Communication is an important aspect of any business. It is a means to connect internally in an organization and with its clients and strategic partners, plus, there is a social media site that you need to show your business presence. It is, therefore, essential to have a medium of communication.
One way of achieving this is thru a robust VoIP or Voiceover Internet Protocol. It is a powerful business tool that has a wide range of technologies that enable businesses to make and receive phone calls via the internet. There are other mediums to consider but there are advantages of VoIP over others.
One thing to remember though is not all VoIP providers are the same, and there is no one size fits all solution because your communications needs are different from other businesses even if you are in the same business sector.
Choosing a VoIP provider can be a daunting task. It has its intricacy. There are so many things to consider. Luckily, we got a quick general checklist that you can check out. This list is interconnected, and one got to be in front of the other to better understand the complexity of having a running, feature-rich, and dependable VoIP.
Here are Six Things to Consider so you will Have the Best VoIP Business Solutions:
1. Features
First of all, know what kind of features your company needs there are over 40 features that are available for those interested in having a VoIP for their business. This ranges from Advance Call Management to Free Local Phone Number to VoIP Caller ID.
This comes first because this will determine the overall cost of your VoIP expenses. Starting with the startup cost; which feature has a one-time payment; what has a recurring cost; how much is the monthly fee; and, what features you may want to integrate in the future.
2. Cost
This will entail not just the start-up cost for installing a VoIP, but everything that was mentioned previously. Though choosing VoIP is significantly better considering the saving you can potentially have compared to other options, the extra saving you may have depended on the VoIP provider. Training should also be considered in the cost, check if the training is part of the deal or if it is an additional cost. It will be diligent to do your research and have a side-by-side comparison of cost with different VoIP providers for your business hosted VoIP phone system.
3. Third-Party Integration
Ask your prospective VoIP provider if they offer third-party integration. This is important because this will make your other business tools assimilate with your business hosted VoIP phone system. You should know if you can integrate your Customer Relationship Management (CRM) and Enterprise Resource Planning (ERP). CRM takes care of your interaction with your potential and current clients, which is basically for the external affairs of the company. Meanwhile, your ERP deals with internal matters, it streamlines your business processes for accounting, budgeting, and forecasting; customer relationship management; supply chain management; human resources; and inventory management.
4. Unified Communications
There are many advantages of having unified communications, it can provide flexibility when it comes with the needs of employees for online meeting or video conferencing, and team messaging and collaboration. Because it helps consolidate all your communication channels in one place. Moreover, this saves employees from switching to multiple apps that can be a source of hassle, hampers productivity and can even be confusing at times.
5. Security
Had you ever heard of? Phishing. Denial of service attacks (DoS). Call tampering. Malware and viruses. Call hijacking. Eavesdropping. And audio spam. These are data breaches that you need to protect your business from. Because the IP phone is vulnerable to these kinds of attack. It will be prudent to have a VoIP provider that has sufficient protection against these data breaches.
Lastly, make sure that the VoIP provider has 24/7 technical support. So, you will have a peace of mind. Their availability is your lifeline if anything that may happen, whether it be minor or a major mishap.
6. Track Record and echnical Support
Since we are comparing apple to apples, it will be best to check if the provider has a 99.9% SLA guaranteed uptime. SLA or service-level agreement is a contract between a service provider and its customers former is obligated to provide at par service. Just what SLA level are we talking about? An SLA level of 99.99% is equivalent to a downtime of 52 minutes and 36 seconds per year. Lastly, make sure that the VoIP provider has 24/7 technical support. So, you will have peace of mind. Their availability is your lifeline if anything that may happen, whether it be a minor or a major mishap.
Conclusion:
It will be a shame if you have VoIP, but it does not have all the bells and whistles. It is best to compare features with other VoIP providers together with their respective prices. Then choose what is right for you. A good VoIP provider can help your company be more productive with its seamless integration of all your business tools from your CRM and ERP to your employees’ own devices. It is best to have a provider that can also protect both your business and your clients. Because a good service can go a long way and through word-of-mouth, it can even give you additional clients. With no additional advertising cost. Any business aims to prosper. Plus, success attract success, it would be prudent to get a successful VoIP provider that can help you be prosperous. Seize the opportunity to partner with a reliable VoIP provider that can help you grow your business.
