A VoIP Conference Phone is an important part of business communications, especially at this time as more staff members and customers are working remotely or from home.
As companies offer services to customers who are located nationally and internationally, hire remote employees and open new locations, a VoIP Conference Phone allows teams to stay connected on a regular basis through voice and video. Good communication with customers and employees is crucial to any businesses success. We have put together below the best VoIP conference phones and Video for single home users up to large boardrooms and conferences with multiple parties using your favourite collaboration apps like Unify Circuit, Avaya Teams, Google Team, Skype for business and much more.
VoIP Conference Phone: Single User for Home/Remote Worker
More and more people are working remotely or from home and need to be in contact with other team members or customers and need quality audio from whatever location they are calling from. Our first recommendation is below:
The Konftel Ego is a personal speakerphone. It’s compact and portable and fits easily in your work bag, wherever you’re going. Despite its size, the Konftel Ego delivers crystal-clear sound thanks to our unique OmniSound® audio technology.
Features:
Compatible with Laptop, mobile or Skype for Business
Small and portable
Meeting size: up to 6 people
OmniSound® with HD audio
LCD screen
The Konftel Ego is a personal speakerphone. It’s compact and portable and fits easily in your work bag, wherever you’re going. Despite its size, the Konftel Ego delivers crystal-clear sound thanks to our unique OmniSound® audio technology.
The speakerphone works seamlessly with Panasonic, Unify, Microsoft Teams, Cisco Webex, Zoom, Avaya IX Workplace and many other collaborative tools. It connects easily to a computer via USB or to a tablet or smartphone via Bluetooth®. After the meeting, you can then fill the room with your favourite music.
Konftel C20Ego is the perfect video collaboration solution for any member of staff working from home or remotely.
You can combine the Konftel Cam20 4K conference camera and your Konftel Ego speakerphone to create a video conference unit that can be set up anywhere with HD Audio and 4K video quality. The Konftel Hub brings everything together into one convenient kit so a single USB cable is all you need to connect the camera, the Ego unit and your collaboration app on your laptop.
Konftel C20Ego is ready for apps and services we use to communicate and collaborate via laptops and PCs – such as Microsoft Teams, Skype, Cisco Webex, Zoom, Google Hangouts, Avaya IX Workplace and Unify Circuit. Don’t compromise on audio quality when your teamwork goes “live” in an online meeting.
VoIP Conference Phone: Team Meetings and Collaboration for Large Teams
Meeting size: up to 20 people
Wired or wireless DECT
Base station: IP or analogue
Battery enables 60 hours of call time
Hybrid: combine meeting app and phone calls
Expand Unit with additional microphones
The wireless VoIP Conference PhoneKonftel 300 series allows your team to hold meetings wherever is convenient, you can choose from wired or wireless connection. The wireless DECT technology is both reliable and secure. Choose a base station to suit your company’s telephony environment, SIP or analogue connection.
Top Audio Quality VoIP Conference Phones
Give your conference calls the full HD voice and sound quality that will be a huge upgrade from your standard desk phone loud speaker. Calls flow naturally and will be perfect for staff meetings or closing deals with customers. Add expansion microphones and you can have conference calls with up to 20 people in your office or hotel boardroom.
The Konftel 300Wx supports wireless HD calls and comes with our patented OmniSound® audio technology. Connect the unit to IP telephony via the Konftel IP DECT 10 for a combination of freedom and first-rate audio quality. Omnisound
Team Collaboration
A USB port ENABLES the Konftel 300 series conference phones ready for apps and services we use to communicate and collaborate via laptops and PCs – such as Microsoft Teams, Skype, Cisco Webex, Zoom, Google Hangouts, Avaya IX Workplace and Unify Circuit. Don’t compromise on audio quality when your teamwork goes “live” in an online meeting.
See available Konftel video conference video solution – See full range
Konftel C50300 Hybrid brings a range of premium video collaboration solutions that are suitable for medium and large meeting rooms, combining the Konftel Cam50 PTZ conference camera and your Konftel 300 series conference unit. The Konftel Hub brings the whole kit together and a single USB cable is all you need to connect the camera, the conference phone and the room’s screen to the collaboration app on your laptop. The hybrid concept also allows you addparticipants from a regular phone calls.
