For any modern hotel, VoIP is no longer an optional upgrade. VoIP phone systems offer unparalleled flexibility, features, and upgradeability, all for a lower monthly cost than a traditional analog system.
Nevertheless, some hoteliers are still hesitant to make the shift to a VoIP system. Hotels need to be operational and responsive around the clock, making the prospect of downtime understandably daunting. To ease these concerns and ensure a successful installation, outlined below are key considerations to review ahead of a VoIP system upgrade.
Unlike an analog system, VoIP phones work over the same internet connection that your hotel’s other online functionalities use. This saves on monthly costs, installation, and maintenance.
To ensure your hotel is set up for a VoIP system, your internet connection needs to be capable of carrying a phone signal from every trunk in your hotel simultaneously. Luckily, a VoIP call takes a relatively small amount of bandwidth, only 100 kilobits per second, to achieve a crystal-clear voice signal.
In a hotel with 250 phone trunks, this requires roughly 3.125 megabits per second of bandwidth to accommodate calls on every trunk at once. We generally recommend that your phone bandwidth only occupy about 20 percent of your hotel’s total bandwidth, allowing enough overhead for internet usage and video streaming. To accommodate, a hotel with 250 phone trunks should have a minimum internet connection speed of 15 Mbps.
Your internal network is also a consideration. To function optimally, VoIP handsets require a strong wi-fi connection. It’s recommended to test the strength of your wi-fi signal throughout your hotel and consider installing low-cost wi-fi repeaters or extenders if necessary to guarantee a strong connection in every room.
Once your VoIP phone system is in place, you’ll need physical hardware to connect to your network and make phone calls. You have several options:
In addition to the phone handsets themselves, you might need to invest in extra hardware like high-speed wireless routers and range extenders to ensure a reliable internet connection throughout the facility.
When you purchase a VoIP system from Phonesuite, you’re signing up for industry-leading technical expertise and installation to ensure minimal downtime and interruption to the daily operations of your hotel. We’ve created a proprietary six-stage process to install our Phonesuite system, all of which will be spelled out in your contract and overseen by one of our dedicated Project Managers.
To fully take advantage of the suite of features that a VoIP system offers, your staff will require training to familiarize themselves with the functionality of the new system.
Your new system might include new features like CRM integration, custom routing, the ability to forward voicemails to emails, and more. To provide your guests with the most efficient, high-tech experience possible, you’ll want to ensure your staff is fully trained and comfortable with the additional features of your new phone system.
If you’re ready to make the switch to a complete VoIP system, talk to Phonesuite today. Our phone system was built from the ground up for the unique guest and business needs of hotels, and we’ve installed our systems in thousands of hotels of all sizes all over the world. We’ll discuss your needs, explain the costs, and give you an overview of the installation process so you know exactly what to expect.