5 VoIP Features You Might Not Be Using (But should be)

This is a guest post by Rachel Greenberg.

When using a service like Voice over Internet Protocol (VoIP), customers have access to lots of great phoning features at no extra cost. However, with so many features to keep track of, there might be a few that you don’t take full use of, or maybe there are some that you might not even know you have. But if you’re paying full price for a hosted system, you should know about all of the features and capacities of your VoIP system, so you can truly avail the full value of a hosted VoIP system.

1. Voicemail Notifications

If you need to leave the office, but don’t want to miss any important incoming voicemails, then voicemail notifications are an extremely useful feature.

With voicemail SMS notifications, users will receive a brief text message containing a number, the date/time, and a brief message, and if the voicemail is short enough, it will be compressed to fit in a single text.

These are a great solution for employees who frequently need to work remotely (like traveling employees) or employees who often need to work at off-site locations (like surveyors) or others like salespeople.

2. Failover

In the event of a power failure or Internet service outage, your VoIP service may go down and you won’t be able to send or receive any calls. With Failover, an advanced feature offered by some residential VoIP providers, VoIP customers will never have to worry again.  

Yes, there are plenty of ways you can prevent your Internet from ever going down, like backup generators or battery plug-ins for your modem, but in the unlikely event you lose connection to your Internet, Failover can help. When someone dials your phone number and the service provider sees you’re not connected to their network, they will forward the call to a backup number of your choosing. The feature does require you have a secondary line, like a cellphone, but for users who worry about missing calls, it is a useful option.

3. Softphone Support

A softphone is a form of computer software that allows you to make voice or video calls over the Internet for free. Softphone software functions like a virtual phone and it even features an on-screen dialpad. Rather than any piece of hardware, all you need is a PC-ready headset and an Internet connection.

Softphones are not only useful as computer applications, but also as apps on smartphones and tablets as well. Using a softphone app on a mobile device is just as easy as using it on a computer, and is a great way to stay connected from mobile devices.

4. Blacklist/Whitelist

A feature like caller ID can help you avoid unwanted calls, but those calls are still allowed to come through. A feature like blacklist, however, allows you to choose which numbers come through and which are blocked.

And, if you want to make sure only the most important calls come through, some residential and business VoIP providers offer a whitelist feature that works similar to a blacklist. You choose which numbers can come through, and all others will be blocked.

5. Bandwidth Saver

Bandwidth Saver is a VoIP feature that comes in handy for those times when you fear your VoIP service is hogging your Internet bandwidth. With the feature, you can cut down on your VoIP service’s bandwidth usage without sacrificing voice quality.

Bandwidth usage reduction can reduce the amount your VoIP service uses by up to two-thirds.That way, someone in your household is able use the Internet at practically full strength, and you don’t have to worry about losing a call.

Rachel Greenberg is the site editor for www.thedigest.com, a VoIP and telecom site.