Key Factors for Small Businesses to Consider in Switching to VoIP

More and more businesses are making the decision to replace their traditional phone system with VoIP, as hosted services offer cost-efficiency and quality. Before you make the switch yourself, there are some key factors you’ll want to consider.

Your Company’s Needs

Analyze your company’s needs. How many employees do you have? Are you expanding in the near future? Do you need to route calls to workers who are mobile? What features do you need, call blocking, auto-attendant, virtual faxing, remote phones, call recording? Jot these down let your provider know what’s most important for your business.

VoIP Hardware

The VoIP hardware you use can greatly affect the quality of your calls. Poor quality is generally linked to the cheapest hardware, but that’s not always the case.

Because there are many different devices available, you’ll want to narrow it down by which is best suited for your employees.

• Softphones: software programs that allow users to make calls using their PC through a headset
• Digital IP Phones: provide the traditional look of a multi-line business phone but connect to the on-site PBX brain with an Ethernet cable
• Pure Hosted Cloud Phones: these connect to a VoIP PBX in the cloud using your internet connection

Bandwidth

The quality of your VoIP calls relies heavily on your internet bandwidth. Bandwidth is the amount of information that can be received and sent through the internet in a given time period. If you have dial-up, you can’t expect to have high-quality calls.

To determine how much bandwidth your small business will need for quality VoIP calls, your VoIP provider will need to know how many people will be using the service at the same time.

Security

Security is vital, especially for businesses. Many VoIP providers have several security functions that will come with your service as a standard. These include caller ID, encryption, and E911 service. Your security features should be well defined before selecting a VoIP provider.

Your Budget

Your budget is the most important factor to consider before switching to VoIP service. Different providers offer different plans, features, and services– typically depending on the number of seats you need. Do your research. Shop around, request quotes, and compare.

If you have any questions or would like a quote for VoIP in the Portland OR and Vancouver WA area, give us a call or fax us a copy of your current phone bill. We at America’s Phone Guys are highly knowledgeable in VoIP. We provide premise-based as well as cloud-hosted systems and an array of phone service options.