MOS

What is the Mean Opinion Score (MOS)?

Companies with a telecommunication system rely on feedback to measure usability and voice or video quality. The most efficient way to do so is to ask your end users to rate their experiences on a one to five-star scale. The Mean Opinion Score is the average of these responses. 

MOS converts a subjective opinion into an easily analyzable quantity using a one to five-star rating system. As expected, a one indicates a bad experience while a five suggests an excellent one.  

Opinion scores are standard across multiple industries and applications where businesses must identify problems and adjust services. The MOS is vital to telecommunications and a recognized standard according to the International Telecommunications Union (ITU-T). 

What are the benefits of MOS? 

MOS provides a reliable gauge of where your user experience is right now. While your users could provide written responses, it would take far too long to sift through all of them manually, especially when you need continuous feedback. 

MOS is essential for VoIP and telecom providers as it helps score the overall user experience. Companies can use MOS to identify potential network connectivity issues, user interface challenges, performance issues, and more. 

A low Mean Opinion Score is a sign your communication platform may be suffering from things like: 

• Packet loss: Video and audio data travels through the Internet in packets. If any packets fail to reach their destination, packet loss occurs and negatively impacts the call quality. 
• Jitter: Even if data packets reach a destination successfully, they may arrive inconsistently. Jitter can cause audio to sound distorted or choppy. 
• Latency: Latency measures the amount of time it takes for your voice to reach your recipient in a call and vice versa. Latency increases if the network has trouble routing signals through routers and switches or converting digital signals into analog audio. Conversations can be severely impacted if the delay is too high. 

Make sure you analyze MOS in context. While opinion scores are inherently subjective, you can still use network performance monitoring tools to gather metrics on what your MOS would likely be. 

How does Sinch work with MOS? 

Providing the best possible user experience is the easiest way to ensure your MOS stays positive. However, sometimes the easiest way to increase your MOS is to partner with an industry-leading provider like Sinch. 

Our tier 1 network provides a best-in-class communications experience to our partners, helping you provide a seamless experience to your end users so you can achieve a high MOS.