How to Use a Softphone App on the Go

1. What is a SIP Softphone?

2. How to Set Up a VoIP Softphone

3. Ultimate Guide to Softphones

A softphone is taking a larger place of importance these days as the workforce is more mobile and agile than ever before. The days of being tethered to desks and dedicated tools that could only be accessed from the office are far behind us – today’s employees must be able to take all these essentials with them, including the solutions they use to support corporate communication.

And now that the average worker uses at least two devices – oftentimes, personally owned laptops, smartphones or tablets that come under the umbrella of the company’s BYOD policy – it’s imperative that businesses are providing their staff with the mobile-accessible systems they require for daily work processing.

This includes not only things like email, but also voice calling and other unified communications tools as well. For many offices, this translates to VoIP, or Voice over IP calling. But how can employees use VoIP when they’re outside the office?

Similar to the other functions users leverage on their mobile devices, VoIP calling (and an array of other features) can be accessed through a mobile softphone app like CounterPath Bria softphones. The best softphone app solutions like these provide access to all the key capabilities that employees enjoy with their in-office VoIP tool, right from their smartphone or other mobile device. And best of all, top-tier mobile VoIP softphone app like Bria can be downloaded directly from the Google Play or Apple App Store.

In addition to downloading the softphone app itself, users must also have a SIP-based VoIP service, as well as a mobile network or wireless service provider data plan. In this way, users can make mobile VoIP calls over a regular wireless internet connection or via the device’s data plan when Wi-Fi is not available.

With the best softphones, the communication and collaboration features are accessible through the intuitive, user-friendly interface softphone app — making it seamlessly simple for employees to leverage top-notch unified communications while on the go. While some, more consumer-level apps enable users to make VoIP calls from a mobile device, top-tier softphone solutions geared toward business users come with added features that today’s employees simply cannot be without. If the solutions provider supports mobile apps, for cellphones and tablets, its often as simply as downloading the softphone app and logging in with your credentials.

While the core of a mobile softphone solution may revolve around extending a business phone number outside the office with crystal-clear voice and video calling, the best softphone apps support an array of other key communication features  including:

• Instant messaging and presence. Users are able to send and receive instant messages in real-time through the instant messaging softphone app feature. Full-featured solutions can also allow users to send and receive files, images, videos and documents as well.
• Contact management. Users are never without access to their contacts – a solution like Bria can sync with mobile device contact lists, and new contacts can easily be added, even during a live call.
• Security. Safeguarding corporate communications – especially those that involve sensitive data or subject matters – is key. A best-in-class mobile softphone app ensures that all voice and video calling, as well as any messages, are transmitted over a protected, encrypted channel. This, alongside firewall traversal to support the latest compliance requirements, means communications are secure from end to end.

Besides ensuring that staff members always have access to the voice, video, instant messaging, and other tools that they enjoy in a regular VoIP softphone solution, there are other key advantages that a softphone app can provide:

• Cost efficiency. Within many workplaces, managers must keep a sharp eye on the bottom line. Providing company-issued phones to enable professional communication on-the-go can become quite cost prohibitive. Calls made through a VoIP softphone app, on the other hand, don’t show up as incoming charges on users’ phone bills, as these take place over the Internet connection or the device data plan. What’s more, companies can save considerably on international calling.

“Country-to-county calls are billed at inexpensive local area rates, and the business traveler or tourist isn’t slammed with roaming charges,” Voip-info.org pointed out.

• Dedicated, corporate communication. While smartphones support regular calling and messaging, there’s no substitute for dedicated, professional-level softphone, real-time instant messaging, and online presence. These features become even more critical when employees are on the go, enabling co-workers to effectively keep in touch and collaborate, even when operating from outside the office. And by using the best VoIP softphone app, which also provides access to the latest communication features and security measures, staff members can leverage enterprise-level channels as opposed to their own personal phone line.
• Next-level features. It’s also important to point out that many of the features available through an industry-leading softphone app like Bria simply aren’t available without this advanced VoIP technology. This includes elements like the ability to create public or private chat rooms for group conversations and to use @mentions to notify and alert members of the chat room. Users can also leverage presence options to keep co-workers apprised of their status. And with capabilities like call recording, multi-tasking, and push services, employees have all the features they need, right at their fingertips.

VoIP softphone app solutions also relieve many of the core communication pain points hindering businesses today, such as a lack of control by IT in a BYOD world. Read about this and other softphone solutions in our eBook on the topic.

If your workforce is like many today, you need increasingly mobile, agile, and intuitive tools. A best-in-calls VoIP softphone app like Bria Enterprise could provide just the solution. Connect with us at CounterPath to learn more about how a softphone app like Bria can support your team.