Glossary
IP telephony
IP telephony (VoIP, voice over IP) carries calls over a computer network and the internet instead of dedicated phone wires. Voice is turned into data packets and travels over the same network as email and websites. Agents can work from the office, from home, or from another city – all they need is an internet connection and a headset.
Why it mattersWithout IP telephony, you can't have remote agents, record every call, or connect your CRM.
Also called: VoIP, Internet telephony, Voice over IP
How it works
How it works
An IP PBX manages calls: it answers them, puts them in a queue, and connects them to agents. Calls are set up over SIP. The system reaches the outside world through a carrier's SIP trunk, or less often through E1 or a GSM gateway with SIM cards. Agents talk on an IP desk phone or a softphone on their computer, including right in the browser.
Benefits
Why it suits a contact center
- Agents work from anywhere with an internet connection
- A new workstation goes live in minutes, with no new wiring
- Every call is recorded automatically
- Telephony connects to the CRM: a screen pop on each call and one-click dialing
- Numbers in different cities and countries, with no separate line in each
Quality
What good call quality needs
Voice doesn't need high bandwidth – it needs a stable connection: about 100 kbps is enough for one call. What matters more is avoiding packet loss and latency; otherwise the voice cuts out and lags. That's why office networks give voice traffic priority, and companies buy a connection with guaranteed quality from their carrier.
In CONTACT.WORK
How it works in CONTACT.WORK
CONTACT.WORK telephony is fully digital: Asterisk, FreeSWITCH, and Kamailio inside; SIP, E1, and GSM lines outside; and on top, the IVR, queues, outbound dialing, and call recording. Agents work through a softphone right in the browser or on IP phones. We connect your carriers, set up the network, and monitor call quality.
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Where to use it
Glossary