A softphone is an app (on your computer or mobile) that works like a company phone: it makes and receives calls with your corporate extension, with no physical phone needed.
How it works
The softphone registers with the company's phone system (PBX) over the internet and uses your microphone and headset. Your extension goes with you: the same line rings on your laptop or your mobile, wherever you are.
Benefits for remote work
- Work from anywhere with your company number.
- No hardware: no need to buy desk phones.
- Built-in features: transfers, history, contacts, presence and, depending on the plan, video and chat.
- Real mobility: a single extension on PC and mobile.
Softphone and UCaaS
The softphone is one piece of a broader unified communications (UCaaS) platform that adds messaging, video and reports. See the Business Softphone page.
What it takes to sound good
Most softphone audio complaints do not come from the software but from three things around it:
- A headset, not the laptop speakers. A decent headset with a microphone removes echo and background noise instantly. It is the cheapest improvement available.
- Modest but stable bandwidth. A call uses roughly 100 kbps each way: almost nothing. What ruins audio is not speed but packet loss and jitter, typical of a congested Wi-Fi.
- A network that prioritises voice. If the router treats a call like a large download, audio breaks up. With voice prioritisation the problem disappears.
Rule of thumb: use a cable in the office and 5 GHz Wi-Fi at home. And keep audio off a congested corporate VPN if your platform does not require it.
Softphone or desk phone
- Softphone: wins on mobility, on cost (no hardware to buy) and on features: directory, colleague presence, history and recordings in the same window.
- Desk phone: wins at fixed high-volume positions, at reception, and anywhere the phone should work even with the computer off.
The most common mix: desk phones at reception and fixed positions, softphone for everyone else and for anyone working outside the office. Both register against the same PBX and share an extension.
Security
A softphone is an application connecting to your phone system from outside the office, so security matters:
- Encrypted signalling (TLS) and encrypted audio (SRTP), so the call does not travel in the clear.
- VPN access when the PBX should not be exposed to the internet.
- Per-device credentials, not one password shared across the team.
- The ability to revoke a device from the portal when someone leaves or loses a laptop.
Common problems and their fixes
- I can hear them, they cannot hear me: almost always the wrong microphone selected in the OS, or a denied microphone permission.
- Choppy audio: packet loss. Try a cable, or prioritise voice on the router.
- Echo: open speakers. A headset ends it.
- The app unregisters by itself: usually a network that sleeps or a firewall closing the session. Automatic re-registration and network tuning fix it.
See the TelHarbor business softphone, integrated with UCaaS, presence, chat and recording.
Frequently asked questions
Does it work on mobile?
Yes, there is a desktop app (Windows/macOS) and a mobile app.
Do I need fast internet?
A stable connection is enough; voice uses little bandwidth.
Does it replace the desk phone?
Yes. You can use only the softphone or combine it with IP phones if you prefer.
Does it work with my current phone system?
If it speaks SIP, yes. The softphone registers as one more extension against your physical, virtual or cloud PBX.
Can I use the same extension on desktop and mobile?
Yes. An extension can register on several devices at once and ring on all of them, or follow an order you define.
How much internet does a call use?
Around 100 kbps each way. What is critical is not speed but stability: low packet loss and low jitter.
Is it good enough for a contact center?
Yes. Beyond calling, the agent sees queues, status, pauses, history and recordings from the same application.