Staying in Touch with Family and Friends

Posted on 15 July 20259 December 2025 by Suhail Dinat

…Remotely with Vox, because the world as we know it has drastically changed.

Back in the day, it was all small communities and big families. Next-door neighbours were basically an extension of your clan. You knew everyone in the neighbourhood (and their business, plus a weird nickname based on some embarrassing life story), and the only people who went overseas generally came back after 6 weeks loaded with gifts.

Today, the world has changed. Times have changed. We’ve become complexly complicit of complexes and apartments with interchangeable neighbours. In a world where families are spread like butter and friends too busy, staying connected isn’t just a convenience – it’s essential. Maybe your parents still live in your hometown. Maybe your sister moved overseas. Maybe you’re in a long-distance relationship, or you’re the one hiding in exile. Whatever the case, modern communication technology bridges the gaps and keeps relationships strong.

Great idea in theory, right? But anyone who’s actually tried maintaining a long-distance anything knows this: it’s one thing to have the phone or the tech… it’s another thing to actually use it correctly.

But enough exposition – let’s get into the meat and potatoes.
Here’s how technology is turning “long-distance” into shorter distances, or at least making them a whole lot more bearable.

A picture beats a thousand words

True, texting has its merits. Who doesn’t love thumbs-up emojis and those broadcast messages from Gran that somehow reach every contact you’ve ever met? Although it’s endlessly comforting, nothing beats the feeling of seeing a loved one’s face. Video calls bring conversations and energy to life. Real-time laughter, micro-expressions, hiding tears – what’s not to love?

Beyond calls, connection is built on the everyday moments. Whether it’s photos from a family trip, snippets of your kid’s first steps, or even a quick voice note while driving home, these digital touchpoints make people feel part of your life no matter where they reside. It’s technology doing what it does best: shrinking emotional distance.

And when it comes to special occasions, the right tools can turn any milestone into an all-inclusive experience. You can dial into birthdays and weddings, host video-call dinners, sync up for online movie nights, or play games together for genuine bonding. Distance stops being a wall and becomes a mild inconvenience – like buffering, but for relationships.

Introducing Vobi – making keeping in touch as simple as 1,2,3

Stay Connected Without Burning Through Minutes or Data

The fact is, not everyone has unlimited minutes or wants to torch their mobile Data just to stay in touch. That’s where Vobi comes in – Vox’s easy-to-use calling app that gives you affordable, reliable local and international calling over Wi-Fi or mobile data.

With the Vobi App, you can:

Make affordable local and international calls using Wi-Fi or Data.
Keep your personal number (or route it) so family always knows it’s you.
Save costs compared to regular airtime and mobile carrier rates.
Manage one predictable monthly cost instead of endless top-ups and overpriced bundles.
Stay connected with minimal buffering, even when mobile signal isn’t exactly vibing.

Vobi is perfect for your daily check-ins, those long overdue catch-ups, or late-night crush calls without being yelled at by the “one minute remaining” lady (who, for the record, always sounds unnecessarily angry).

Reliable Calling Needs Reliable Connectivity – Enter Vox

Everything you use to stay connected – from Vobi VoIP calls to video chats, shared moments, high-quality voice notes and online bonding sessions – relies on one thing: solid, high-speed Internet.

Vox ensures your connection is strong enough for:

Crystal-clear VoIP calling
Uninterrupted video chats
Smooth streaming and sharing
Stable performance across all devices

There’s a reason we’re the #1 VoIP provider in South Africa.
Your connection is our whole personality.

Connection Keeps Us Human

Life moves fast – but relationships are what keep us grounded. With Vox’s high-speed Connectivity and the Vobi App, staying in touch (and keeping your people close, even when they’re far) is no longer a schlep.
It’s as simple as picking up the device already semi-grafted to your hand.

We’ll handle the rest.

Stay connected, stay human, and stay in touch with Vox today.

Baby, It’s Cold Outside!

Posted on 27 June 202527 June 2025 by Vivienne Fouche

So snuggle up at home with your Vox Connectivity, and let the weather do its thing without you…

Winter in South Africa has officially arrived around the country (and if you don’t believe me, just ask our Vox Weather meteorologists). Or to put it another way: “Eish guys, it’s freezing!”