See available Konftel video conference video solution – See full range
Be sure to give our team a call with any questions. We have very experienced team and have been serving businesses across Ireland for 40 years with our telephony services. We are proud to be Ireland’s leading VoIP Phone System provider.
The Conversation Piece SIP Trunk service is a natural outgrowth of our VoIP system. Known for excellence in telecommunication packages throughout Ireland, we, at Conversation Piece, are able to offer you state-of-the-art packages in IP phone systems, VoIP services, and Hosted PBX systems— just to name a few of our services. With our 40+ years of experience in voice and data communications, we have grown with the industry, only adding to our experience while the field advances exponentially.
No installation is too small or too large for us. Our years of experience and skills upgrading permits us to appreciate your corporate needs, whether your business is a large enterprise or a small, but growing concern. Our satisfied clients include the Noel Group, B&J Rochford, and Irish Mainport Holdings. Our extensive fleet of vehicles takes us all over Ireland, as our services are not limited to Cork and Dublin. “Flexible” is our middle name, and that applies to our services, as well as our commitment to satisfying our customers, wherever they are in Ireland.
How does SIP Trunking work?
A Session Initiation Protocol (SIP) Trunk uses the Internet to make phone calls that access the Public Switched Telephone Network (PSTN). SIP creates the start and end points of a call, and manages the data by packet-switching between the two points. The Session Initiation Protocol is based on an architecture that begins with your business phone system, is carried partially by your internal telecommunications infrastructure, and partially by your Trunk service provider. It then ends with the phone system you are calling. Depending on the type of telephony you are using, there may also be various gateways within the architectural design. Don’t worry. You will not need to pass an exam on numerous SIP and VoIP acronyms! Our staff will explain all the options pertaining to your particular phone setup, and describe how each option can assist the growth of your company. SIP Trunking is a product, and as such, it comes with a variety of features. Not all SIPs look the same.
The cost-saving benefits of SIP Trunks
One of the main benefits of Session Initiation Protocol Trunking for your business is the savings in the cost of your business telecommunications. Although, depending on the cost of your infrastructure, you may sustain an initial outlay, the long-term cost benefits are numerous.
Other Benefits of a SIP infrastructure from Conversation Piece:
You can throw away your costly conventional telephony system that doesn’t cope very well with the rise in call traffic weaving its way through today’s business world. When you replace your Public Switched Telephone Network (PSTN) and its 24-channel capacity per line Primary Rate Interfaces (PRIs), with an IP trunk, you’ll open up many more lines at lower costs, and with superior sound quality. As well, there’s no need to update cumbersome hardware. Software-driven telecommunications updates automatically.
SIP brings you more than Voice. It uses VoIP, but because it primes the start and end points of a connection, and controls the data along the connection, SIP brings you more. Together with voice, other forms of data, such as file transfer, Instant Messaging, and video, are also manageable on a SIP Trunk.
Your SIP phone number is transportable. Take it with you to your travel meetings all over the world. Avoid the costs of international phone calls. You can call other SIP numbers or standard PSTN telephone numbers. Let Conversation Piece help you save on long-distance phone calls. This is particularly beneficial for large undertakings whose business transactions depend heavily on long-distance conversations.
SIP provides you with feature-rich options that you are familiar with from your PSTN networks. Choose items such as call forwarding, call waiting, and call barring. Additional features, such as Email to Voice are now also available to you with your IP phone solution.You can get it all from Conversation Piece! We offer Smart hybrid solutions, directly available due to our close relationship with Panasonic Phone Systems Ireland. These systems are designed for SMBs (small and medium businesses), are easily expandable for large enterprises, and support both legacy PRI and IP phone set-ups.
The difference between Hosted PBX and SIP Trunking
The main visible difference between SIP and Hosted PBX is that SIP can transmit voice, data, email, files, and video in packet-switching technology. Hosted PBX is limited to voice data. Both replace PSTN wiring infrastructures with the Internet; however, SIP uses your internal, existing phone system, and an Internet Provider serves the Cloud for Hosted PBX. Conversation Piece is the top Cloud phone system provider in Ireland, and we are happy to discuss the differences and similarities between SIP and Hosted PBX Cloud options with you.
