If you are ready to go voip, there are five key steps for choosing the right provider and getting started. First things first-- Figure out which provider has the best service and rates for your company. How do you do this? It's easy. Estimate how many phones youll need and how much your employees will be talking on them. Some providers charge a flat fee for each seat no matter how many calls are placed or received. Other voip providers charge a lower flat fee for a certain number of minutes, then charge extra for every minute over the flat rate. This may work for firms with extremely low call volume, though generally we recommend the unlimited plans. After all, you have better things to do with your time than comb over every charge on your phone bill. Similarly, for a toll-free number, some providers charge a low monthly fee, then charge an additional per-minute rate for all calls. Other companies charge a flat fee for unlimited calls to the toll-free number. Bottom line: If you have more than 1,000 minutes of toll-free usage a month, or more than 30 minutes a day, an unlimited number is more economical. Also, as we said before, unlimited plans are just easier.
Your next step--evaluate your equipment. With voip, the most important piece of equipment is the actual phone. So decide what kind of phone you desire before choosing a provider. (Some providers limit customers to using their phones, while some work with a wide array of phones.) Some important points to consider: How often do you use speaker phone? If the answer is a lot, then pay for a phone with high-quality speaker sound. Phones with a full duplex speaker have solid quality, and example is Polycom phones. You probably want a secondary Ethernet port in your phones. Most offices have a single Internet connection per desk. If that is the case at your office, youll want phones with a dual Ethernet port, so that you can plug your phone into your computer. The cordless/wireless options. Cordless phones are available and frequently appeal to people who work from home because people are used to talking on cordless around the house. Cordless phones cost roughly $180 more than regular phones. While there are wireless (or wi-fi) phones available, we dont recommend them, because they are not reliable especially for business use. You probably dont want power-over-Ethernet. These phones get their power from the Internet, so you dont have to plug a separate cord into an electrical outlet. While the benefit is that it reduces clutter and to keep the phones going during a power outage, we dont think the added cost is worth it.
Now for step three it's time to investigate a providers customer service capabilities. Some key questions to keep in mind are: Ask about average customer service wait times, the shorter they are the better off you are. Ask if the customer service is in-house or if it is outsourced to a third party in another country. You will fare better with in-house customer service workers who understand the product and speak fluent English. Check out how much information is online. You can easily access information, and find your own solutions, especially if hold times are long.
Now the fun part--features. Here are some that we value, and some we don't. The features we like: Auto Attendant Extension-to-extension dialing so you can forward a call to a colleague. Voicemail to e-mail which allows you to receive voicemails as email attachments. Call forwarding. Simultaneous ring. Allows your cell phone and desk phone ring at the same time. Outlook integration Fax solution. A feature that allows fax to e-mail and e-mail to fax, so that you dont have to keep a separate fax provider.
A few features that are probably not worth paying for: Instant Messaging. (You probably already have IM, and if not, you can get it for free.) Video Conferencing. (Again, you can get it through Skype for free) Unlimited calls to Europe or parts of Asia. (Most small businesses dont make enough global calls to justify the expense.)
Finally figure out how much bandwidth you need"and test it. A good rule of thumb is that you need 100Kbps of bandwidth per user. This allows you to talk on the phone and be online at the same time. 1 Mbps equals 1,000 Kbps, which is enough for 10 users. Although decreasing to 30Kbps per person might work, we dont recommend anything below that. Make sure you have a T1 line as a residential cable or DSL line is not high-powered enough for a business using voip. Also, we recommend testing the bandwidth, instead of relying on your ISPs word. - 2364
Your next step--evaluate your equipment. With voip, the most important piece of equipment is the actual phone. So decide what kind of phone you desire before choosing a provider. (Some providers limit customers to using their phones, while some work with a wide array of phones.) Some important points to consider: How often do you use speaker phone? If the answer is a lot, then pay for a phone with high-quality speaker sound. Phones with a full duplex speaker have solid quality, and example is Polycom phones. You probably want a secondary Ethernet port in your phones. Most offices have a single Internet connection per desk. If that is the case at your office, youll want phones with a dual Ethernet port, so that you can plug your phone into your computer. The cordless/wireless options. Cordless phones are available and frequently appeal to people who work from home because people are used to talking on cordless around the house. Cordless phones cost roughly $180 more than regular phones. While there are wireless (or wi-fi) phones available, we dont recommend them, because they are not reliable especially for business use. You probably dont want power-over-Ethernet. These phones get their power from the Internet, so you dont have to plug a separate cord into an electrical outlet. While the benefit is that it reduces clutter and to keep the phones going during a power outage, we dont think the added cost is worth it.
Now for step three it's time to investigate a providers customer service capabilities. Some key questions to keep in mind are: Ask about average customer service wait times, the shorter they are the better off you are. Ask if the customer service is in-house or if it is outsourced to a third party in another country. You will fare better with in-house customer service workers who understand the product and speak fluent English. Check out how much information is online. You can easily access information, and find your own solutions, especially if hold times are long.
Now the fun part--features. Here are some that we value, and some we don't. The features we like: Auto Attendant Extension-to-extension dialing so you can forward a call to a colleague. Voicemail to e-mail which allows you to receive voicemails as email attachments. Call forwarding. Simultaneous ring. Allows your cell phone and desk phone ring at the same time. Outlook integration Fax solution. A feature that allows fax to e-mail and e-mail to fax, so that you dont have to keep a separate fax provider.
A few features that are probably not worth paying for: Instant Messaging. (You probably already have IM, and if not, you can get it for free.) Video Conferencing. (Again, you can get it through Skype for free) Unlimited calls to Europe or parts of Asia. (Most small businesses dont make enough global calls to justify the expense.)
Finally figure out how much bandwidth you need"and test it. A good rule of thumb is that you need 100Kbps of bandwidth per user. This allows you to talk on the phone and be online at the same time. 1 Mbps equals 1,000 Kbps, which is enough for 10 users. Although decreasing to 30Kbps per person might work, we dont recommend anything below that. Make sure you have a T1 line as a residential cable or DSL line is not high-powered enough for a business using voip. Also, we recommend testing the bandwidth, instead of relying on your ISPs word. - 2364
About the Author:
Frank Newman is a VoIP expert, providing comprehensive analysis of IP phones, VoIP providers, and more on his industry leading blog. If you are looking for a VoIP solution, be sure to get more valuable VoIP info before you be your decision.
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