Key Questions Small Business Should Ask When Choosing a VoIP Phone System

A recent article in Small Business Computing noted a number of questions that small businesses should consider when selecting a VoIP provider.

It was a good list, and not just because of what was on it. It also highlighted the fact that while the decision to go with VoIP is an increasingly easy one, knowing which provider to choose for VoIP service is not nearly as easy. There are a lot of options!

The five questions that Small Business Computing mentioned included voice quality, scalability, ease of use, mobile device support, and professional presentation through “big business” features like auto-attendant and music during call wait times.

These are good questions, especially voice quality and mobile device support.

There can be a wide discrepancy among providers when it comes to call quality, and this should be one of your first questions as a small business owner. While many people think of VoIP as having second-rate call quality, in fact VoIP can deliver much higher quality than that of older technologies. It can even be “HD voice,” so to speak, something that we’re just starting to know and appreciate. So make sure to ask about the call quality of the provider you choose.

Mobile device support also is big, because who among us makes all our calls in the office any longer? We use our smartphones, of course, and a platform that supports mobile calling is a better calling platform. Many VoIP providers offer their own mobile apps for easy business calling on the go, and others make it simple to call on a mobile device even if they don’t have their own app. Pay attention, because you will need to use your VoIP service from your smartphone at least some of the time.

There are considerations that the Small Business Computing article did not mention that deserve attention, though.

One is customer support. Small businesses are almost always busy businesses, with no time to waste on things like phone challenges. A good VoIP provider will not only make calling easy, but it will support its solution with outstanding customer support (ideally based in the U.S., too—sorry, Philippines!). VoIP providers such as Nextiva make a point of emphasizing its customer service, and there’s a reason why: It matters a lot!

Another consideration that small businesses need to focus on is whether the VoIP solution delivers all the goods. Since VoIP is digital calling, it can do a lot and there’s no reason that a small business should settle for less. Look for features such as unlimited call hunting groups, call recording, directory dialing, unlimited long distance, push-to-talk and unlimited auto-attendants.

A good VoIP solution also should be cloud-based, since this is the future of computing and telephony infrastructure, and it should not require a contract. Month-to-month is the new norm, and any VoIP provider that requires lock-in is a provider that doesn’t think it honesty can keep your business. So go cloud and don’t lock into a long-term contract.

There are more things to consider when selecting a VoIP solution, of course, but these are some of the most important considerations that every small business needs to consider.


Edited by Alisen Downey