Calculating how many SIP Trunks your company needs
You can use an online calculator to determine the number and bandwidth of your Trunks, but do make sure that you factor in the nature of your business. Your Grade of Service (GoS) that calculates how many times a caller reached your company successfully, needs to be high if, for example, your business is totally administered and defined by a telephone system. In general, bear in mind that the more employees you hire, the less trunks you will need per number of people. This is because the higher the number of employees, the lower the chance that a larger percentage of them will need the phone concurrently.
SIP Trunk Pricing
Pricing varies with choices you make, and the features you add to your system. We understand our clients’ requirements by talking to you, and by making sure we study your existing systems. Together we can design a plan that works for your business. Pricing also varies with the type of subscription you select. Flat fee options are available, as well as per-minute pricing. You can choose between limited trunking that provides you with telephone networks, or unlimited Trunking that encompasses a broader Unified Communications system. SIP allows the transmission of video, so if you take advantage of this capability, for example, Session Initiation Protocol Trunking can turn out to be very cost-efficient for you.
How did SIP Trunking develop?
In days gone by you could only dial in to your local telephone exchange. To reach someone in a different city or country, or even someone not that far away, but in a different telephone exchange, you had to make a trunk call via a human operator. He plugged you in from the central exchange, using an available trunk line, if there was one available! Compare this to a SIP Trunk, whose lines are not physical, but which do connect you from a central “operator”, your Internet Service Provider, supplying voice on digital Trunk lines. One digital Trunk holds multiple virtual phone lines. At this point, any other similarities between these two types of Trunks fall by the wayside.
During the 1970’s and 1980’s, computer networks made their entrances, and much of the testing of telecommunications took place within networks in university graduate test laboratories. All you needed was more than one network, and a microphone. Well, it wasn’t quite that simple, but multiple networks, including networks contained within networks, spelled the beginnings of the Internet as we know it today. Everything begins with the Physical Layer, and this is where initial testing took place. Add the Internet Protocol (IP) to fibre optics for faster transmissions, send analogue data in digital packets, and we can see how SIP Trunking developed. We also need to thank Claude E. Shannon for his vision, and his mathematical model of analogue to digital to analogue communications.
FAQ
How many concurrent calls can a SIP trunk handle?
There is no one correct answer. It depends on the size of your company, your bandwidth, and the nature of your business, as well as the number of voice conversations that typically occur concurrently at any given period during work hours.
What is the difference between SIP and VoIP?
SIP and VoIP are both protocols. SIP adds a layer on top of VoIP by adding other types of data to the Voice data. It enables the transfer of voice, video, files, and more, using IP packet-switching.
What is the difference between a SIP line and a SIP channel?
There is no difference. A SIP Trunk can hold many SIP lines, which are the virtual connection channels between two ends of a telephone conversation.
Can my high-speed Internet connection be used with SIP Trunking?
Yes. In fact, it’s your Internet connection that enables SIP. It replaces legacy phone networks, but you can still connect your existing phones if they are SIP-compatible. High speed Internet is ideal because your Internet will need to handle the extra load of your SIP channels.
Let’s have a conversation about your current phone system
You don’t want to part with your older, legacy phone infrastructure? SIP Trunks are easily installed using modern phone systems. However, if you wish to hold on to your existing PBX system, let Conversation Piece convert it for you. Our SIP installations can add VoIP to any traditional phone exchange within your premises. You can then benefit from SIP features that allow you to lower the costs of your telecommunications network. Do you wish to revamp the apps for your Interactive Voice Response (IVR) system, or set up a Call Centre? Your business requirements may suit a customised Unified Communications system that we can design for your company. Our experienced staff is waiting to answer your questions, and discuss your options. We are happy to help.
In these uncertain times, Businesses need to keep staff working and mobilised through remote working and you need your telecommunications to work as if you where in the office.
Customers need to be able to contact your business and have up to date information on your opening hours, service and access to speak to a member of staff. Your employees need the technology to work from home and have access to all the features they are used to having when based in the office.
How your Phone System can help your Business during Covid 19
Auto-Attendant
Auto-Attendant (or automated attendant) is a term commonly used in telephony to describe a voice menu system that allows callers to be transferred to an extension without going through a telephone operator or receptionist. The auto-attendant is also known as a digital receptionist. You can create custom menus with multiple greetings.
