Many companies today – particularly those with high phone bills – have switched over to voice over IP (VoIP) to save money. Their goal is to reduce or eliminate long-distance bills and enable more flexibility with advanced features (“find me, follow me,” for example) that are cost-prohibitive or impossible with traditional telephone service. For companies without telecom experts on staff, however, the search for a new VoIP system can become long and frustrating. There are a plethora of choices in VoIP service today, and not all services are created equal.
According to a recent blog post by business VoIP solutions provider Solar HBJ, it’s helpful to make a list of what you’re hoping to accomplish with a VoIP system. Is it just cost reduction? Are you looking to deploy workers from home and tie workers on mobile devices into the telephone system? Are you looking for unified communications or multichannel capabilities? How much security do you require? How much reliability do you require? While these questions may challenge the average business, one terrific solution to choosing the right VoIP system is trying before you buy, something that a few VoIP service providers will allow you to do.
“A good provider is willing to give you a trial period for free,” wrote SHBJ staff. “Normally, providers offer a 30-day trial period, but this number can be extended depending on some factors.”
Another good approach is to ensure that the solution you choose offers a money-back guarantee if it turns out to be a poor fit for your organization. You may discover that call quality isn’t what you expected, or the solution doesn’t scale well to your company’s size and/or cyclical needs. You may find the phones and equipment awkward to use or be frustrated by limitations with the system. In any case, ensure that there are policies in place to protect you from a VoIP solution that isn’t right for your organization.
Finally, ensure that when you do try or purchase a solution, the provider has a full complement of customer support available to work with you to answer questions or address any concerns.
“You want a company that can provide you with prompt and end-to-end assistance every time you need their services,” wrote SHBJ staff. “You can experience technical difficulties anytime, so to make sure that you are in control of the problem, pick a provider that offers 24/7 assistance. Also, make sure that you can easily contact the company.”
Your goal in implementing VoIP is to reduce costs, complexity and headaches. Before you invest, make sure you won’t be swapping an old set of headaches for a new set.
Edited by Rory J. Thompson