecs are a vital part of the overall VoIP process. They convert your voice into a digital signal that can be sent over the internet and heard by whoever you’re speaking to. It works the other way, too - converting digital data back into sound so you can listen to the voice of the person you’re talking to.
Different codecs perform specific tasks, including eliminating latency and distortion, while also determining the amount of bandwidth you’re using.
This type of number allows callers to reach a specific person, team or department within a business, without going through a switchboard or auto attendant. For smaller organisations, DDIs can prevent callers from waiting in call queues if they need urgent support. They can also help to reduce call volume by preventing endless call transfers.
When the main power source or internet connection for your VoIP goes down, you need systems in place to ensure that your business can keep operating. In the event of a disaster or outage, a failover system automatically switches to a backup power of whichever system has failed, allowing you to continue serving customers, while giving you time to repair your primary source.
A common feature with many VoIP services - hunt groups allocate calls evenly throughout a particular group of phones. This group of phones is often situated within a relevant team and can be programmed to work in several ways.
Common uses are sequential answering, where when a phone rings, if it isn’t answered, it jumps to the next phone in the hunt group. Alternatively, hunt groups can be set up so that all phones ring at the same time. These features help to avoid missed calls, and ensure customers receive support promptly.
A popular cost-saving feature for smaller businesses, VoIP integration allows you to pair your favourite platforms and tools with your VoIP system. This means that instead of investing money in ‘compatible’ systems, you can combine your current tools, such as CRM and Email clients, with your VoIP system.
Integrations allow you to access a range of data and customer information in a central place - this way, you don’t need to open new applications to access the information you need.
If you’d like to learn more, head to our article on ‘VoIP Integration’.
ISDN and PSTN lines are the two network types that connect traditional landlines. ISDN is the standard network connecting consumers worldwide, allowing them to make calls. It is available via leading carriers in each location.
Where PSTN is a single copper line connection, ISDN splits these lines into multiple digital channels. ISDN is popular with mid-to-large businesses, making it easier for them to communicate with multiple customers at one time.
Similar but more comprehensive than an auto attendant, an IVR is a function that allows your VoIP system to interact with customers based on their request. An example of an IVR is when you call your bank, and are prompted for your security details. The IVR then offers a series of options based on your request - e.g. retrieving your bank balance or specific account details.
Latency is a delay between an audio signal being sent and received. In the context of a VoIP call, this may cause breaks in communication, affecting the flow of a call. It can be caused by a number of issues, including not having enough network bandwidth to handle incoming call traffic. If you experience latency, speak to your provider, who will likely have a series of options to help rectify these issues.
A leased line is a fixed bandwidth dedicated fibre internet line that connects two or more locations. With a leased line, you’ll have access to a faster, more stable and more reliable internet connection. This is because your connection is private and isn’t shared or split between locations other than the ones you specify.
Omnichannel communication allows you and your workforce to view multiple communication streams in one central inbox. This includes SMS, emails, voice messages and instant messaging. By giving your staff a complete overview of a customer's journey in this way, they can provide personalised and relevant support.
On-premises VoIP is a type of digital communication that is built into your onsite network, instead of hosted in a cloud. This type of system is often more popular with larger businesses that prefer more control over their systems and can afford the additional upkeep.
For VoIP to work, it has to transmit a user's voice as data packets over the internet to the desired recipient. Packet loss is when these data packets don’t reach their chosen recipient. When this happens, because data is received incomplete, it can reduce call quality, leading to delays and call dropouts. Causes of packet loss include weak internet signal, faulty hardware and insufficient bandwidth.
Porting is the transfer of an existing phone number to a new service or provider. For analogue phone users switching to VoIP and wanting to keep their number, this makes both financial and logistical sense and eliminates the need to send costly communications notifying customers of a new number.
QoS is a collection of protocols designed to support voice and video data over VoIP. It uses techniques, software and tools to monitor bandwidth and network traffic, ensuring call quality doesn’t drop below a certain standard. Using QoS as a part of your VoIP system can help prevent latency, call dropout, and jitter.
Sessions border controllers are used to process and secure data sent between networks. They can be virtually installed software or physical components placed within your network’s infrastructure. Their main function is to sit on the borders of a network and monitor, authenticate and sometimes modify data, to ensure it is safe to enter your network.
SIP is a set of rules that allow communication to be sent over VoIP. It sends data between ‘endpoints’ (these could be PCs, mobiles or other digital devices), allowing your VoIP system to send and receive video, audio or instant messaging communications. SIP uses a process known as ‘trunking’, which breaks up communication into data packets to be transmitted over SIP channels.
Softphones are software designed to mimic the functions of a desk phone on your computer and can be used alongside headsets to make audio or video calls. They can often be bought under a single software licence and eliminate the need to purchase multiple desk phones, making them a cost-effective option for smaller businesses.
VoIP technology relies on a series of real-time functions. These include instant messaging, video calls and voice calls. RTP helps to manage and maintain the quality of this real-time data, rectifying issues like packet loss and re-arranging data that arrives in the wrong order.
Where RTP is the name of the protocol, SRTP (Secure Real-Time Transport Protocol) is a security layer that sits on top of RTP, both encrypting and authenticating data as it is transmitted.
The Big Switch Off refers to a date in early 2027 when all analogue communication networks in the UK will be turned off. For users still using ISDN and PSTN landline connections, it’s important to start looking into digital options such as VoIP.
This means that when the Big Switch Off arrives, you’ll be prepared and will still be able to communicate, whether for personal or business purposes.
A Unified Communication system allows you to bring together multiple platforms, tools and features within your VoIP system. VoIP integration plays a large part in this, allowing you to pull from different programs and access the relevant data without having to switch between multiple tools and platforms.
UC systems like T2K’s 3CX model not only save companies time and money, but they promote efficiency, allowing you to deliver faster, more streamlined customer service.
We hope you’ve found this guide useful. If you’re a small business owner and you’d like to learn more about the ins and outs of VoIP, contact T2K today.
Having worked for T2k for nearly 25 years, it's fair to say that Lee is an expert when it comes to all things telephony and business communications. Overseeing the commercial side of the business, he has helped the company evolve and grow through the decades. In recent years, and with the advent of VoIP and hosted telephony, Lee has made sure that T2k is at the forefront of technological developments. With a firm interest in helping businesses navigate the world of telecoms, Lee is responsible for the majority of the content on this website.