Per department
Per location
Per Extension Number or Staff Member
Softphone
A soft phone is an application you install on your PC, Laptop or tablet. This application replicates the features of your desk phone and make and receive external and internal calls. You will have the ability to function exactly the same way as you would i the office on your desk phone with ring groups, transfer, hold, voicemail and many more features.
Mobile App
A mobile App with act as your extension number off the phone system giving you the ability to work from home or anywhere on the move. You will be able to make and receive calls, hold and transfer. The app will also give you the ability to be part of any ring groups and over flows during busy times.
Your Phone System can help your business and staff to operate outside the office ans also give customers access to information and your employees for business continuity.
Were IVR Phone Systems on Alexander Graham Bell’s radar when he called Mr. Watson to “come here”? Most likely he never entertained the idea. But we did! Conversation Piece has been supplying SMEs and very large enterprises with telecommunications solutions for more than 40 years. Since the beginning, we have been players in advanced telephony systems, and have been forerunners in Ireland in the fields of VoIP, Cloud PBX, and Hosted PBX phone systems.
Interactive Voice Response, is not new. Since the early 1970’s, it has been utilised by businesses to save time transferring telephone calls to the correct employee. Always ahead of the game, Conversation Piece has led the way in Ireland with state-of-the-art voice and data services, and have brought IVR technology to a new level. We have the experience and the expertise to provide our customers with leading-edge solutions, yet we take note of our clients’ special business requirements, and customise the most appropriate services to suit each enterprise.
What is Interactive Voice Response?
An Interactive Voice Response system is based on a call flow chart/tree system of recorded voice menus that respond to touch-tone activation from the caller’s phone. The system works with Dual Tone Multiple Frequency (DTMF) telephony systems. It lets a customer find the correct department in your business by navigating the automated telephony system that systematically filters the caller’s choices, and finds the required agent. Hardware, software, apps, and various protocols all play a roll in the workings of the phone system.
An Automated Telephony System for the 21st century
Interactive Voice Response technology is moving away from entertaining the public with annoying music while on hold. Likewise, “Press 2 for a Sales Representative”, and a list of numerous hard-to-remember choices, will soon be a thing of the past. Instead, callers are increasingly offered options that make sense to them. The IVR medium is no longer restricted to DTMF numbered options, but now also incorporates other technologies and software, such as voice recognition, AI, and Interactive Voice Response systems for call centres, no matter how small or large your enterprise may be. Machine learning technology will soon become the norm, allowing the system to sift through basic enquiries using Natural Language Processing, and letting only the more complicated queries reach the agents. Simply tap away through the menus on your mobile phone.
Benefits of Interactive Voice Response
There have always been many advantages for businesses using these systems. With the latest advances in technology, benefits are on the rise. The following are just a few reasons for considering an IVR phone system:
Efficiency: B2B communications are global. The world of business never stands still. Clients that require a service such as support, no longer find recordings of the company’s business hours to be acceptable. They need immediate responses to their calls. If well-designed, an IVR phone system covers all bases by being there for your clients, 24 hours a day.
Automation: It can be designed to represent the degree of automation that works for your enterprise, whether fully automatic, semi-automatic or a combination of various telecommunication systems.
Call-handling: It can cope with high-traffic call-handling, especially when the system is well-designed for the prevention of long customer waiting periods.
Keeping track: The ability to collect statistics from calls is not always considered when looking into a telephony system. However, tracking can provide you with leads, inform you about heavy traffic periods, and give you visibility into the types of calls your system is fielding.
Time and money: The savings of both time and expenses rank high in their importance as a benefits. The number of transferred calls can be reduced by letting the software act as an electronic “FAQ”. If personal data is required, this can be collected by the IVR program, and made immediately accessible to the agent when the call is finally transferred to him. This kind of time-saving is invaluable to your business. Unified Communications can be a major player in savings for both you and your customers.
Personalised menus: They can be as flexible as you wish. Menus can consist of multiple-language options, for example, making customers feel most comfortable in their mother tongues, and assisting them to navigate their routes through the system.