It’s raining, it’s pouring, it’s snowing, it’s windy and it’s just plain ‘NO MORE SUNNY SOUTH AFRICA!’ right now, almost everywhere.

So what’s a person to do in the quest to stay warm and dry and happy?

Here at Vox, we have some ideas.

Don’t Worry…

Grab your warm clothes and layer up against the weather. Beanies / scarves / gloves / rain jackets / warm socks, anyone? And as for leg warmers, let’s just call them retro cool; I mean, they can’t be a fashion faux pas any more when Shein and Temu are both bringing them back…
Grab a blanket! Grab two! Or a ‘shoulder blanket’, aka a shawl.
Close the doors, windows, curtains and blinds when the sun’s gone down. Conversely, open those curtains to catch some winter rays on sunny days when you wake up, to let any outside heat stream into your home and slowly warm it up. It’s a simple practice that doesn’t cost anything but it can make a difference.
Put on the heater or light the fire – but safely, please! – and never leave an open flame or fireplace unattended. If you have small children, be aware of any hazards to their safety.
Speaking of retro items, remember hot water bottles? The trick, apparently, is to avoid completely filling your bottle – instead, leave a little room for the hot air to expand so it doesn’t get a pressure build-up and burst. And cover your bottle with a towel if it didn’t come with a cover, to help keep the heat in and also not burn your skin.
And then there’s the non-water bottle – wheat bags that go into the microwave – which are also great for sprains or sore muscles as well as staying warmer. If you don’t have a wheat bag, you could make something similar by filling an old sock with rice, tying the opening closed, and heating up in the microwave for a short while. (Safety note: you probably shouldn’t do this in an air fryer 😊.)
Finally, warm your insides with a nice hot beverage. What’s your preference: coffee, hot chocolate, tea, Rooibos or herbal tea? And of course, wrapping your cold fingers around the hot mug helps as well.

… Be Happy

Right, now that we’ve sorted out some tips for keeping warm, let’s look at the positive side of the dropping thermometer, because cold weather is just made for home entertainment! And when all your connectivity options are covered by Vox, home entertainment is a breeze for the whole family.

Why not settle into a cold weather weekend of online-enhanced fun – here are some of your options to consider:

Streaming entertainment: Netflix, Showmax, Disney+, Amazon Prime Video, and Apple TV+ are all available locally – just grab the popcorn and chocolate (and blanket) and get comfy.
For local content, we’ve got SABC+ especially for news hounds, eVOD with soapies galore, and Afriforum TV for Afrikaans series, podcasts, radio, reality shows and kids content.
For sports options, there’s DSTV Stream and F1TV Pro, as well as Tennis TV Premium for live grand slam tournaments (hey there, Wimbledon season!).
And don’t forget about your fix of YouTube, for the young and the young at heart.

Then there’s online gaming, of course, beloved by millions today around the world. Whether it’s World of Warcraft, Fortnite, Apex Legends, PUBG, Minecraft and so much more, there’s something for everyone, whether you’re a veteran or a curious newcomer, under 10 or a life-long teenager. You just need a keen imagination, fast fingers and faster connectivity. At Vox, we can’t do anything about your manual dexterity, but we can surely take care of your Internet speed!

Away from gaming, you might also want to stay in touch with friends and family with a long-overdue chat via WhatsApp or Vobi, and for those more introspective moments, the readers among us will reach out for a good book. Of course, you can always do it the old-fashioned paper-based way, but online books are also widely available – and often for far less cost.

And finally, let’s not forget about a fix of celebrity gossip – which high-profile million-dollar wedding is taking place for the international glitterati set? Who’s wearing what and who’s cosying up to who? (Looking at you here, Orlando Bloom!)

So really – who wants to leave home when “Baby, it’s cold outside!”

With Vox, the great news is that you don’t have to.

Enjoy!

PS: Just for an added bonus, here’s a link to a revamped version of the classic song, performed by John Legend and Kelly Clarkson (click on the image).

