The changing face of Telephony
It’s no surprise to people nowadays that computers are pervasive in just about everything we do. Telephony is no exception. For many years the telephone companies have used computers to send people’s voices around the world. In more recent years people have started to talk to each other around the world using a computer at each end of the conversation, instead of a telephone. But what if you could combine the two, and talk using telephones, with the internet in the middle instead of your phone company? How cool would that be? The answer is - very…. sometimes…
Here’s the thing. Although this ‘VoIP’ stuff works across the internet sometimes, it also doesn’t work sometimes. This can get very frustrating very quickly. I said as much in a recent interview for CRN.
So we need a better solution. This answer comes with hybrid solutions such as the uber-cool Response Point system that Microsoft has built. This little beauty uses normal telephone lines and normal-looking telephones, but it allows you to plug your telephone into your computer network, giving you awesome flexibility.
There are other options available such as a special internet connection that guarantees your calls don’t break up. Don’t expect this to come for free however, these things can be fairly expensive for small and micro businesses.
But the point I’m trying to make here is that in the phone world things are changing - they’re changing fast. It’s wise to take advantage of some of these technologies, but as usual it’s buyer beware. Don’t spend a bunch of money on something you’ll regret later. Just because it’s new doesn’t mean that you’ll be satisfied.