Benefits of working with Conversation Piece
Although IVR systems have been successfully connecting consumers and businesses for decades, the system has also generated complaints over the years, especially if waiting times are long, or the correct party is not found. The solution to eliminating problems like these is professional design.
When it comes to professional design practices, you’re in good hands at Conversation Piece. Here’s why:
Over 5000 companies across Ireland have decided they can trust Conversation Piece. Our solutions cover a broad spectrum of verticals, including IT, the public sector, and manufacturing. Our clients include the likes of Clonmel Healthcare, Crowleys DFK, and Cash & Carry Kitchens. We also use top-of-the line equipment, and are particularly proud of our association with Panasonic Phone Systems, Ireland.
Owner, Jim Dunne, as well as members of his family, never cease to learn more about the field of telecommunications. They are constantly updating their skills and familiarising themselves with the latest developments in this ever-changing arena.
We listen and we are flexible. We can develop customised solutions for your business, making sure that you get what works well for you.
Aside from our capable full-time employees, we have excellent working relationships with a score of professionals on contract, who will work with us on projects that require specialty training outside of our arena. This gives our solutions an unbeatable amount of scope.
Our fleet of vehicles takes us all over Ireland, so our projects are not restricted to our main locations in Cork City and Dublin.
Our solutions are very scalable. We design systems for very large-scale enterprises, medium and small businesses, and can even scale down to a one-man-show. As your company grows, we can scale the capabilities of your system. Scalability and intelligent solutions are the keys to the professional presence of your business, no matter how large or small it may be.
Types of IVR systems
IVR solutions don’t all work the same way. At Conversation Piece, we ensure that your IVR package will suit your requirements. However, IVR systems can be defined in a number of ways that are not mutually exclusive. As well, the telephony can consist of various intermixed components, such as PBX, Sip Trunks, the Cloud, and VoIP.
Inbound and Outbound IVR
Inbound IVR refers to the response the caller receives when dialing one of your company phone numbers. This response may begin with a general welcome message, which is followed by menu routing options.
Outbound IVR refers to a message your company sends out to a list of phone numbers. This can take the form of advertising and promotions, or may be a public message with regards to changes in policies.
Visual IVR
Visual IVR uses the screen of your client’s mobile phone to provide him with menu options for navigating your IVR phone system.
Hosted IVR
Hosted IVR is IVR that is hosted on the Cloud, as opposed to the PBX equipment inside your premises. However, IVR is often referred to as Hosted IVR, and Cloud supported IVR is then referred to as Cloud-Hosted IVR. Either way, you can choose between a system that is cloud-based or PBX-based. Both systems will provide the functionality and apps that work with IVR.
SIP IVR
Many PBX IVR solutions can work with VoIP. (Note that Skype is an exception.) Some PBX systems support VoIP, in any case. As Session Initiation Protocol (SIP) is the communication protocol for VoIP, adding a SIP Trunk means that your business will be able to handle more than 23 calls at any one time. The SIP IVR will work with VoIP, and the IVR can also communicate with other SIP devices.
FAQ
What does IVR stand for?
Interactive Voice Response.
What is IVR used for?
IVR phone systems are used for banking, billing, shopping, booking appointments, B2B communications, travel plans, stock market activities, making reservations, ordering food, and much more.
What is an IVR menu?
An IVR menu is a branch of a navigation tree that forms the structure of the responsive part of an IVR telephony system. An IVR menu uses the structure of a flow chart, because it starts with an initial question, then works its way down, filtering options along the way. For example, if you reach the Diagnostic Testing Appointments of a hospital, the menu may provide options for you to choose from X-rays, ultrasound, or blood tests.
What is multi-level IVR?
Multi-level IVR incorporates a number of IVR paths within one larger system. This is different to single-level IVR, which may present a caller with one set of options, any of which will bring him to his destination. Multi-level IVR drills down to your final destination, by providing you with further options along the way, which are based on choices you make on each path.
What is SMART IVR?
SMART IVR will intuitively route the caller to the most appropriate team or agent. This will probably necessitate the use of multi-level IVR, so that SMART options can be presented to the caller while he navigates the system. This type of system requires very careful planning and design. It often also incorporates “personal” language styles, such as addressing the caller by his name, in order to encourage the caller and help him arrive at the correct destination.