WhatsApp and Your Customers

Posted on 10 April 202510 April 2025 by Natalie van der Merwe

A Powerful Channel for Contact Centres

We all know that mobile phones were originally invented to enable Voice calls that could be made and received on the go, and not just through a fixed land line. And so it’s ironic that we’re seeing an increasing trend in recent years for consumers to use their smart phones for text-based communication more than for Voice calls. This pattern brings ramifications for businesses as well as individuals.

The ‘texting versus calling’ trend is highly visible in private conversations as well as in the communication preferences that people have with businesses, including contact centres.

WhatsApp has become one of the world’s most popular and widely used text-based apps, and its features and popularity bring significant benefits to contact centres also – so much so that WhatsApp has, in fact, become one of the most powerful channels for contact centre usage today. Let’s unpack this further, starting with insights on why texting itself can be so useful.

Don’t Call Me (Send Me a Text)

Texting provides a quick and efficient way to communicate. There’s no need for pleasantries or small talk (especially if you’re not in the mood!) – you can simply get straight to the point. In a world where time is a precious commodity, many people see this as an advantage, especially when they’re busy or under stress.

Some of the advantages of texting include the following:

Great for multi-tasking: Texting allows people to communicate during brief free moments, including in the ‘asynchronous’ timing of messages (where both the sender and the recipient of the message don’t have to be in ‘chat mode’ at exactly the same time). For example, you can send a text message just before setting off on a trip to work and then read the response when you’ve arrived at the office, or you could send a text while waiting for your computer to finish a series of planned updates. The important thing is that you can text at a time that works for you.
Texting is easy: Even members of an older generation understand how to text on their smartphones, and it’s easier than a Voice call for anyone who is hearing impaired. For those who are introverts, or living in a country where the primary business language isn’t their first language, texting can be easier than trying to speak on the phone.
Efficiency of use: Texting allows us to get straight to the point – we ask a direct question, get a straightforward answer, and carry on with our schedule.
Written record: In addition, text messages remain with you and can be referred back to for further information or confirmation, if required.
Unintrusive communications: You don’t need to interrupt whatever you’re doing to immediately read or answer a message – you can do it at your convenience (at least most of the time). A phone call, on the other hand, requires real-time (‘synchronous’) communication at a time when it may not suit both parties to make or receive a call.
Synched to your computer: As an additional advantage, WhatsApp’s useful functionality also allows you to synch your smartphone to your laptop or desktop computer, so you can have the additional convenience of sending text messages via a device with a bigger keyboard, which for some people is more convenient.

So much for the advantages of being able to text your messages. Among the many communication channels available, WhatsApp has emerged as a gamechanger.

WhatsApp: Powering Ahead in Popularity and Availability

With over 2 billion active users globally, WhatsApp has become an incredibly popular and important platform within the digital communications landscape. Originally designed as a simple messaging app, it’s now a critical tool for contact centres, providing superb accessibility and efficiency, and enhancing customer engagement.

WhatsApp’s usage in contact centres has been a logical business extension because it’s versatile, widely available as well as extensively used, and able to deliver seamless, personalised experiences at scale.

Here are some thought-provoking statistics:

96% of South Africans use WhatsApp.
Globally, 68% of users check WhatsApp daily, indicating high engagement.
Over 175 million people message a WhatsApp Business account every day.

For contact centres, this means a ready-made audience that prefers the platform for its convenience and immediacy.

Benefits for Contact Centres

Using WhatsApp can benefit contact centres in several different ways, including accessibility, real-time conversations, a variety of media formats and cost-efficiency.

Accessibility: WhatsApp’s widespread usage ensures that businesses can reach customers almost anywhere. Unlike voice or email, which require specific setups, WhatsApp operates on a platform most customers already use on a daily basis.
Real-time conversations: The platform supports fast and efficient interactions for resolving customer queries, sending notifications and collecting feedback.
Rich media capabilities: WhatsApp supports a variety of media formats, including text, images, videos, documents and voice notes. This versatility allows businesses to share detailed information, demonstrate solutions visually, and provide instructions.
Cost efficiency: Compared to Voice or SMS channels, WhatsApp offers a more affordable solution for high-volume interactions. Businesses can save costs while maintaining high levels of service.
Track chat history: WhatsApp keeps track of all customer interactions, providing a complete view of the user journey. This ensures continuity and context, allowing for multiple agents to seamlessly assist customers.
Single place of interaction: Integrating WhatsApp into the contact centre software allows agents to manage all customer communications from one platform, streamlining workflows and improving response times.
Automation: WhatsApp can be integrated with chatbots to handle common queries, freeing up human agents to handle more complex issues.

