Why Polycom – Part 2: Features

Besides being a phone leader, Polycom has created innovative features that offer best-in-class productivity features.  With their newer VVX line, Polycom also uses an intuitive user interface that makes them as easy to use as most smartphones.  In my first blog about this topic, I talked about the advantages that Polycom phones have over their competitors, without really speaking about specific telephone features.  This article will delve more deeply into the features that further differentiate Polycom phones from the rest of the pack.  Here are 5 Polycom features that prove the business phone is here to stay.

1) HD Voice

Your phone sounds no better than this one did in 1915.

Polycom pioneered HD Voice, and it will absolutely transform the way people communicate over the phone.  This is because the HD phone will capture and transmit a much greater frequency range than a traditional telephone, allowing listeners to hear more bass and more treble frequencies.

The telephone was standardized on a range of 300 to 3300 Hz, more than 100 years ago. Amazingly, that same range is what most of us are accustomed to with most modern telephones.  The range of the human voice is actually 100 to 14,000 Hz, and it turns out that many of the sounds that we use to distinguish consonants occur above the 3300 Hz threshold.  This is why many of us strain when trying to understand someone over the telephone.

Using HD voice, listeners will spend less time straining to hear sounds, speakers will spend less time correcting themselves, and communication will flow much more naturally and efficiently.  For a more detailed explanation, check out this video link.

2) Noise and Echo Cancellation

Polycom has also pioneered methods to reduce background noise, including echo, from conversations.  HD voice is an amazing feature, but because of its power, will also pick up noises in the background that may be undesirable, like office noise or a barking dog. Noise cancellation reduces or eliminates this noise completely so both parties can concentrate on their conversation.  Also, anyone with an early generation IP phone or with a sensitive headset can attest to the fine-tuning that is required to eliminate echo.  Polycom has developed methods of reducing that nuisance automatically.

3) Acoustic Fence

Taking the noise cancellation one step further, Polycom developed Acoustic Fence technology that creates a sound barrier beyond a certain distance from the phone.  Watch this amazing video demonstration to see how it works:

4) Affordable, Enterprise-Grade Video Conferencing

Polycom VVX 1500 video phone

Polycom was one of the first to market with a self-contained desktop video conferencing solution with its VVX 1500.  This unit comes with HD audio and video with a large monitor, but also a large price tag.  With the newer VVX 500 and the USB camera accessory, users can now have a fully functional video/audio conferencing system on their desk in the $600 range.

The VVX 500, with USB camera

When combined with a cutting edge service provider like Masergy, the VVX500 becomes even more powerful.  For one, Masergy includes guaranteed voice and video quality as part of their service, offering a seamless experience anywhere on the globe.  And by introducing point-to-multipoint video conferencing that integrates with the Polycom phones, Virtual Meeting Rooms with HD audio and video will be replacing the old comical paradigm of the difficult conference call.  More on that to come…

5) Open APIs: Broadsoft UC One and Outlook Sync

Because of Polycom’s open APIs, the phones have the ability to integrate with other applications that businesses rely on.  The integration with Broadsoft’s UC One, used by many of the leading VoIP providers in the market today, is one example.  See in this video how it integrates, and think of the possibilities of more business applications that it can work with as the technology refreshes.  Integration with Outlook is another example of a productivity enhancement.  Instead of waiting for their computers to boot up with their calendar information, users will be able to simply hit a few buttons on their Polycom phone and be connected to a conference call on time, and without having to dial 10 digits.

For more information on how Polycom phones and Unified Communications will transform your business, please contact us.