Cell phone and VoIP technology are amazing, no doubt. But they do have at least one obvious limitation: they don’t provide users with high-quality audio.
That leads to a question we hear every now and then: “Why does my On Hold Marketing sound bad?”
Chris Zaharias is an audio expert who’s been the Chief Recording Engineer for BusinessVoice since 2012. He studied at the Recording Institute of Detroit, and has served as a private studio and recording consultant, and as a Pro-Audio Product Specialist for Avid Technologies.
“The age and quality of the cell phone, the frequency response of the phone, the distance the user is from the nearest tower – they can all affect the quality of a phone’s sound,” said Zaharias.
“The cellular network also plays a role. It may restrict audio quality or limit frequency response to save bandwidth, or it may not support current audio codecs. Heavy traffic can affect the quality of the sound, too.”
And most VoIP systems don’t help the situation either.
“VoIP systems are typically optimized for the human voice, not for music,” said Zaharias. “And they often require low-resolution files for On Hold Marketing or Music On Hold applications. That factor alone will contribute to lower-quality audio for callers.”
Our Solutions
Despite all the network and hardware limitations that are beyond our control, we still take steps to maximize the quality of our On Hold Marketing audio.
“We limit the frequency response and dynamic range of the voice and music,” said Zaharias. “We also choose music that will translate well on the phone.”
When researching a VoIP telephone system, ask about its ability to deliver higher-quality audio. Then, once installed, is the hardware and/or software configured properly? And are you receiving the right type of audio files for your VoIP system?
Remember, audio quality is only as good as the weakest link in the chain, whether the signal is wired or wireless, a landline or cell phone, and may be different for every caller.
Our team can make recommendations, so please contact us before you invest in a VoIP system.