Can IVR authenticate a caller like a live agent would?
Yes. Typically, a one- or two-part process ought to be sufficient. If authentication requires too many steps, this can turn a caller away from the IVR system.
Interested in a quote?
When a potential lead makes that first contact with your business by telephone, his first impression is the most important one, and can make the difference between conversion or not. IVR is a tool that can paint your SME or large enterprise with the mantle of professionalism.
Our team of experts at Conversation Piece are happy to answer any questions about our IVR options and any other telephony services we provide. There are a number of ways to reach us: by phone, email, or our contact page.
Ask for a quote now. We look forward to your call.
VoIP for Business – VoIP is an acronym for Voice Over Internet Protocol, or in more common terms making your phone calls over a internet or broadband connection. VoIP can work along with your existing PSTN or ISDN lines but usually these lines would be replaced with a dedicated internet connection that will be connected to your phone system.
Why VoIP for Business and what are the Advantages
Lower Costs
The main reason most businesses consider VoIP is the cost savings. VoIP calls National and Internationally are up to 60% cheaper compared to traditional landlines. When you add in you dont need your PSTN, ISDN or PRAs the savings dramatically increase and businesses can save 000’s every year.
Existing Numbers
All your existing phone numbers can be ported to VoIP with no changes or downtime. VoIP also gives you the added benefit of using phone numbers from any where in the world so your business can be based locally but have UK, US number etc operated locally from Ireland.
Resilience
VoIP offers a lot more resilience than traditional phone lines because if there is an issue with your phone system or broadband the numbers can be diverted to another number or mobile in a matter of minutes. 4G or LTE backup is also available now where your phone system provider can install a 4g sim card as back up to your VoIP connection so your business will not be with phones.
Mobility
In the modern business environment not everyone is desk based or office based, VoIP enables employees to work from anywhere because once they have a mobile phone or PC. This allows employees to be connected to the office and customers from anywhere at anytime.
Cloud based PBX and Features
VoIP also give you access to Cloud based phone system, applications and unified comms features including voice-mail to email, IVR, Mobile apps, Softphones and API Integration with CRMs. A number of providers also offer privately-managed network functionality on the cloud so your communications never travels on the public internet.
Scalability
Scalability is another advantage of VoIP that make it an attractive proposition for any growing businesses. With VoIP if you want to increase the number of channels/lines for you business its only a matter of licensing as you need them, you dont have to wait for installation of traditional lines and the added cost of a monthly line rental.
A cloud phone system is a Voice over IP (VoIP) based business telephone system platform that is hosted by a third-party provider such as Conversation Piece. Cloud phone systems offer enterprise level resilience, security and phone system features such as: Mobile Apps, Soft phones, Hunt Groups and many more features.
Advantages of a Cloud Phone System:
Lower Costs
Cloud phone systems are a lower CAPEX cost for businesses compared to purchasing on premise phone system. The cloud and VoIP will also reduce the cost of your line renal and calls by up to 60%.because you are using an internet connection instead of ISDN lines.
Features
The Cloud is a gateway to applications and unified comms features including voice-mail to email, IVR, Mobile apps, Softphones and API Integration with CRMs. A number of providers also offer privately-managed network functionality on the cloud so your communications never travels on the public internet.
Mobility
In the modern business environment not everyone is desk based or office based, the cloud enables employees to work from anywhere because once they have a mobile phone or PC. This allows employees to be connected to the office and customers from anywhere at anytime.
Reliability
Cloud-based phone systems offer 99% up time and are based across multiple servers and data centres. This offers a lot more resilience than an on site phone system. The cloud ensures that your business communications are open 24/7—but it also provides great peace of mind in the event of a disaster. In any event, the Cloud is a great safeguard for continual ‘business voice’ presence even in those unforeseen circumstances.
Fewer IT Difficulties
Cloud phone systems, are managed by the service provider, off-site, meaning that your business’s IT personnel or specialist will be able to delete ‘phone system maintenance’ from their to-do list and concentrate on business goal-related IT issues.
Enhanced Data Security
The prospect of putting company data outside the business’s firewall can be daunting, but the Cloud removes such concerns. In fact, data protection is reinforced by the Cloud, due to ISO security standards that service providers abide by.
