Last Updated on November 4, 2020

VoIP technology  has a reputation of being the cheapest phone service on the market. VoIP, Voice over Internet Protocol, is the technology that makes and receives phone calls using the Internet instead of using old fashioned land-lines. Internet calling is vastly cheaper and easier to handle than traditional phone services.

You already know that you want to try out VoIP phone service as your business telephone system, but maybe you have a few leftover questions before purchasing a VoIP phone system. Here are some important factors and questions to ask before upgrading your office.

1.) Evaluate Your Office Needs

First things first, what are your company’s needs? It’s important to do a thorough evaluation of your office to figure out what kind of service you need in order to get the best savings.

• What are your employees’ calling habits? Are most calls internal (between office extensions) or external (to and from numbers outside of the office?) Do different employees have different calling needs?
• Does your company already have a PBX? Is it already an IP-enabled PBX, or is it a legacy PBX?
• How much do you expect your office to change in the future? Will you need to add or subtract or move extensions?
• How much hardware will you need to replace? Just the phones, or the phone and the PBX? Can you get by with just ATAs (analog telephone adapters)?
• Do you want an emergency backup analog line? Can you guarantee backup power for your Internet connection in case you lose power?

These answers will help steer you to the best VoIP package for your office needs.

2.) Evaluate Your Internet Connection

VoIP runs off the Internet, which means the better your office Internet speed, the better the quality of your VoIP service. Various Internet speed tests are available to see how fast your office Internet speed truly is, and if it’s compatible for VoIP service.

VoIP Phones

If your office wants to change its phones as well as the phone system, there are two options: 1.) Your office can buy adapters (AVAs) which enable legacy telephones to make VoIP Internet calls, or 2.) Your office can completely upgrade to IP phones.

3.) Does Your Office Need Extensions?

Does your office have extensions? Traditional extension lines add up every month for two main reasons: the cost of traditional phone service is expensive, and two, traditional extensions need upkeep and physical maintenance when an employee moves desks or more employees are hired. A technician must physically move the extension line to follow to desk move, or add or remove extensions if the company’s workforce is in flux.

A Traditional PBX vs a Hosted PBX

The traditional hardware of organizing extension lines is called a PBX (Public Branch Exchange). The PBX divides a main office phone number into extensions. The VoIP solution is called a hosted PBX. A hosted PBX also divides a main number into extensions, but it does so while using the Internet. This means that all of the extensions are wireless, and use VoIP technology to make each incoming and outgoing call a cheap Internet call. A hosted PBX is also useful for making cheap international calls as well.

4.) Does Your Office Have Remote Workers?

VoIP service is the perfect technology for remote workers due to the wireless capabilities. Office extensions can be programmed to ring on an assortment of WiFi-enabled devices, like home phones, laptops, and more recently, smartphones.

Mobile VoIP

Many VoIP providers offer mobile capabilities. The most popular method of using mobile VoIP is by downloading a VoIP app to a smartphone. The user can then use their business VoIP service whenever that smartphone is in an WiFi area. This is a good option if your company has several remote workers who prefer to use smartphones as the main means of communication.

5.) What Other IP Features Does Your Company Need?

Does your company use video chat? Does your company send a lot of faxes? Sometimes a company has more needs than simple cheap phone calls.

IP Faxing

IP faxing is a cheaper way to fax. It’s also a mobile way to fax. Traditional fax machines must stay connected to cords in the wall and will only send paper faxes. Traditional fax machines with IP faxing can go wirelessly, and send and receive faxes through emails, pictures from smartphones, and documents sent by any other Internet-enabled device. Some business VoIP providers offer IP faxing by itself if you want to simply upgrade your fax machine instead of upgrading the whole office phone system.

IP Video Conferencing

IP Video Conferencing is a good way to conduct meetings with remote offices or remote employees. The face time allows for workers to feel connected, without the office feeling the pain of expensive plane tickets and hotel bills to conduct in-person meetings.

By going through these steps and questions you should be able to pinpoint what office needs you truly need, and find the provider that is right for your business and bank account.

Disclaimer: The opinions expressed by the guest blogger and those providing comments are theirs alone and do not reflect the opinions of Versadial Solutions or any employee thereof. Versadial Solutions accepts no liability for any errors, omissions or representations. The copyright of this content belongs to the author and any liability with regards to infringement of intellectual property rights remains with them.

Last Updated on November 4, 2020