Editorial

Vodia, now Microsoft Teams certified, offers a seamless PBX solution tailored for the hospitality industry, enhancing staff productivity and guest satisfaction. While Teams excels at internal communication, Vodia's robust hotel communication systems bridge the gap with features like call routing, IVR, and call center functionalities. Hotels, like the fictional Grandview, improved service efficiency and guest experiences by integrating Vodia’s PBX with Teams, streamlining operations and ensuring reliable staff-to-room communication. This integration creates a unified system that elevates overall hotel performance and guest service.

Editorial

Efficient and warm communication between hotel staff and guests is essential for increasing guest satisfaction and driving revenue. Vodia offers a secure, feature-rich communication platform that integrates seamlessly with major Property Management Systems (PMS), enhancing guest interactions. From in-room devices to smartphone-based communication, Vodia ensures guests can easily contact hotel services, whether they’re on-site or away. This integrated solution reduces costs, improves operational efficiency, and protects guest privacy. With Vodia’s hospitality solution, hotels can foster positive guest experiences, encourage loyalty, and boost their reputation, all while simplifying communication methods.

Tech

This document details the beta version of the Vodia PBX that connects to the OpenAI realtime API, enabling users to interact with a chatbot via telephone. The backend JavaScript code facilitates the connection, handling audio input and output, and the WebSocket connection to the OpenAI API. The setup requires a Vodia PBX version 69.5.3 or higher, an API key, and a license with an IVR node. The demo can be accessed by editing the ivrnode.js template and creating an IVR node in the tenant. The system supports various VoIP devices and offers good voice quality. Future improvements include voice activity detection and the ability to take actions based on OpenAI responses.

Editorial

Vodia's PBX is now certified for Microsoft Teams Direct Routing, enabling seamless integration between Teams and external communication systems. This certification eliminates the need for an external SBC (Session Border Controller), simplifying the process while improving reliability. Teams users can now make and receive calls from SIP devices and external networks, all while enjoying Vodia's advanced features like call routing, voicemail and SIP trunk management. This integration benefits industries such as healthcare, hospitality and manufacturing, enhancing communication capabilities across various environments.

Announcement

Vodia is excited to announce that its PBX is now certified for Microsoft Teams, enabling seamless voice integration with Teams’ collaboration tools. This certification allows Teams users to leverage advanced PBX features, such as call routing, auto attendants, voicemail, and more, while ensuring secure and high-quality voice services. The integration also supports various industries like hospitality, healthcare and manufacturing, where Teams users can now make and receive calls via Vodia’s certified SBC. With the Vodia PBX, organizations can streamline their communication processes and reduce costs while ensuring continuity and flexibility across all channels.

Editorial

Vodia’s enterprise VoIP solution provides a versatile and scalable communications platform tailored to businesses of all sizes. The Vodia PBX enables high-quality VoIP calls, with features like scalability, robust security and a range of rich functionalities. Its adaptability across devices and cloud environments makes it highly flexible for diverse IT infrastructures. For hybrid workplaces, Vodia’s system supports multiple network interfaces, eliminating the need for VPNs by enabling seamless communication for remote and on-site staff. Integrating easily with major SIP-based devices and third-party tools Vodia helps enterprises streamline their workflows with unified communications across voice and messaging.

Tech

The Vodia PBX provides businesses with a comprehensive telephony solution designed for both on-premise and cloud systems, offering features like audio conference rooms, auto attendants, voicemails, call forwarding, and ring groups. A ring group, or hunt group, directs incoming calls to designated team members using strategies like simultaneous or sequential ringing, ensuring calls reach an available agent quickly. Vodia’s PBX supports multi-stage call routing, customizable ring melodies, CRM integration, and options like music on hold and call recording. Ideal for enterprises managing low-volume call groups, Vodia’s system enhances accessibility and call management efficiency for businesses worldwide.

Editorial

The Vodia On-Premise PBX (Private Branch Exchange) is a versatile communication solution that enables businesses to manage calls efficiently within their own network. It supports various operating systems and minimizes resource use while offering features like conferencing, instant messaging, and integration with mobile and VoIP devices. This system emphasizes data privacy, allowing companies to maintain control over their information, and provides customizable options for enhanced productivity. With its robust architecture, the Vodia PBX ensures reliability and easy backups, making it an excellent choice for businesses aiming to modernize their communication infrastructure while reducing long-term costs.

Announcement

Australia recently introduced a “right to disconnect” law allowing employees at larger companies to avoid work communications outside of set hours. Employees are now protected from having to respond to after-hours calls and emails, a rule which will extend to small and medium-sized businesses in 2025. Vodia Networks has supported work-life separation since launching its multi-tenant PBX system over a decade ago. Vodia’s app includes features such as Do-Not-Disturb (DND) modes and service flags, allowing employees to manage after-hours calls and redirect communications to different offices or voicemail as needed. These capabilities support productivity without compromising employee balance.

Editorial

Vodia’s cloud PBX system enhances the Do-Not-Disturb (DND) function for hotels, allowing guests to manage their privacy through buttons in the room or on the phone. The system syncs with PMS for seamless functionality, enabling hotel operators to manually override DND when guests struggle to disable it. For critical situations, like room service follow-ups, the system allows specific extensions to bypass DND, ensuring guests are reachable when needed. VIP guest management features, guest-to-guest call restrictions and automatic resets upon checkout ensure privacy, security, and convenience, improving the guest experience while maintaining operational efficiency.

Announcement

The California Public Utilities Commission (CPUC) proposed a decision on September 13, 2024, introducing a new regulatory framework for VoIP providers: Digital Voice Nomadic (DVN) for nomadic services and Digital Voice Fixed (DVF) for fixed services. This proposal mandates different registration requirements for VoIP providers, similar to traditional telecommunications regulations. The Cloud Communications Alliance (CCA) opposed the decision, citing technical and regulatory conflicts with FCC policies. The outcome remains to be seen as stakeholders closely monitor the decision.

Tech

More than half-a-million people worldwide rely on the Vodia phone system for seamless unified cloud communications, offering features like call recording, SMS, conferencing, paging and the ability to separate work and personal calls—crucial in remote and hybrid work environments. Ideal for both enterprises and SMBs (Small-Medium Businesses), Vodia integrates with popular CRMs such as Zoho, Salesforce, Oracle, HubSpot and platforms like Microsoft Teams. To help users maximize their PBX experience, Vodia offers various resources, including a searchable Q&A forum, individual support tickets, detailed documentation and instructional videos, ensuring comprehensive support and ease of use.