Smartz Solutions: Integrating WhatsApp into Your Customer Journey

The Ultimate Guide to understanding WhatsApp Business | Vox | WhatsApp and Your Customers — Image courtesy of Smarz Solutions

Vox has proudly partnered with Smartz Solutions, which has been at the forefront of enabling businesses to embrace WhatsApp as part of its omnichannel communication strategy.

By seamlessly integrating WhatsApp with other channels like Voice, email and web chat, SmartzSolutions empowers contact centres to offer customers increased flexibility, helping businesses in the following ways:

Rapid Deployment: The company has a proven track record of being able to deploy a WhatsApp bot in under 24 hours, handling unprecedented interaction volumes effortlessly.
Seamless Integration: SmartzSolutions ensures that WhatsApp is part of a cohesive omnichannel strategy so that every interaction, regardless of channel, contributes to a unified customer experience.
Sentiment Analysis and Personalisation: By integrating sentiment analysis, the company helps businesses to tailor their WhatsApp interactions, ensuring they resonate with a customer’s unique needs and emotions.

Voice and WhatsApp: Coexisting for the Ultimate Solution

It’s important to remember that, while WhatsApp is revolutionising customer communication, Voice will always have a critical place in the contact centre. In particular, we find that urgent, complex or emotionally charged issues often require a human touch, and Voice channels remain the most effective way to provide that – there’s nothing like speaking voice to voice to a sympathetic person over the phone when someone has an issue or challenge.

The future for contact centres lies in balancing these channels, allowing customers to choose the method that best suits their needs at a particular time. WhatsApp can handle routine queries and initial touchpoints, while Voice agents step in for more complex interactions. Together, they form a complementary strategy that maximises efficiency and satisfaction.

Too Big, Too Small or Just Right? Choosing the Right Internet Plan for Your Household

Posted on 10 February 202520 November 2025 by Vivienne Fouche

Getting the right fit for your household’s size, usage habits and budget

There’s an age-old fairytale for children called ‘Goldilocks and the Three Bears’. If you think about it from a South African perspective, it’s really a tale of a home invasion – a minor and harmless one at least. One takeaway from the folk tale (besides ‘Don’t enter people’s homes when they aren’t there!’) is apparently that Goldilocks is looking for her fit in life.

Vox guide to choosing the right speed, data and connection type for your household that’s just right for everyone. — Image courtesy www.kids-pages.com

Here at Vox, we obviously don’t condone home invasions of any sort, but we do endorse finding the right fit. As one of South Africa’s leading Internet Service Providers (ISPs), we understand that your online experience should allow everyone in your home to enjoy seamless connectivity for all their devices and activities. We also know that choosing the right Internet plan for your household doesn’t have to be an impossible fairytale either.

At Vox, we’ve got multiple Connectivity plans for you to choose from, but it’s important to understand some key points to make an informed decision.

So here’s a guide on selecting the best Vox Internet plan based on the size of your household, the usage habits of everyone who lives there, and your budget – because just like Goldilocks (but not in a creepy way) we understand the importance of getting it ‘just right’.

Assess Your Household’s Internet Usage

Start by assessing your household’s Internet usage patterns. How many Internet users do you have at home and what do they do online? For example, do your family members regularly spend time streaming entertainment, gaming or in online video meetings? How many devices could potentially be connected simultaneously at any given moment? Thinking about these factors will help you to determine the required speed and data allowances of your Internet plan.

