5 Factors to Look for in VoIP Providers Aside from Price
By Mark Dacanay
When choosing the right VoIP provider for your business, it is not enough to just look at price points and pick the cheapest one.
Cost is indeed a factor when choosing the right provider, but remember that you also get what you pay for.
Pay cheap and you also get cheap service.
Remember, not all VoIP providers are built the same, and you should pick the one that is right for your business.
But how will you choose the right one?
To help you out, here are some factors you might want to consider aside from price.
1. Included Features
Most VoIP services for business are also attached to phone systems that are equipped with features that will help you manage both incoming and outgoing calls. , including features like auto-attendant, call screening, caller ID, call forwarding, and more.
Some providers require premium payments for these features but there are also providers who have all these features included in their plans.
Make sure that the VoIP provider you choose has the features you need without having to pay extra.
2. Reliability
Find out how the provider you are looking for is ensuring that they have reliable services with no planned downtime for their users.
Reliable VoIP providers normally have co-located data centers with redundant servers with multiple contingencies for different scenarios like power outages and natural disasters
3. Security
You should also ask how the provider you are looking into is making sure that your data and your account will be safe.
Do they use encryption to protect all transmission ends?
Do they employ multiple factor authentication for each account?
Remember that your business communications data is very important and can be used against you by unscrupulous parties and you are trusting its transmission to a third-party provider.
Make sure that they are up to the task of protecting it.
4. Customer Service
Customer service does not start after the system has been setup. It starts as soon as you sign up for the service.
The VoIP provider of your choice should help you from installation to on-boarding, and during the entire duration of your subscription to the service.
It would be better if they have a dedicated account executive for your business so that you would not have to talk to different people every time you call.
This way, the customer service is personal and customized as well.
5. Recognized Excellence
A good sign that a VoIP provider is a good choice is by looking at a couple of trust indicators. Are there many businesses that have chosen that specific provider?
Do they have good reviews about their service?
Are they recognized by legitimate organizations through awards and recognitions?
You could also look at credible studies like Gartner Magic Quadrant for UCaaS leaders, where it recognizes the best UCaaS providers like industry leader RingCentral, for their efforts to bring true unified communications to businesses.
As you can see, there is more to choosing a VoIP provider than just looking at plans and pricing schemes.
Consider the factors above because your business deserves nothing less than the best.
- 5 Factors to Look for in VoIP Providers Aside from Price - August 17, 2017