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What is Hosted VoIP - more details Last Updated: 22/07/2015 |
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Hosted VoIP is an alternative to a traditional telephony system
using an internet connection to initiate calls. As it is hosted, the system is
feature rich and cost effective. Upstream hosted VoIP (Voice over IP)
runs on existing computer networks and eliminates the requirement for on-site
switchboards. Therefore no PBX hardware
is owned, maintained or operated by the end user. Instead of on-site hardware, Upstream
hosted VoIP works using servers in multiple UK data centres – a virtual
switchboard in the cloud – meaning your telephone system no longer has
geographic constraints. As a result,
personnel can easily work across
locations, calls can be transferred
between locations, be picked up from any
location and all phones within the system work as if they were “in the same location” This functionality means that
because the system thinks it is in the same building all calls within the
system are free, so calling between offices or to remote workers becomes free.
The main reason is to cut costs,
often dramatically. It is not uncommon
to half rental costs by moving from ISDN to VoIP and call costs can be reduced
by up to 90% Hosted VoIP eliminates the need for
expensive hardware and maintenance contracts.
The only initial investment is for compatible phones which start at
around £40 (unless you use your PC/Mobile phone as an extension). Every company using our service,
large or small, has access to the same extensive corporate switchboard facilities.
The ability to link your offices, use your mobile phone or PC as an internal
extension, as well as TAPI integration with Outlook ,CRM and other PC software
gives further increased functionality. Often organisations initially look
at VoIP when capacity is being reached in an existing telephone system. VoIP is entirely scalable and additional
lines can be added within 48 hours. Rather
than adding more ISDN lines and committing to new long term contracts we offer
a simple, quick and easy way to increase capacity. In the same way that capacity can be added,
it can also be reduced as you are only committed to the current month.
The online management tool allows
you to be in complete control. You can set up call forwarding, call groups,
hunt numbers and individual answer phones by department or DDI. You also have access in real time to reports
such as itemised call records and usage reports.
A “Superfast” connection will
support 100+ concurrent calls; to ensure good voice performance you will need
to be able to configure your router to prioritise VoIP traffic. If you can only get ADSL this is sufficient
for most small businesses and will handle upwards of 5 concurrent call
connections depending on line speed. We recommend you consider installing a
separate ADSL line dedicated to voice. SIP trunks are used to connect VoIP
to the outside world but your Upstream VoIP subscription will include the use
of our SIP trunk. Upstream VoIP can also be used with
Satellite broadband.
A wide range of telephones with extensive
capabilities is available from £40 to £200; we will make sure you have the right
phone for your requirements.
The phones come preconfigured from
Upstream and all that is required is to plug them into the network. If network sockets are at a premium the phone
and PC can be daisy-chained. Web Portal configuration is totally
controlled by you, so there is no more waiting for an engineer to make minor
changes to your set up. If you are keeping your existing
numbers, we need to apply to your current provider for them to be ported, and
the timing depends on when they release the number. However, you don’t need to
wait for this, you can set up your new telephone network and it will present your
company number to your customers and suppliers.
Larger companies mitigate the chance
of internet failure by combining broadband connections from different
providers, thereafter failover between networks can be achieved automatically. In the event of total network failure
calls can easily be redirected to mobiles or landlines through the online
management system. If the worst happens and the office
is destroyed, we can get preconfigured phones shipped the same day that can be
plugged in anywhere and work exactly as they did in the office – with the same
numbers.
A key benefit of Upstream hosted
VoIP is that the system is supported remotely so no more costly engineer site
visits. Patches and upgrades to the
system happen remotely and automatically, without downtime. Additionally the system is monitored in real
time so faults are dealt with proactively before they impact on you. This is
different to traditional telephony which relies on faults being reported by
customers.
At Upstream we stand by our service
and so we will not tie you in to a long contract. You are only committed to the month you are
in and this gives you the flexibility to increase and decrease lines as your
workforce changes. Additionally, the
phones are not tied to your local exchange so moving office is a breeze. (NB: Legally, the location of the phones needs
to be logged accurately for 999 calls).
Upstream VoIP is a managed service
and, in order for us to manage the service, we would prefer that you buy the
phones through us. We can then pre-configure them for you and know that they
will be 100% compatible with the service. You can rest assured that our range
of phones is competitively priced. If you have an existing investment
in VoIP phones then it is likely that they can be configured to use with
Upstream, just ask. The “line rental” is
actually a subscription and starts at £7.95 per line / number per month.
Quantity discounts are then applied from 10 lines onwards. Call recording, auto
attendant and call queuing are all also available at a small extra monthly
cost. Call costs are charged by the second subject to a minimum charge of 1.5p. Example costs are:
UK: 0.38p per minute (0.0063p per second) Mobile: 2.2p per minute France: 0.9p per minute Germany: 2.94p per minute USA: 9.0p per minute Indonesia: 8.0p per minute
If you would like to trial the
service, you can with no strings attached. We will send you a phone and logon
to use as much as you like for 2 weeks. That
way, you can be sure of its functionality, programmability, and flexibility.
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