Communication plays a critical role in business. Better communication leads to increased productivity across a variety of sectors and it could be what separates you from your rivals. In modern-day business, communication needs to be cost-effective, reliable and flexible to help us take advantage of the ever-expanding workplace. Therefore, if you haven’t already made the switch to a VoIP (Voice Over Internet Protocol) service, then now is the time to take advantage of the extensive features it has to offer.
There are still a lot of questions surrounding VoIP and choosing the right service for you may seem daunting. Therefore, we’ve gathered our thoughts and put together some information below to help you with your decision. Of course, if you are still unsure after you have finished reading, we’d be happy to discuss your needs and guide you in the right direction.
What to look for in a VoIP Provider
- Unified Communication
- VoIP converts an analogue signal into a digital one that can be transported via the internet. In the early days, VoIP was just used for voice calls but now it is used in video calls, video conferencing voicemails, emails, instant messaging and a bunch of other communication methods. Unified communication is the integration of all these services into one unified user-interface that helps optimise business processes and increase user productivity.
- Cost-effectiveness
- VoIP is extremely flexible and with this comes an abundance of different options. The more features you get, the more it is likely to cost. Therefore, it’s important to decide which features you will really make use of, which ones will help you increase productivity and which are simply unnecessary. A good communications consultant will help you figure this out to make sure you only sign up for what you need and get the most of the features available.
- Hidden Costs
- Like any quotes you get, hidden costs aren’t uncommon. Make sure all costs are included in your quotes and don’t overlook items such as software licensing, security measures, handset costs and software integration. Try to calculate your total cost of ownership before signing on the dotted line.
- Credentials and Reviews
- Do your research. Don’t just sign up to a VoIP service on the back of a recommendation from a friend or a persuasive cold call. Search for independent reviews, look at the level of support that the company offers, give them a call and see how long it takes them to pick up the phone and ask for references and credentials.
- Value-Added Services
- Don’t forget to look out for the extra features that usually come free from good providers that you may not have thought of; call waiting, call forwarding, hold music, call queues, call recording, call analytics, call routing and more.
- Security
- Like anything cloud-based, security is extremely important. Make sure the service you are looking at includes data security before you integrate it into your system. Ask your vendor to include data security in the agreement and look out for the security rating of the product.
Getting on board with VoIP
VoIP can be a bit of a minefield. There are lots of aspects to consider to ensure that you end up with a solution that is cost-effective and reliable for your business. Figuring out the bandwidth you require for your business or which features can really increase your team’s productivity can take hours of research. If you are unsure of what is right for you and your business, speak to a communications expert that specialises in cloud communications and unified communications.
Kane Communications offer free, impartial advice, every step of the way to help you find the best solution for your business. We understand that no two businesses are the same and use our knowledge and experience to deliver secure and reliable phone systems to help you provide your customers with an experience that is second to none.
If you would like to discuss switching to a VoIP system or to discuss the benefits in more detail, please feel free to drop us a line.
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