Hundreds of millions of people use Skype for its free voice over IP (VoIP) services every day. Certainly, millions of people were all talking in Skype at the same time on the service. The main difference between Skype and standard VoIP clients is that Skype operates on a peer-to-peer model, rather than the more usual client–server model. Also, note that the very popular Session Initiation Protocol (SIP) model of VoIP is also peer-to-peer, but implementation generally requires registration with a server, as does Skype.

In addition to its regular service, Skype offers SkypeConnect, a SIP standard based service for business users. This service is suitable for a large call volume. Skype claims “Up to 300 monthly channel subscriptions can be bought per SIP Profile and can have multiple SIP Profiles per device.”

SkypeConnect provides connectivity between your business and the Skype community. By adding SkypeConnect to your existing SIP-enabled PBX, your business can save on communication budgets with slight or no extra upgrades required.

With SkypeConnect, your business can make great value Skype calls and receive calls from your customers using your desk phones. Customers can also contact your business for free by using Skype through Skype buttons, by calling the Skype business accounts associated with your SIP-enabled PBX, and by dialing any Skype Numbers you may have purchased.

How does it work?

SkypeConnect are managed with Skype Manager, after meeting all the requirements first set up your Skype Manager account. Follow the instructions to register for Skype Manager. You can either use your existing personal account or create a new one specifically for your Skype Manager.

Next sign in, once you’re signed in to Skype Manager, click Features in the toolbar, then click Skype Connect in the Features menu on the left. Then you’re ready of the following below:

Create SIP Profiles – it contains all of the configuration data for your Skype Connect service. Either way, you can set up multiple SIP Profiles according to business need and budget.

Buy Channel Subscriptions – you need to buy channel to activate account. Here comes Voicent’s line that corresponds to one channel. Let say if you want to have 24 simultaneous calls, you need 24 channels.

Allocate Funds for Outbound Calling – you also need to allocate funds for outbound calls if you are going to use Voicent outbound products. For inbound calls application, allocate incoming call funds.

The massive boom in the smartphone market over the last few years has also led to a massive boom in the instant messaging and voice over Internet protocol (VoIP) markets.  For businesses looking to stay in contact with their employees and their clients, the right application that can handle VoIP as well as video conferencing and instant messaging is the key.

Today VoIP providers number in a hundreds.  Let’s take into account CallCentric, in which not like any other VoIP providers that lets you make and receive phone calls to traditional phones worldwide at fantastic rates, it also allows you to talk to other CallCentric members for free.

About CallCentric

Callcentric operates via your broadband internet connection and various downloadable software applications on your computer or telephone adapter to send and receive calls.

CallCentric is a business and residential VoIP system provider.  Clients can use their own telephone adapter or have Callcentric send them their free soft phone for installation. There are monthly unlimited plans as well as just simple per minute plans. Both options save customers money than they would have with a regular telephone provider. In fact, all calls made to other Callcentric users are free.

There are plenty of additional features that are available and Callcentric is always adding new and improved extras. Even more, the service is compatible with many of the leading software providers like Voicent that helps enhance to connect the calls.

Test with Voicent software

Callcentric is a popular VOIP service used by many Voicent customers. It has been tested with Voicent software and it is known to work for both inbound and outbound applications.

Notes to consider:

• For receive calls: Using Voicent’s software for inbound calls, you need to have a DID number.  The DID number allows you to call a callcentric account using a normal phone.
• FlexPBX or IVR applications are setup on Voicent Gateway.  All you need to do is call your DID number and Voicent gateway should automatically answer the call, and interact with it using the application you specified.
• On BroadcastByPhone program make sure you enter the correct country code like 1 for US and Canada.  The next steps are easy, on the BroadcastByPhone window enter your own phone number, and click Start Broadcast button. Click the Browse button to select the sample message, click OK button to start.
• Also if you are calling traditional landline or mobile phone, make sure you are signed up for  one of Callcentric’s rate plans.

Cloud communications provide myriad benefits for organizations, including speed of deployment, the ability to future-proof infrastructure and applications, business continuity, predictable monthly payments, and many more. Most organizations turn to the cloud in order to cost-effectively access enhanced capabilities while eliminating the complexity of deploying and managing premises-based solutions. Cloud-based contact center solutions offer additional benefits, notably the ease of adding or removing agents as needed based on fluctuating or seasonal traffic, ease of deploying remote or at-home agents, and ease of adding multichannel services.

Organizations that have deployed hosted inbound call center solutions are finding additional benefits they may not have anticipated — notably, the breaking down of boundaries. Once a contact center expands from a single location, complexity and cost can begin to have a major impact on efficiency. Most agree that a single contact center, regardless of size, runs much more efficiently from a staffing perspective than multiple contact centers. The second boundary is walls. Not necessarily physical, but the walls between the agents in the contact center and the subject matter experts they need to assist in resolving customer issues. These walls exist whether the organization has a single large contact center or multiple sites.

For most inbound call centers, providing a “single face to the customer” is important to provide the best possible service experience. As customers have more options to choose from as to how they want to interact (call, email, chat, SMS, and so on), it becomes even more imperative to address a single pool of agents to handle the entire inbound request for service. In trying to achieve better efficiency, smaller groups of agents dispersed around a campus or the globe become exponentially harder to manage with each new media type that customers are forcing on the contact center.

When you think of a typical contact center, you probably think of a large, non-descript room filled with agents sitting in cubicles wearing headsets and looking frustrated. While this scenario is still the norm, things are starting to change.

Contacts centers have evolved from specialized isolated cost centers to revenue centers, providing not only the opportunity for cross-selling and upselling, but for providing exceptional customer service, leading to long-term customer loyalty. A growing number of companies are finding that in order to serve customers in the best manner possible, all workers, or specialized individuals such as product experts, should be enabled to interact with customers and provide customer care.

By providing a simple and efficient way to access subject matter experts or professionals who have the expertise to resolve a customer’s issue in a timely fashion, companies can not only increase first contact resolution, but can increase customer satisfaction while minimizing agent frustration.