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5 Common Mistakes Companies Make When Choosing a VoIP Provider
Voice over Internet Protocol (VoIP) has revolutionized the way businesses communicate, offering cost-effective and flexible solutions for voice and video calls. However, with the multitude of VoIP providers available in the market, it can be challenging for companies to make the right choice. In this blog post, we will discuss five common mistakes that companies often make when selecting a VoIP provider and how to avoid them.
1. Failing to Assess Business Needs:
Each business has unique requirements, such as the number of users, call volume, international calling needs, and integration with existing systems. Without a comprehensive understanding of these needs, businesses may end up with a VoIP solution that falls short or is overkill, resulting in wasted resources and inefficient communication.
To avoid this mistake, conduct a thorough analysis of your business requirements. Consider factors such as scalability, reliability, customer support, and specific features you require, such as call recording or mobile integration. Engage key stakeholders and evaluate your current communication infrastructure to ensure a seamless transition to a VoIP provider that meets your specific needs.
2. Not Researching Provider Reliability and Quality:
Choosing a VoIP provider solely based on cost can be a costly mistake in the long run. While budget considerations are important, it is equally crucial to research the provider’s reliability and call quality. Low-cost providers may sacrifice call quality or have unreliable networks, leading to dropped calls, poor audio quality, and frustrated customers or clients.
To make an informed decision, thoroughly research potential VoIP providers. Read reviews, testimonials, and contact current clients to gauge their services’ quality. Look for providers with a proven track record, strong network infrastructure, and robust call quality assurances. It’s essential to strike the right balance between cost and quality to ensure a seamless communication experience for your business.
3. Overlooking Security and Data Privacy:
Ensure that the VoIP provider you select has robust security protocols in place, such as encryption for voice and video communications, firewall protection, and secure data storage. Additionally, inquire about their data privacy policies, compliance with regulations such as GDPR, and any relevant certifications or audits. Prioritizing security will safeguard your business’s sensitive information and provide peace of mind.
4. Neglecting Scalability and Flexibility:
Before committing to a VoIP provider, assess their scalability options. Can they easily add new users or adjust call volumes as your business grows? Do they offer additional features or integrations to support your evolving needs? Ensure that the provider can adapt to your changing requirements and provide a scalable solution that aligns with your long-term business goals.
5. Overlooking Customer Support and Service Speed:
When technical issues or disruptions occur, responsive customer support becomes invaluable. Unfortunately, many companies overlook the quality of customer support and the speed at which issues are resolved when choosing a VoIP provider.
Before finalizing your decision, evaluate the customer support options provided by the VoIP provider. Look for quick availability, multiple support channels (phone, email, chat), and experience.
Why is Your Phone System Important for Business?
Mobile phones have evolved tremendously in recent years and now have many powerful features never seen in previous phone systems. Many businesses rely on mobile phones as vital tools in business operations, and some have ditched their phone lines completely in favor of mobile devices. But is this the best decision? Have business phone systems become irrelevant or even obsolete?
The Importance of Business Phone Systems
The value of modern communication systems is incontestable. But this doesn’t mean that traditional business phone systems are no longer needed. Let’s look at some of their main uses for modern businesses.
Integration of Several Phone Functions
Business phone systems remain in place because they allow multiple phone functions to integrate into one efficient hub, making them easy to manage.
Conventional features like call forwarding, call screening, and call logs are staples of all business phone systems. In addition, we can seamlessly integrate them with some of the most popular online tools, like Google Apps, Microsoft Outlook, or your helpdesk application.
Cost Efficiency
Compared with conventional phone systems and their high maintenance costs, modern business phone systems are very cost-effective. From installation to operation, maintenance to updates, modern phone systems are incredibly affordable.
Scalability
Another plus for modern phone systems is that they are completely scalable. You don’t have to worry much about how many phones you need or which features to install. Modern business phone systems expand as your business grows. If you need to cut back, it is easy to eliminate the units and features that are no longer useful for your business. This way, you don’t get stuck paying for services you don’t need.
