When purchasing your first VoIP for your business, it can be daunting to decide which service will best suit your enterprise. Having to choose between premises based system where a hardware system is kept on site and a cloud phone system with phones in your company staying connected to an offsite cloud service can become frustrating.
As a business owner you have to stay informed and understand the benefits and challenges of each system. Knowing what to look for and how each system benefits your enterprise will ensure that the unique needs of your business are met. Here are a couple of things that you would want to check of your list when purchasing a VoIP phone system.
Understand the features
It is important to first of all understand what features your VoIP provider if offering. Different VoIP providers offer different features therefore choose that which your business is comfortable with. Make sure that the essential business features of a VoIP service such as conferencing and IVR are included in your package. By being vigilant about the features offered in your package you will be sure to get maximum value for your investment.
Know the cost of ownership
Even though a cloud based phone system has a low total cost of ownership due to the savings a company can make, it is still important to pay attention to the cost of the VoIP solution your buying. Choose a service that is cost effective. Find out if the cost is in line with your budget and also make sure that the benefits are relevant to the nature of your business. For instance if your business has about 5 to 15 employees, it would be a good idea to purchase a hosted VoIP service. On the other hand, such a package will be unpopular for large enterprises with more than 100 employees. If you are not sure what bracket you business falls into, spare some time and speak to a professional VoIP specialist to get help on how to make a decision based on the unique nature of your business.
Know your current technology
You can increase your return on interest (ROI) and generate savings for your business by knowing what technology you are currently using. Switching to a more cost effective VoIP solution will save your business time and money but you can also decide to choose a package such as a telephony interface cards system if you want to maintain your existing connection lines.
Consider your company’s growth
Knowing the growth trajectory of your company will be another factor that will determine how you purchase a VoIP system. It is better to acquire appliances that are easily scalable and that will grow at the same pace as your business. Find a solution that allows for seamless integration .For instance you can have your main office users in a dedicated server in your IT closet while the other users have their phones connected remotely to the cloud. Such seamless technology allows your users to have a equal experiences no matter what kind of technology they are using.
Conclusion
The rate of adoption for hosted and managed VoIP solutions is increasing everyday with more businesses looking to reduce business complexities and operational costs. It is therefore important to consider all the factors in play before buying your VoIP solution. Knowing the strengths and weaknesses of each solution will improve the success of your enterprise in great ways.