Internet speed is typically measured in megabits per second (Mbps) for downloads and uploads. So: how many teenagers – or almost teenagers – are living in your house, and are any of them currently planning a career in gaming or becoming a YouTuber? You’ll want to choose higher speeds if anyone in your home is regularly involved in bandwidth-intensive activities like online gaming or HD streaming.

The table below offers some useful guidelines.

V104.1.7 How to Choose Table V1 030225 FINAL | Vox | Too Big, Too Small or Just Right? Choosing the Right Internet Plan for Your Household — choose internet plan South Africa

Select Your Internet Plan for Seamless Connectivity

When you’re choosing a household Internet plan, you want one that offers sufficient speed to support your family’s online activities without experiencing slowdowns or buffering.

Compare pricing structures among our different Internet offerings to find a plan that fits your budget and your speed requirements, as well as whether your Internet data usage will be capped or uncapped. At any given moment, you’ll find a promotional offer available and a variety of options across all our different Connectivity options (which are outlined in the next section).

Evaluate your household’s typical data consumption and choose a plan with sufficient data allowances to avoid throttling of your Internet speeds. Throttling occurs if you use more than a certain, pre-determined (as outlined within your contract) ‘fair’ amount of data in a given timeframe.

If your Internet usage is ‘throttled’, your line speed is slowed down during peak times to give other users fair access to the network. In simple terms, being throttled means that your upload and download speeds will be significantly reduced at certain times, until the new month begins and the ‘reset button’ takes you back to your contractual speeds. If you find that your home’s Internet connection is being regularly throttled, perhaps you need to upgrade to a package with higher speeds.

Types of Internet Connections

You can find out what types of Vox Internet connections are availably simply by going to the Vox home page and typing in your address. All the options available to you in your area will then be shown.

These could include the following: Fibre to the Home, which provides blazing-fast Connectivity by using light pulses to transmit data packets through Fibre Optic cables; LTE and 5G, which work via the same wireless cellular technology that powers your mobile phone network; and Satellite, presenting your eye in the sky when other options aren’t available.

Each type of Internet connectivity for home usage has unique characteristics:

Fibre to the Home: Enjoy super-fast, reliable Internet with Vox’s Fibre to the Home packages, with speeds that range from 4Mbps to a whopping 1Gbps.
LTE and 5G: Get connected to the Fibre-like speeds of Vox’s LTE and 5G offerings without having to wait for a fixed-line Fibre option to be installed in your neighbourhood.
Satellite: When your area’s access to FTTH, LTE and 5G connectivity is limited, Vox offers Satellite Internet, independent of cabling, across the country. It isn’t as fast as the other options, but it’s reliable and available across South Africa.

Choose the Right Internet Plan Today

Selecting the right Internet plan makes sure that everyone in your home can stay connected and productive, for communication, remote work and online learning, banking, shopping and entertainment.

At Vox, we know that, just like the Three Bears in the age-old fairytale, everyone’s needs are different. Why not contact us today for expert advice on how to choose the right Internet plan for your home and your family? We’ll help you make the right choice: not too big, not too small, but just right.

Frequently Asked Questions

Is fibre always better than 5G or satellite?
Fibre typically offers the most reliable speeds and lowest latency. 5G/LTE can deliver fibre-like speeds and fast installation in many areas. Satellite is best where terrestrial services aren’t available.

What does ‘uncapped’ mean and is it worth it?
Uncapped means you don’t have a fixed data limit for normal use; check for any fair-usage policy. Uncapped plans are valuable for heavy households whose members frequently stream, game or work from home.

Why does my internet speed slow down at certain times?
That’s usually due to throttling under a fair-use arrangement or network contention during peak hours. Upgrading to a higher-tier or uncapped plan can help.

Can I mix connections (fibre with LTE backup)?
Yes. Vox and many ISPs offer redundant setups (fibre primary with LTE failover), which is useful for critical remote work or businesses operating from home.

How many Mbps do I need for remote work and video conferencing?
For reliable video calls, aim for at least 10–25Mbps per active remote worker, with good upload speeds to avoid degraded video quality.

How do I check which Vox options are available at my address?
Use the Vox availability checker on vox.co.za and enter your address to view Fibre, LTE/5G and Satellite options and the recommended plans for your area.

