Making a call with a softphone

Making calls with a softphone

A softphone can replace hard phones in many situations. And it puts an end to fixed telephones gathering dust on the desk. The term softphone is a contraction of 'software' and 'phone'. Softphone is a software-based phone. You install a softphone on your computer or mobile phone. And you can then receive and make phone calls using the phone number associated with your softphone.

Below, we discuss the differences between a softphone on the computer and a softphone on the mobile phone

1. Softphone on the computer or laptop

Installing a softphone on the computer immediately gives you a tidy desk. This is because you don't need a separate phone because the computer has become the phone. The application is installed on the computer and logged into our online phone system. As soon as there are incoming calls, the softphone wakes up and a screen appears on the screen showing the caller's number and a button to answer. You do need a headset connected to the computer so the caller can hear you and you the caller. You can also make outgoing calls to the computer this way. For example, you can click a phone number on a website and then the softphone will dial out. This provides a lot of convenience, even with working from home. You can also enter a phone number manually and press the call button. The number will then be called.

Installing a softphone on the computer is done in many large companies and call centres, as it saves a lot of money: no need to buy new phones, just a headset. A headset often works better when calls are coming in all day. This way, you keep both hands free to process orders and make phone calls at the same time.

2. Installing softphone on mobile phone

After installation on a mobile phone, you immediately have a second phone. Which can be reached via the fixed number linked to your softphone.

The softphone is logged on to the online VoIP PBX and if there is an incoming call, the PBX calls your softphone on your mobile phone.

However, this is where things regularly go wrong: the app is automatically put into sleep mode to save battery power or the app is shut down altogether. Then it also does not become active when an incoming call comes in. So you miss incoming calls. No matter how good the softphone is and the telephony platform it is signed up to, delivering incoming calls in this way is not 100% secure on a mobile.

We are not a fan of a softphone on a mobile for the business market. For an entrepreneur, a new customer is sometimes worth thousands of euros. Then it does matter that this call comes in. You need to be reachable everywhere with a professional appearance.

We therefore do not recommend a softphone on your mobile for receiving phone calls. It is better to opt for a fixed mobile integration where calls to your fixed number are delivered via the mobile network. Phone calls are then transferred to your mobile number. This always works. If you want to know that a call is coming through your business number to your mobile phone, we can play a tone for the call or provide a notification.

For softphones to work optimally, installation on a computer or laptop is required. And, of course, a good internet connection. It is then a perfect replacement for a landline phone.
Many VoIP providers like to deliver all phone calls on a softphone: that way they don't have to pay interconnection charges to the mobile provider. They then send the call over the open Internet and not over the mobile network. This saves a lot of costs. However, you do not know whether you will receive all calls. You are therefore not always easily reachable everywhere, especially if you are on the road a lot.

Even if the reviews are positive for a softphone provider, remember that the customer himself often does not know in the beginning that sometimes calls are not received. They often only realise this after a while.

There is no 100% working solution to be realised: an app goes into sleep mode after so much time, mobile phones change networks when you are on the road and no matter how good you can program the only official way to transfer a call properly on a mobile phone is to pay charges to a mobile network operator.

Regular updates

A big advantage is that apps have regular updates and with them new features or improvements.

Convenient address book

Desktop phones usually have a limited address book. It is a lot of hassle to add, edit or delete contacts. At many companies, contacts are not stored at all. Too inconvenient! With a softphone, this is much easier. Moreover, contacts can be shared directly with colleagues in the cloud. And important data is not lost.

Price advantage

A desktop phone quickly costs 125 euros or more; a softphone is a lot cheaper. Moreover, there is no hardware to replace after a few years.

Easy to roll out within an organisation

Providing all colleagues with fixed phones, developing call plans, assigning extensions. It is a lot of work to build and maintain a phone network. Installing a softphone is much simpler. Download it, enter username & password and you make calls via the software. Employees easily install it themselves.

No additional device in the network

Each online device is a device that needs to be networked, given an IP number, perhaps its own subnet (possibly with priority over normal network traffic). A softphone on the computer uses an existing device with internet access. So no additional network device!