CONVERSATION PIECE AGREES €1.5M DEAL WITH AGILITY COMMUNICATION
Conversation Piece, a provider of on-site and cloud phone systems to businesses throughout Ireland, has signed a deal worth €1.5 million with Irish wholesale telecoms company, Agility Communications.
The new agreement is expected to generate up to 10 new jobs across both companies and runs over the next three years.
The deal will allow Conversation Piece to deliver enterprise-level VoIP, telephony and cloud phone system products to its customers over Agility Communication’s network. As a nationwide Tier 1 network, Conversation Piece’s customers can also avail of Agility’s dedicated gigabyte fibre broadband anywhere in Ireland.
Conversation Piece celebrates 40 years in business this year and currently employs 15 people in its Dublin and Cork offices. As business telecommunications specialists, it provides both cloud-based and traditional PBX phone systems as well as VOIP, with local technical support throughout Ireland. Customers include SMEs and multinationals across a wide range of industries nationwide.
Speaking of the deal, Seamus Dunne, Sales Manager for Conversation Piece said: “Our customers have come to rely on us to deliver reliable, affordable and easily scalable voice and data services for decades. We’ve worked with Agility since 2015 and find the quality of service it delivers to be unparalleled. It has been a key part of our growth over the past few years and this new deal will help accelerate this growth further.”
Shane Tully, Head of Carrier Services at Agility Communications, speaks of the significance of the deal: “Our continued investment in our carrier infrastructure enables us to deliver top-level voice and data solutions to our partners, who in turn can provide the highest quality phone and broadband services to their customers at some of the most competitive rates on the market. The deal is significant for both companies. Not only does it ensure continued growth and new jobs but it enables Irish SMEs to avail of industry-leading telecoms solutions they can trust.”
Based in Dublin, Agility Communications provides wholesale line rental, VoIP services, fibre broadband connections and MPLS solutions to reseller partners.
The company has invested significantly in building a full-featured network architecture to provide its partners with a robust and flexible infrastructure that is constantly monitored by a team of engineers to ensure 24/7 connectivity.
If you’ve been in business for a while, then the “Cloud” should be something you’re already familiar with. If you’ve been out of the loop or don’t understand it, then it’s essentially a type of technology that allows you to shift your workflow to the internet, meaning that less information is stored on your machines, opening up new ways to run your business.
But that’s one of the more straightforward uses of the cloud. Nowadays, the cloud can be used for a number of different things, such as offering software as a service that is accessed through the internet instead of having to download something. The cloud has also opened up new ways for companies to use remote workflows to their advantage.
So what about cloud PBX? What does a cloud-based phone system offer that doesn’t already exist in some form or another?
What is Cloud PBX?
Cloud PBX is essentially an online business phone system that can be used by any office, any workplace and any business.
It is often referred to as a VoIP phone system. Traditionally, PBX systems had to be run at the location they were being used.
This means that a lot of hardware had to be installed, a lot of space was taken up and money was burned on maintaining the system.
It would cost a business a lot of money to have one installed, and it was a major expense that not every business could sustain.
With the cloud, you can transform your existing PBX into an online-based system that can streamline every process and drastically reduce the operational costs. You’ll have access to all of the same system such as call recording, time of day routing and auto attendants. However, you’ll also open up access to new cloud-based features such as a simple-to-use dashboard which you can use to control incoming calls or analytical information to see how often your PBX is being used and where you can improve its efficiency.
How Will It Improve My Business?
Drastically lowered operational costs. When compared with traditional PBX systems, a cloud PBX doesn’t require huge up-front capital nor does it demand a high maintenance fee.
Greatly improved customer experience. A cloud PBX is less likely to suffer maintenance problems, meaning less downtime and more reliable service for your customers.
Advanced features for demanding businesses and clients. A cloud PBX offers advanced features such as music on hold, voice messaging, remote call management and even integration with other systems like email and video.
Easily scaled to your needs. You can easily grow your cloud PBX whenever there’s a demand and there is virtually no downtime.
Exceptional voice quality. The internet has a much higher bandwidth capacity than a phone line, meaning you’ll have exceptional voice quality at all times.
Guaranteed business continuity. Even if your business is interrupted somehow, a cloud-based PBX will allow you to continue your business operations.
