VoIP
Voice over Internet Protocol — technology that carries phone calls over the internet instead of traditional copper phone lines. It's what lets one business number work across desk phones, computers, and mobile apps. See VoIP vs. a traditional landline.
PBX
Private Branch Exchange — the system that runs a business's phones: greetings, extensions, and call routing. Traditionally a box on-site; increasingly, a cloud service.
Cloud PBX (hosted PBX)
A PBX that runs on servers in a data center and is delivered as a service over the internet, with no on-site hardware to maintain. See What is a cloud PBX?
SIP
Session Initiation Protocol — the behind-the-scenes standard that sets up and ends VoIP calls between devices and the phone system.
Auto-attendant (IVR)
An automated menu that greets callers and routes them to the right person or department (for example, "press 1 for sales"). See how to set up an auto-attendant.
Extension
A short internal number for a person, desk, or department within the phone system.
Ring group
A set of phones or apps that ring together (or in sequence) so a call reaches whoever's available instead of one empty desk.
Call queue
A holding line that keeps callers in order and distributes them to staff, instead of a busy signal at peak times.
Call flow
The rules that decide where a call goes, based on menu choices, business hours, and call type. See call routing explained.
Voicemail-to-email
Delivers voicemail messages to your inbox as audio (and often a transcript) so missed calls don't disappear.
Number porting
Transferring an existing phone number to a new carrier so you keep the same number when you switch. See how porting works.
DID (Direct Inward Dialing)
A phone number that routes straight to a specific person or line without going through the main menu.
ATA (Analog Telephone Adapter)
A small device that connects a traditional analog phone to a VoIP service, so you can reuse compatible hardware.
Softphone
A phone app that runs on a computer or mobile device instead of physical desk-phone hardware.
Endpoint
A single device or app registration on the phone system — a desk phone, softphone app, or ATA. Plans are usually priced per endpoint. See how pricing & endpoints work.
E911
Enhanced 911 — emergency calling for VoIP that provides a registered address so responders reach the right location. Keeping that address current matters.
Failover
Automatic rerouting of calls (for example, to a mobile phone) when a location loses internet or power — so you keep taking calls.
Call forwarding
Sending incoming calls to another number, device, or team automatically.
Call recording
Capturing and storing calls for training, quality, or reference — subject to consent requirements in your area.
Business SMS / MMS
Sending and receiving text and picture messages from a business phone number. See business texting best practices.
HD voice
Wideband audio that makes calls sound clearer and more natural than standard phone quality.
Latency
The delay before audio reaches the other side of a call. High latency causes that awkward talking-over-each-other feeling.
Jitter
Variation in the delay of audio packets. Too much jitter makes calls sound choppy. See internet requirements for VoIP.
QoS (Quality of Service)
Network settings that prioritize voice traffic so calls stay clear even when the connection is busy.
Toll-free number
A number (800, 888, and similar) that's free for the caller and billed to the business receiving the call.
Bandwidth
The capacity of your internet connection. VoIP uses relatively little — stability matters more than raw speed.
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