Remote work and rapidly changing technology have brought about a huge need for updated communication tools. Business owners looking to replace or update their phone systems are facing a tough task wading through a very competitive sales market that is at best misleading and at worst just collecting and selling your contact data to vendors. The big lie about business phone systems comes down to the total cost of ownership.
VoIP (Voice over Internet Protocol) is the modern business phone system, but it’s more than a phone on your computer, a software application, or a physical phone you plug into your PC. VoIP is that AND A SERVICE. Many vendors use deals or offers like “phone lines as low as…” or “first month free…” to bait you into thinking you are getting a good deal, but buyer beware! Typically you get what you pay for and though there are money-saving opportunities out there, the cheapest price should not be your priority. All phone systems are basically the same in features and capabilities so the real decision comes down to after-sale SERVICE. Who is setting it up? Who will be there to install, configure, and make sure it works? Who will you call when you need help? Here is what you need to know.
Who will set up my new phone system and customize it for my specific needs and situation?
Get specifics here. Some vendors simply ship you a phone and require you to set it up yourself. Sure they’ll tell you all you have to do is “plug it in,” but rarely is anything that easy. Instead of doing it for you, they’ll give you the 100-page instruction manual you’ll need to muddle through and a “customer support” website that will require you to search through hundreds of questions to find the answer to your specific problem, which is time-consuming and frustrating. Rarely do these sites provide the answers you need quickly. Then the day of the cut-over, you’re scrambling to make the system work, frantically trying to figure out how to troubleshoot it and set it up. Worse yet – if you CAN’T get it to work and you CAN’T get it to do what you want it to do, exactly how will they help you? Do they have local techs who will come to your office and set it up? Troubleshoot it?
How do I get help if the phone system isn’t working or I can’t get it to do what we need it to do?
Two common concerns with VoIP are call quality and internet connectivity. Both of those are legitimate concerns but neither should be a barrier if you select a vendor with a superior service record. Any sound quality issues you might have are typically due to low bandwidth or your computer network or components are not set up properly for the phone. Everyone has experienced an internet outage, but that does NOT mean your VoIP system has to go down too. Not only will a good vendor assess your network before selling you a system to make sure it will actually function on the network you’re plugging in to, but they will be there to troubleshoot when there may be network malfunctions or set up redirections during internet outages.
Partnering with an MSP for your VoIP business phone system is your best bet. An MSP is already an expert with computer network assessments and capabilities and providing regular maintenance and service to end-users (you and your staff). An MSP will be able to properly perform a pre-purchase assessment to determine the state of your computer network and what else may need to upgrade to properly work with the VoIP system and provide the maintenance and service you will need over its lifetime. When you purchase a VoIP business phone system from an MSP, you will know your total cost of ownership.