Simple mobile integration. The majority of internet users in the world use their phones for daily online tasks and a cloud-based PBX is no different. You can access your dashboard and even answer calls on the go without being tied to your workplace.
Switching to a cloud PBX system may seem daunting, but it can revolutionise the way you do business if used correctly.
VoIP phones offers a plethora of key business benefits over traditional phone networks, including those deriving from having a virtual phone number for your business telephone. The best news is that all of these VoIP assets are delivered at a fraction of the cost of what you’ll pay more for and get less with when you’re using a traditional network.
Some businesses may be a little confused about how virtual numbers work and just how many benefits having such an asset can bring to their long and short-term business objectives. Let’s explore.
What Are Virtual Business Numbers?
Virtual numbers don’t have a direct association to a telephone line, meaning the numbers can be assigned to any device of your choosing – mobile phone apps, hardware desk IP phone, or a desktop softphone app. Multiple numbers can be assigned to a phone line.
VoIP isn’t the only source for virtual numbers, but it does provide the added benefit of IP connections. VoIP doesn’t rely upon PTSN copper lines, making all VoIP phone numbers virtual by nature.
Let’s use Google Voice, one of the leading free virtual number service providers, as an example:
It’s free.
You get a number to use across all your devices, whether that be a number provided by Google Voice or ported-in from a cellphone carrier.
Integrate other Google services – text, voice, video.
Free calls throughout the U.S. and Canada and relatively inexpensive international calling.
In a nutshell, you’re using your Google account to create a virtual phone line. The website’s softphone line, the mobile app, or PC can be used for dialing and receiving.
Benefits Of Virtual Numbers for an Organisation
Granted, not every business phone needs a virtual phone number, but whether small or large and no matter the niche, almost any business can find multiple benefits from utilizing the service.
Let’s say you’re a new small business owner with suppliers and vendors outside your calling area. A virtual number removes the burden of costly national and international calling. So, if you need to call phone systems Dublin to routinely order from a vendor, you’re not faced with adding unnecessary expenses to your business’s bottom line in a phone bill.
Contact centers are another example of how virtual numbers can be invaluable. Remote agents have the power to adopt local numbers, which adds a personalization to the call for receptivity and lowers the operational costs. The same number can allow callers to ring multiple call centers at one time, ensuring calls don’t go unanswered because one center or agent is unavailable.
Of course, each niche or business can find a multitude of ways to utilize virtual numbers for their individualized needs, but there are also three universal virtual phone number benefits that almost any business can utilize to their advantage:
1. Local Presence
Like the call center example, a specific line can house multiple phone numbers and be local numbers specific to the target area(s) of business. Most companies don’t just conduct business within their own geographical areas. Customers and leads can be located across the country from you, even internationally.
Establishing a local presence through a local number encourages the target to be more inclined to answer and more receptive to the caller. It also enables callers anywhere to reach you without incurring long-distance charges.
Local area code virtual numbers are particularly important for businesses with an international presence. Clients and customers using phone systems Dublin aren’t going to be so receptive or engaged to call you if they have to do so at the cost of an international call. Read more about benefits of voIP system for sales team.
2. Professionalism
A professional image is a must, and sadly, when it comes to telephone calls, that professional image has traditionally been locked behind expensive equipment.
Now, virtual numbers allow businesses to establish as many phone numbers as they need without such equipment. Each service area, department, resource, employee can have their own unique number.
Individual vanity numbers can add an image and customer service boost, or consistency can be added by sticking with a uniform number across the board.
3. Flexibility
Because virtual numbers can be linked across all and any devices, they enable you to conduct business under a professional image no matter where you’re at through smart devices and PCs.
Employees can also enjoy this flexibility, which is particularly beneficial to remote employees, contract personnel, and remote teams needing to ensure they’re not missing calls.
Virtual numbers allow one device to be used for both personal and business use. This is great if you’re on the go. It’s fantastic if you’re office space doesn’t allow for a landline. And, it can be a budget saver for new small businesses needing one or more lines at the most cost-efficient rate.
As you can see, the applications and possibilities related to VoIP is endless. It’s really a matter of which virtual number application best serves your unique business telephone needs.
