FAQs

 

What is a softphone? 

A softphone is a software based communications program that allows you to communicate over computer networks and the internet. It turns your PC, MAC, or tablet into a telephone. 

Are there any steps an end user can take to improve a call if there is an issue?

If you are working from home on a wifi network, make sure that you have a strong signal at your work station. Often, internet providers will offer boosters to improve the signal strength in your home. Limiting your internet traffic while on a call will also help the quality of the call. Avoid streaming video and downloading content during your calls

How is a softphone different from a desk phone? 

A softphone can be a software program or an internet browser based plug-in that can run on your PC, while a desk phone is a dedicated telephone resource on your desk at the office or in your home. 

What is the advantage of softphone? 

Softphone allows users to make and receive calls via the web from anywhere on any internet connected device. The only  technical requirement is a computer web-browser (Google or Firefox) and an Altisphere X account. A Softphone gives you flexibility to work from anywhere and is an essential tool for remote working. Softphone is a cost-effective option as it alleviates the hardware purchase of a desk phone.  

What kind of call quality can I expect on a softphone call?  

Call quality is based on your internet connection. Most of our offices and home internet connections are robust enough to handle internet based calls. Occasionally, you may notice some jitter or digitized voice. These should be intermittent and short if they occur at all. 

 

Q&A – From Tech Team

 

Who do I contact if I have issues? If you require Emergency or Urgent assistance please call our Service Line @403-538-8888 (24hr/7). Or you can send us an email to ‘service@altitudecommunications.ca’ for any non-urgent requests. Any emails sent outside our regular business hours are dispatched the next regular business day between 8:00 am and 4:30pm Monday to Friday MST.

What is VoIP, and how does it work? VoIP (Voice over Internet Protocol) lets you access phone service over the internet. Calls are no longer dependent on old traditional phone lines. VoIP achieves greater functionality at a lower cost for businesses.

What is a cloud PBX? A cloud PBX allows you to use all of your company’s phone service that is hosted using a service over the internet. All the features of a PBX can be delivered seamlessly through the internet instead of hardware located on-site. A cloud PBX can save your company thousands in expenses.

How much bandwidth required for VOIP phone? For regular quality calls (landline quality), it requires 90 Kbps download and upload — with more importance on the upload speed.

For HD call quality, it requires 200 Kbps download and upload.

If I lose power, will I still be able to make phone calls? Our VoIP phone system works over the internet. During a power outage, your router will not be able to function, which means there will be no internet access.

The only exception to this is if you have a backup power source that could power the router (and therefore maintain your internet connection). If you use Power over Ethernet (PoE), that may need backup power as well. Cloud PBX will still offer uninterrupted auto attendant menu, voicemail during the outage.

In the event of a power outage, you can still use your cellphone’s LTE connection to make and receive calls if your PBX is in cloud. Or you can give us a call so that we can route your lines to an external number.

Will my VoIP phones continue to work even if I move offices? Yes, as long as you have fast and reliable internet at your new location, your VoIP phones will work.

Since your new phone system operates in the cloud, it’s not tethered to a physical location.

What types of analytics reports do you offer? You’ll get a real-time overview of your customer’s data, plus the ability to create your personalized dashboards. With Altisphere, you’ll also be able to create reports based on:

  • User calls

  • Call duration

  • Inbound, outbound call volume

  • Average calls per day, per user

  • Abandoned calls

  • Number of calls answered

Average talk timeAll AltisphereX products are regularly controlled for security breaches and upgrades are made available whenever any breaches are discovered in AltisphereX services or in third party libraries used by the system. Our security elements are as follows:

  • 2 Factor Authentication when using Google, Microsoft Office 365 Single Sign-On

  • Secure hash functions SHA-512 + salt for encryption of User Passwords

  • TLS encryption of HTTPS traffic to the PBX, screen sharing sessions, conferences

  • SIP TLS - SIP signaling over TLS

  • SRTP - SDES-AES 128 encryption of voice / audio, including conferences

  • DTLS-SRTP - TLS encryption of voice / audio, including conferences

Can I keep my current phone number? Yes, we offer free number porting, which allows you to transfer all your current business numbers over. It’s a good idea to maintain your existing service until porting has been completed.

What is QoS (Quality of Service), and why is it important? Quality of Service (QoS) is a service that allows you to prioritize your internet to your VoIP devices.

For example, other employees may browse the internet, stream videos, and listen to music. All these services take up bandwidth, which all compete for your internet’s phone service. QoS ensures that enough bandwidth is available for your VOIP phone system.

Are calls on VoIP secure? Yes, Security is a top priority for AltisphereX and all the security features are built-in inside the product, which means the AltisphereX System is Secure By Design and security is not delegated to third party devices.

How can I guarantee call quality? The first step to improve call quality is to use an Ethernet connection (CAT5e or CAT6). Using Quality of Service (QoS) ensures superior call quality. It can help minimize latency and prioritize bandwidth to your calls.

Without getting into the technical details, latency can cause interrupted calls. However, with VoIP QoS, you will have sufficient bandwidth allocated to your voice calls.

If you are a small business owner, you probably won’t need to use QoS. It’s more likely to be used by organizations that handle high concurrent call volumes.

What happens if AltisphereX network goes down? AltisphereX maintains a 99.999% uptime, which is equivalent to less than six minutes of downtime per year. We have several data centers across the U.S. and Canada to maintain this high degree of availability.

This redundancy protects against fraud and natural disasters that impact business continuity. AltisphereX has network engineers that monitor the entire network 24/7.

What equipment do I need to use VoIP? You don’t need much VoIP hardware to get started with your cloud communication system. Although, you need to have fast and reliable internet (typically more than 10Mbps).

Your phone service can be set up with a physical phone, smartphone, laptop, tablet or computer.

What can a VoIP phone do that a landline phone cannot?

A VoIP or broadband phone service can help you save up to 90% on your monthly phone bill. VoIP providers offer many features which are covered in the monthly fee, such as voicemail , caller ID , conference calling , and call waiting , Voicemail to email, Screenshare, Instant messaging. Many providers offer unlimited long-distance with their plans, which saves customers the trouble of having to purchase long-distance phone cards. Furthermore, most providers offer unlimited calling to other subscribers on the same service, allowing you to talk to those users for as long as you wish at no additional cost.