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How to choose the right VoIP provider

Thursday, 23rd April 2020

We’ve recently discussed whether VoIP is right for your business. During this challenging time, many businesses are hastily switching their current phone systems to VoIP so that their staff can work from home and, while a VoIP phone system is a great choice for businesses of all sizes, in all industries, it is still important to make an informed decision when you’re upgrading your phone system and choosing a new VoIP provider.

It is more important now than ever before to be partnered with a telecoms provider that understands your business and has a vested interest in your business succeeding. If you have decided that VoIP is the right choice for your business, we recommend looking at two different things when choosing the right provider; your needs and the type or provider that is right for you. We have also compiled our top questions to ask when choosing a new VoIP provider to ensure you choose the right one for your business.

Your telephony needs

Before you can ascertain whether a telecoms provider can offer you what your business needs you should clarify what your needs are. We recommend considering your calls; what types of calls does your business make? How many outbound calls does your business make a month? Do you need a virtual receptionist to route inbound calls? It is also important to consider your phone number. Will you be keeping your current phone number or requiring a new one? If you do require a new telephone number do you have any specific requirements such as toll free or international?

In addition, it is good to consider things such as; the number of sites you have, whether you usually have remote workers, whether video calling and conference calling could be of any benefit to you and what tools you would like your telephone system to integrate with such as your CRM system.

Once you’ve answered these questions, you will be able to get a clear idea of whether the provider(s) you’re considering is able to meet and exceed your telephony needs.

The type of providers out there

With VoIP being such a popular option for business phone systems the providers available to your business tend to fit into one of three categories.

VoIP only providers:

Some telephony provides focus purely on providing small business phone systems and so they provide solely VoIP. This type of provider will be able to offer you a VoIP phone system with a basic package that includes things such as call forwarding and voicemail.

VoIP and cloud providers:

Some providers combine their VoIP offering with cloud PBX technology. This option gives you the basis of a VoIP system coupled with the advanced offerings of a cloud system. This will offer you a basic package as well as things like auto attendant and virtual extensions.

Unified communications (UC) providers:Larger companies offer a comprehensive comms offering for your business which will give you a full communications package at little to no extra cost. This type of provider will be able to provide you with all of the benefits of a VoIP system with cloud capabilities and much more. Plus, you will have access to other technology such as business mobiles, online meeting software and IT services at a reduced rate.

Questions to ask

It’s important to choose a telecoms provider that fits with your business, both the way it works and the goals it has. We recommend asking the following questions when considering signing with a provider;

  • What contract lengths do you offer?
  • Is your customer service offering 24/7?
  • What SLAs are available?
  • Will I have a dedicated account manager?
  • Are you able to set up my system remotely?
  • Do you offer full remote training?
  • Is there a referral scheme in place?

At Enreach we offer a full suite of telephony solutions including VoIP and cloud phone systems. We can save you money on your current business telephone system whilst offering top-class customer service.

Want to find out how our telephony solutions can help you increase your productivity and reduce your costs, or just some friendly, impartial advice on the best tools to make comms a breeze? Contact us today via our live chat, 0333 3603 723, or email enquiries.uk@enreach.com.