Softphone
What is Softphone?
A softphone is an application — running on a computer, tablet, or mobile phone — that lets a user make and receive calls over a UCaaS or SIP trunking connection without a physical desk phone, using the device's microphone and speaker (or a headset) instead. It gives an employee the same extension, presence, and calling features as a desk phone, useful for remote workers or anyone who needs to take business calls away from a physical office.
More detail
A softphone typically registers to the same phone system as any desk phone, so it can share an extension, ring simultaneously with a desk phone, or serve as a user's only calling device.
Softphones commonly integrate with a computer's contacts, CRM, or team messaging app, letting a user click-to-call from another application rather than manually dialing a number.
Frequently asked
- Does a softphone need a physical desk phone alongside it?
- No — a softphone can be a user's only calling device, registered to the same extension a desk phone would use, though some setups ring both simultaneously so a user can answer from whichever is closer.
- What does a softphone need to work well?
- A stable internet connection and reasonably low network jitter and packet loss, since a softphone carries voice as VoIP over whatever network the device is connected to, unlike a dedicated desk phone on a wired line.
See also
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