Affordable High-Speed Broadband, Plus Value-Adds, for Every South African

Posted on 11 October 2024 by Vivienne Fouche

Is that all? The importance of offering ‘more’ in a saturated environment

Today’s world is defined by Connectivity in ways that seemed unimaginable when the clock first ticked over into the current millennium. Whether it’s WhatsApp, X, LinkedIn, Pinterest, Facebook, Snapchat or TikTok, people love being connected, and online is here to stay.

Here at Vox, Connectivity lies at the heart of everything we do.

As a leading South African Internet Service Provider (ISP), we are all about connection, communication and conversation – but we also know that we’re not alone. The local telecoms landscape has more than 20 ISPs in operation – you could call it a saturated market.

And so Vox goes above and beyond to offer our customers more than the competition – you definitely won’t hear the phrase: ‘Is that all?’ about any of our offerings! At the heart of our multiple solutions is the goal of being able to offer every South African access to affordable high-speed broadband.

Let’s take a look at how we can get our customers connected.

Dealing With Market Saturation

In addition to high-speed broadband, Vox provides many excellent value-adds. As well as lightning-fast Internet, we offer Wi-Fi solutions to keep you connected; cost-effective and quality Voice over Internet Protocol (VoIP) offerings; energy back-up products for power outages; and even cell boosters to enhance your mobile phone experience – no more ‘dead’ zones in the house!

You can look to Vox for the following:

Our connectivity solutions begin with Vox Fibre, which comes with value-added extras upon sign-up, like free installation and a free-to-use router.
When Fibre is unavailable, other options are provided:
- Vox Wireless presents high-speed, fixed Microwave Data Connectivity that uses the most innovative microwave technology on the market. It comes with free installation, meaning more money to invest in your business.
- Consumers and businesses also have the option of choosing Fixed LTE, 5G, and satellite, depending on factors such as their needs and budget, and geographic location.
To ensure that our customers get the most out of their Internet solution, we supply best-of-breed Wi-Fi devices, which allow you to maximise your Wi-Fi experience. We also offer managed Wi-Fi network solutions, which enable remote software, firmware updates and reduced technician callouts with remote troubleshooting and fault remediation. Additionally, our expert advice is always available to enhance your overall network experience.
We also provide excellent access to power solutions for those times when the power goes down, to keep your Wi-Fi running even in an energy outage.
Vox’s shared Mobile Data offering is an ideal mobile wireless solution for a family with multiple SIM-enabled devices, to keep everyone connected while maintaining control over your mobile data bill using our simple online portal.

What Sets Our Connectivity Options Apart?

Vox offers our clients high network availability and an extensive national footprint, as follows:

We have a huge range of subscription and pricing solutions, and our sales agents will help you choose the best package for your needs, rather than upselling you on the most expensive.
Vox subscribers, both consumers and businesses, have the option of adding backup Internet solutions to their Fibre packages (like LTE or Wireless) to ensure they stay online all the time.
Our Proactive Network Monitoring offers safer, more secure Internet access and lower latency.
A 24/7/365 in-house Service Centre is available for troubleshooting and incident response for all our customers, across any product.
As far as Voice offerings are concerned, we believe that we’re the number 1 VoIP provider in the country.
- Individual consumers and SMEs can make use of our Vobi softphone application, which is unique to Vox, and allows customers to make and receive high quality Voice and Video calls over Wi-Fi, 3G, 4G-LTE and 5G on the Vox network.
- Organisations can make use of our Titanium partnership (the highest status possible) with global cloud PBX leader 3CX, to experience a comprehensive communication platform that includes Live Chat, WhatsApp, Facebook, SMS and Video Conferencing.

Vox teams are situated in multiple locations across the country, supported by our extensive footprint of over 1 000 business partners to ensure that our customers receive fast, efficient service wherever they are, whenever needed.

Value-Added Service Offerings

We take full responsibility for all our technical implementations and systems, from concept to installation.

