Imagine your boss is using the Internet for an important presentation in the company boardroom when his slide show is affected by a few seconds of latency. Chances are that nobody will even bat an eyelash at this slight network hiccup, as this is a common problem that affects the Web.
Now: Imagine this same amount of latency occurs during a VoIP-based audio conversation that your boss is having. The network delay will be heightened noticeably over the phone, as it will cut into the words of whoever is talking. Since the latency is more disruptive, it has more of an emotional impact as well.
As Steve Cassidy of PC PRO succinctly explained in a recent article, VoIP call quality issues can be very disturbing. “Computers engage with the intellect; phones engage with the emotions,” he said.
If the audio delay is bad enough, it could even prompt an investigation into the root cause of the network issue. As a network professional, you’d better have an answer ready when an upper-level manager comes looking for one.
There is a double standard in the business world, in other words, for audio and visual network latency. While visual latency is often tolerated in small doses, VoIP errors like delayed IP packets or call echoes can have much bigger consequences. Further complicating the matter is the disconnection that often exists between upper managers who expect flawless internal communications and IT professionals who are constantly struggling to meet these high expectations.
The reality is that you cannot always prevent latency from occurring on a VoIP call. But with PathSolutions’ troubleshooting software, you can look into your network and gain a whole new level of VoIP visibility. So, when your boss comes to you demanding to know why his phone call was disrupted for three seconds, you can pull an exact snapshot of your network and show him what caused the problem. You may even be able to tell him that the error was not your company’s fault.
Click here to learn more about PathSolutions’ VoIP troubleshooting software.
