Contracting a VoIP provider is a task and a big decision for any business as it will affect the internal interactions, client service, and communications with business partners. In case you fail to find the right VoIP partner for your company, you may lose hundreds of thousands of dollars with it.
Voice over IP or VoIP is a telephony technology that provides efficient cost savings and flexibility to every sized organization. SMBs, Global enterprises, and startups across the globe are shifting to VoIP to facilitate a new era of affordability and agility in business phone service.
During the initial phase when VoIP was introduced, some consumers reported quality concerns. But, after development and advancement in this technology, quality and satisfaction of consumers became priority over the past few years.
Why VoIP Quality And Reliability Is A Great Concern?
If your company is considering a primary investment in VoIP or switching vendors, it is important for the management to carefully examine the service provider. Even if the significance of Internet and mobile technologies is increased, consumers still prefer the phone as their initial mode for customer service.
Business voice systems zero call quality or a great deal of unavailability can harm the brand image and company’s market value among prospects and clients.
There are many options available for businesses to select a VoIP partner for their company. As per the reports, the global VoIp market is set to grow at a rate of 9.1% between 2016-2021.
VoIP is a basic need for small businesses. Moreover, the functional benefits along with cost savings feature are considerable. Small businesses using VoIP can save up to 40% on local calls and up to 90% on international calls. Start-ups who choose VoIP services can cut their 90% of costs.
However, not every VoIP provider is same in offerings and functionality. You have to work more to make the best decision for your business.
What Things Should Be Considered While Looking For A VoIP Vendor?
If it is your first time to find a reliable VoIP vendor, you will struggle a lot. To ease your struggle, we bring some considerations for VoIP vendors. Read them thoroughly and understand the right procedure.
- Pricing Structure
You can avail a wide range of distinct plans based on a monthly or annual subscription model from VoIP providers. You will make payment per user. It is important for you to read the service plan offered by them carefully and understand all the inclusions related to your service. It is very normal for vendors to tack on hidden fees for emergency calls, faxing, international calls and other services.
- Customer Support
Several VoIP providers offer distinct levels of customer service subscribed by the customer. It is critical to make a wise choice for customer service plan and beware of additional charges you may incur for your choice.
- Quality of Call
Call quality depends on the available bandwidth and number of concurrent calls. Your VoIP provider will be interested to work with you in order to find your bandwidth requirements. You should ask your provider and perform a network test to evaluate whether your present network can handle your VoIP needs.
- Features
You have to check subscription plans carefully before finalizing the deal and ensure that everything you desired is included in the contract. There are vendors offering different features. Some of them provide features as an added cost, and such vendors are suitable for businesses that require only basic functionality.
- Mobility
Due to enhancement in mobile workforce, mobile VoIP is becoming significant. It is now important for you to pick a provider that allows for mobile functionality via a feature-rich app. However, most VoIP vendors provide call forwarding as a standard feature, a mobile app will let users to make VoIP calls and allow them to access voicemail through their tablet or smartphone directly.
- Disaster Recovery
There are rare vendors offering disaster recovery. You have to ask your vendor for the disaster recovery plan provided along your subscription.
- Integration Availability
You will likely wish to integrate your VoIP service into other corporate software apps, mainly CRM and contact center software. It is critical to ensure that your vendor is offering easy and fast integrations.
Things To Remember For Evaluation Process
- Understand your VoIP requirements
It is necessary for you to understand if your company needs a SIP trunk or a private branch of exchange. There are three types of VoIP options available to the companies-
- Integrated access
- SIP
- PBX or Private Branch Exchange
- Decide if you need hosted VoIP
Hosted VoIP brings the advantage of outsourcing the maintenance service of your phone system. It will be your vendor’s duty to handle the equipment installation and all updates post installation, including regular updates to your system. IT personnel can access their VoIP system through a cloud-based, user-friendly portal remotely.
- Make sure your vendor offers Redundancy
VoIP is reliable, but only if you have a reliable internet connection. Loss of connectivity can bring a serious trouble to your business phone calls. Make sure the vendor you select for VoIP service should offer call continuity. You should also have a VPN to bypass VoIP censorship in certain regions if you or your business has traveling needs.
The phone system of any company is a critical component that delivers quality service to the customers. In case any company fails to achieve high-quality voice services, experts won’t be able to resolve complaints or meet clients’ expectations. So, always interview the VoIP vendor and consider their prior experience in adequate call quality, client service, and uptime.
This article is written by an experienced It professional working with a leading iPhone app development company. If you have any questions related to VoIP services, ask professionals today.
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