The Vox Service Centre offers immediate support to all our customers.
The Service Centre also continuously monitors all of Vox’s networks and infrastructure, to ensure that quality of service is always maintained.
Specialist product managers are assigned to oversee each portfolio, for continuous research and development to ensure each product is always of the highest standard.
An extensive team of account managers and technical engineers offers convenient customer service and solution implementation.
If you’ve decided to upscale your business with better Connectivity, don’t stop there! Vox can also organise a customised domain and email address for you, to turbocharge your professionalism, as well as taking care of your email archiving needs with the most comprehensive and hassle-free cloud email and compliancy solution on the market.
There’s always a good time to sign up with us – you could win with our ‘Refer a friend’ campaign, and there’s always a fabulous promo running that allows you to sign up and save.

Expertise, innovation and superior quality products are at the heart of Vox. Ultimately, we have everything required to meet our customers’ needs at every stage of their journey – both now, and in the future – and that’s how we keep South Africans staying connected together.

With us, there’s always more.

No 1 in Teams: Unpacking Voice Solutions with Vox and Operator Connect

Posted on 2 July 20241 August 2024 by Vivienne Fouche

A quick and easy way to integrate Voice calling into Teams – no matter where your employees are working from

Using Microsoft Teams has proven itself as an excellent platform for calling, holding meetings and collaborating with colleagues working remotely or from office spaces in different parts of the country. Teams has been proven to keep effective communications going among skilled colleagues no matter where in the country – or the world – they might be based.

Did you know that in addition, with Microsoft Operator Connect, businesses can quickly and easily integrate Voice calling into Teams, saving on costs and enhancing communications and efficiencies further?

As a Microsoft Operator Connect partner, Vox hosts and manages the infrastructure required for VoIP (Voice over Internet Protocol, or calls made over the internet) as well as PSTN[1] calling (meaning calls made over landline), using Teams, powered by Microsoft Azure.

By enhancing the integration of Vox’s low-latency, quality-controlled Voice Network with Microsoft Teams, Operator Connect offers streamlined, fully-managed Vox Voice services and radically improved call quality. With Operator Connect, users can make, receive, transfer, forward and put a Voice call on hold from any location via a Teams-enabled computer or smart device.

Vox and Microsoft Operator Connect

Customers can connect their existing phone numbers to Microsoft Teams or obtain new numbers, manage their calling plans, and configure their call routing right from within Microsoft Teams. This is particularly helpful for the IT department – your technicians can quickly assign numbers without needing to go through external providers, and can manage everything from one place.

By subscribing to Operator Connect, Teams users get a telephone number on which they can make and receive calls. Users can call any phone number in the world and receive calls from anyone in turn, from their mobile phone or computer.

With Operator Connect, Teams replaces the company’s old handsets, and users make and receive phone calls directly within Teams.

Benefits of partnering with Vox and Operator Connect include:

Migrate your current Vox Voice services or port numbers from your existing operator quickly and easily (Geographic and Non-Geographic numbers).
Operator Connect is designed to be easy for the IT team to use from the Teams Admin Centre.
The solution is budget-friendly: One of the benefits of Operator Connect is that by enabling Voice calling directly from Microsoft Teams on PC or mobile phone, no other hardware is required.
Vox provides tech support and service level agreements (SLAs) for excellent trouble-shooting and ongoing reliability.
Significant savings: With either Unlimited or Post-Paid Voice packages to choose from, Vox will tailor a calling plan suited to your business needs.
Every customer receives the most secure and value-rich solution as default, with active 24/7/365 fraud monitoring and guaranteed 99.9% uptime, with punitive SLA clauses should we not deliver on our promise.
Quality of service: Your Microsoft Teams and Voice traffic is prioritised above all other traffic travelling across your Fibre connection. This means that your Teams and Voice calls will not be interrupted by other activity happening on your network. This is a proprietary service offered by Vox on your Vox home or business Fibre last mile link.

Teams and Vox: A Winning Combination

Subscribing to Operator Connect is not difficult at all – just click here to enquire, and then a Vox expert will contact you and guide you through the quick and simple subscription process.

Once you accept, we’ll establish a trunk connection for you, assist you to provision users and assign phone numbers directly from the Teams Admin Centre so you can start making calls – it’s friendly on the bottom line, hassle-free, secure and tailored to your unique business requirements.

