VoIP is an increasingly common solution for businesses looking to manage their call costs but still have a reliable and effective telephone service.
But the adoption of wholesale VOIP can lead to some issues, and here we take a look at some of the most common problems and how they can be addressed.
1. Authentication
One of the most common issues is a failure to authenticate VoIP interconnection, usually due to a problem with credentials. If you see a 401 error to say that a connection is unauthorised, it’s important for troubleshooting to identify at which stage the error is being generated.
2. Routing
The next most common problem area after authentication is routing. A good supplier like IDT EXPRESS should help you to identify from logs or from an SIP trace where the cause of the problem lies and allow it to be resolved quickly.
3. Rate Issues
Most service providers will issue a rate card, but it’s important to have an awareness of how these apply. The rate you are charged for a route will vary depending on not just the destination but also the service provider. The problem is these routes change constantly, so wholesale providers need to be aware of the market and look out for any hidden charges. They also need to be aware of suspiciously low rates offered by fraudulent providers.
4. SIP Standards
Often problems can arise from the implementation or understanding of Session Initiation Protocol (SIP) standards. These can often be avoided with a good understanding of the error codes that are generated and setting up the switch to deal with them appropriately. This means that when an error does occur it will be easier to fix because you have a meaningful error code rather than just a generic 404 or similar.
5. The Human Angle
Often the weakest link in any system is not the technology itself but the people who are using it. We all make mistakes occasionally, and a good technical support team should be able to resolve these without alienating the user. If users are able to do some basic troubleshooting – noting error messages, or checking that the number they are calling is valid – then they can make the support staff’s job easier and ensure issues are resolved faster.