Softphone Support Policy
Velocity Telephone's softphone support policy differs from our normal hardware based VoIP phone support model.
Since softphones do not have a dedicated hardware platform to ensure high quality voice performance, and because they are often reliant on mobile internet connections being used on laptops and mobile phones, Velocity Telephone cannot provide support in troubleshooting audio and call completion issues over softphones.
The primary issues which make troubleshooting softphones impractical compared to VoIP phones utilizing dedicated hardware are: reliability issues with the real-time operation of the operating system the software is running on, contention for resources on the computer or device which can affect audio performance, and the commonality of a softphone to be moved from network to network.
Since the reliability of the device itself, the operating system, and contention for resources are more likely to be at the root of audio or call completion issues than other factors when using a softphone, and since Velocity cannot practically provide support for troubleshooting your specific computer or device's performance or other issues to eliminate the device as the cause before moving onto other causes, it becomes impractical for Velocity technicians to provide support for audio or call completion issues for softphones.
Because of these challenges Velocity Telephone's softphone support policy is to never support audio quality or call completion issues over softphones.
Velocity Telephone strongly encourages the use of hardware VoIP phones for general use. Benefits include more reliable performance, more effective multi-tasking, greater ease of use, more features such as busy lamps and speed dials, and other advantages.
We understand that some users prefer the convenience of having their phone loaded on their computer as software and encourage customers to understand the trade-offs when determining whether a softphone is right for your business situation. And in some cases we may reserve the right to not offer softphones understanding the solution may not work or be appropriate.
In cases where a softphone is the right fit Velocity Telephone's softphone service is very effective and feature rich. For the trade-off in reliability you get added flexibility. And if you are able to manage your own technical issues, such us contentious PC performance, unreliable networks, and other issues that can affect call quality or completion, then a softphone may be the right solution for you.
As an addendum, note that only certain softphones have been tested with Velocity Telephone's Virtual Office service, and Velocity does not allow other softphones to be brought in and used with the service.
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