Simply subscribe to Operator Connect from Vox and leave the rest to us.

[1] The PSTN (Publicly Switched Telephone Network) is the network that carries your voice calls when you call from a landline or cell phone. It refers to the worldwide network of voice-carrying telephone infrastructure, including privately-owned and government-owned infrastructure.

Good Things Come in 3s

Posted on 19 June 20241 August 2024 by Natalie van der Merwe

The days of on-site PBX systems connected via theft-prone, vulnerable copper cables are gone.

Even in today’s digital era, every organisation still needs to make and receive telephone calls. And with as many as 28.2% of American employees working in a hybrid manner, and up to 16% of companies fully remote[1], businesses have found that Cloud-based phone systems have helped employees – and therefore the companies they work for – to remain productive.

3CX is a leading global, software-based Cloud PBX provider that uses Voice over Internet Protocols (VOIP). This innovative brand has made the business world sit up and take notice.

3CX is accessible via the Cloud over any means of data connection, and empowers organisations to embrace hybrid working without sacrificing the essential features and functions needed for their business. In South Africa, according to the BrandMapp 2023 annual survey, 53% of employed adults earning R10,000+ per month are working remotely or according to a hybrid work model[2].

Embrace the Future of Communications

The days of on-site PBX systems connected via theft-prone, vulnerable copper cables are gone.

As a hosted phone system – meaning a Private Branch Exchange (PBX) – using VoIP, 3CX eliminates the need for legacy infrastructure. Instead of relying on traditional copper lines, your business can make calls over the Internet and have access to a wide range of advanced features, such as video calling, instant messaging, an integrated call centre, mobile applications and more.

3CX was founded in 2005, when VoIP was still an emerging technology, and since then, it has gone on to establish itself as a global leader in business communications. Today, the company is a Cloud PBX leader empowering more than 600,000 customers across 190 countries.

You could think of 3CX as being the pioneers in the Cloud PBX space: the Cloud PBX provider that dared to dream beyond traditional boundaries, making communication smoother, smarter and more efficient. And as one of the largest 3CX partners in South Africa, Vox is proud to carry a 3CX Titanium partner status – 3CX’s highest partner tier, reserved only for 3CX all-stars – and offers tailored solutions for businesses of all sizes. Our Advanced Technical Certification guarantees you excellent service and support.

How Can 3CX Help Your Business?

Many people still want to be able to contact a business through a voice call, as they feel more comfortable talking to a person, instead of sending emails into the ether that may or may not be read – let alone receive a reply. Combine this with the new world order in which people work from home at least some of the time, and 3CX is a winning choice.

With 3CX, you can ensure that your business operates smoothly, while also keeping the costs of communication down. Because the company uses the Internet to transmit and receive calls, 3CX provides more features while allowing for better flexibility.

With one unified system, your team is able to work efficiently from anywhere at no extra cost – so there is no need to purchase any add-ons for web conferencing, mobile apps, live chat, business text messaging and Facebook integration, because they are all included in the annual cost. Employees can easily make inbound and outbound calls in or outside the office.

As a hosted phone system, 3CX offers great functionality and reliability across desktop and mobile devices, and can also be used with conventional SIP phone handsets.

At Vox, we work with respected SIP phone providers like Yealink, SNOM and Gigaset. 3CX has evolved from its roots as a PBX phone system to a complete communications platform, offering customers a simple, flexible and affordable solution to call, video and live chat. Your business will be enabled to increase productivity and enhance customer experiences, while cutting costs and giving management something to smile about.

And with 3CX and Vox, there’s a lot to get excited about, because this partnership is not just about phone calls – it’s about transforming the way you do business with 24 / 7 support when you need it.

As a Titanium 3CX partner, let Vox help your business to keep growing, without outgrowing your phone system.

[1] Info obtained from Forbes report: Remote Work Statistics & Trends In (2024) – Forbes Advisor

[2] https://www.linkedin.com/posts/whyfive_hybridwork-brandmapp-newinsights-activity-7159136052845129729-tQ7i/

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