Potential Problems with Having No Proper Phone System
Despite the many advantages that modern business phone systems offer, some traditionalists still think they are an extravagance. They stuck with their old phone systems, believing that they were still serving them well in the modern business age. Unfortunately, this loyalty might lead to several problems for your business and your employees.
Lack of Privacy for Employees
Without a proper business phone system, it’s hard to keep business and personal communications separate. Using your mobile phone number for business calls might sound practical, but it won’t be long before this practice takes a toll on your private life. Business associates will reach you even while you’re away from the office or vacationing with your family.
Lack of Security for Business Data
On the flip side, losing or misusing mobile phones is bad for business. If you lose your mobile phone used for business calls, critical business data might be at risk. With a proper business phone system installed, we can easily separate business and personal calls with simple automation and forwarding settings. And it can store business data as needed.
Limited Access for Clients and Business Partners
If you do not have a modern business phone system in place, your clients will only be able to call you during your business hours. If your business closes at 5 pm, your customers will have to wait until the morning to call you back.
While some clients might wait for someone to answer, others will move on to the next open shop and do their business there. The lack of a business phone system can cost you many potential customers.
The Solution
These are a few ways it will limit your business if you do not have a proper business phone system installed. Fortunately, the solution is simple. All you need to do is get in touch with us and ask about a custom phone solution that fits the specific needs of your business.
Each business is unique, so there are no one-size-fits-all business phone systems. As your IT provider, we will assess your needs and provide you with the exact phone system that you need.
To learn more about the benefits of a proper business phone system, you can check out our on-demand webinar where we talk about how managed services providers can help you with your business communication system requirements. And, as always, please let us know if you have any questions.
Benefits of a Newer Phone System
Phones have come a long way since Alexander Graham Bell in 1876. Over the nearly 150 years since that first phone call was made by Bell, phones have evolved exponentially. In this article, we are going to discuss the latest in business phone communication and some benefits to be had by making the switch from a cabinet–based phone system, to a more modern software-based solution.
The first benefit of a software–based system is reliability. Software makes up most of the system, decreasing the chance of hardware failure. This also makes it much easier to provide a redundant system in the rare occurrence of a failure.
A second benefit is the ability to scale the phone system more easily than a digital system. Like mentioned above, the system is a software-based PBX which limits the amount of hardware necessary. What this means for scalability is adding additional phones/users or additional features no longer requires hardware upgrades to the system. Whereas on a digital system, there is a hard limit to the quantity of phones the system could hold before needing to purchase more hardware. Often those limits are in smaller quantities such as 16 phones. That makes the cost for the 17th phone much higher.
A third benefit is the accessibility of the phone system. With older digital phone systems, the only access you have is the physical phone on your desk. With a newer system you would have access from a physical desk phone as well as a web client and even a cell phone app. The web client can be used as a soft phone with a headset accessed through the internet. The cell phone app allows you to take and make calls from your cell phone as if you were in the office. No longer would you have to give out your cell phone number to clients.
These are just a few highlights of the many benefits of a software-based system. If you would like to hear more about other features, or talk more in-depth about the benefits above, we would love to have that discussion with you. Give us a call at 1-833-TECH-033 or email us at info@atgfw.com.
Welcome Blog
Starting in 2019 Applied Technology Group will be creating a blog. This blog’s main purpose will be to provide an informative resource on what is happening in the world of technology. If you are not familiar with us as a company we provide multiple services revolving around the tech space. We primarily do IT support, phone systems, and surveillance/security systems. We are conveniently located in Fort Wayne, Indiana on Coliseum blvd. just next to Metal X. Since 1996 we have been serving the Fort Wayne area with quality, reliability, and service in mind. Be on the lookout for our upcoming blogs that will be highlighting relatable tech topics!