Which Call Device Will You Use in the Office?
After one signs up for VoIP, they are confronted with a decision: Softphone or hard phone. Despite the fact hard phone sales grow steadily each year, users should acknowledge how quickly softphones have become a workplace favourite. In fact, businesses that employ VoIP commonly end up with mixed environments because both call devices come with unique perks. As a result, many manufactures now produce hybrid models.
Hard Phone Benefits and Drawbacks
Users appreciate the durability of a hard phone. As a device always connected to the network, users can place and take calls without the assistance of a PC or laptop, meaning they require little-to-no technical abilities. High-end models often come with quality control features like DSP (noise cancellation) too, eliminating the tweaking and troubleshooting some soft phone users experience.
Unfortunately, not all users want to buy IP desk phones – they can get expensive. When it comes to installation, they are also more difficult than the plug-in-and-plug device alternative (i.e. headsets). Though a step up from its analogue sibling, entry-level VoIP hard phones lack the robustness of a soft phone. Only once upgraded -- multiple line capability, speakerphone and LCD display -- will users find a vast improvement.
Softphone Advantages and Disadvantages
Companies that purchase softphones in bulk (i.e. call centres) do so to keep costs to a minimum. Furthermore, they do so for the simplicity of installation, maintenance and use. With the rise of BYOD in the workplace, smartphones may soon displace traditional softphone accessories, but this transition merely carries the same pros and cons forward.
Expenses aside, softphones offer greater flexibility, mobility and portability. This makes them the perfect solution for at-home and on-the-go workers. But even though alphanumeric dialing is simpler on a softphone, the overall call experience takes longer through a PC. The same goes for monitoring uptime and troubleshooting problems. These are only but two disadvantages to otherwise quality devices and programs.
