You’ll need to know startup costs beyond setup and equipment fees. It’s easy to believe that a VoIP system will save money when advertise costs may represent minimal configuration without add-on servers or other equipment. Check, also, to see if the system you chose includes a means to send faxes.
Ask how the company guarantees your Quality of Service (QoS), and how that company handles support issues. One way to determine the quality of your enterprise VoIP vendor is to ask how they intend to provide full 911 or E911 services..
Finally, you’ll need to know about this enterprise VoIP vendor’s future plans for growth. Try to determine if this business will be around for a number of years, otherwise you may find yourself searching for new enterprise VoIP vendors or support systems more often than you’d like. If your company is acquired, be sure your contract is binding with the new company.
Some features you might consider for your enterprise VoIP system are the same as those you’d prefer in your traditional landline system. These features may include the following:
• Unlimited Calling
• Auto-Attendant
• Simple Administration
• Conference Bridge
• Voicemail
• Music/Messaging On Hold
• Phone-based Management
• Call Park/Call Pick-Up
• Do Not Disturb
• Call Transfer
• Call Forwarding
• Three-way Call Conference
• Caller ID/Call Waiting Caller-ID
• Local Time Zone Management
• Stutter Tone Notification
• Ring Tones
• Ring Groups
• Local Number Porting (LNP)
• Directory Assistance Listing
• Microsoft Outlook Integration
• Online Billing
• Switchboard
• Virtual Numbers
• Toll-Free Numbers
• Professional Installation Services
• Value Added Services
Ask about any methods that the enterprise VoIP provider uses to handle online security measures, processing requirements, and changes in protocols and mechanisms. Additionally, you may find out that VoIP’s technology includes a delay, or latency. Security measures may add to this latency with encryption. While computing power can speed up the VoIP process, if you aren’t prepared for the latest and greatest in speed, then you’ll need to adjust to delays in packet deliveries.
Another feature to look for is backward compatibility, as some VoIP protocols don’t work effectively with older firewalls and Network Address Translation that are integrated with some LAN and WAN networks. The cost of upgrading may not be something you’re prepared to deal with at the current time.
Despite the fact that VoIP has followed many features contained within PSTN systems, you’ll encounter employers and employees who balk at adopting this technology. Expect complaints as individuals become accustomed to changes. Some complaints may have merit, while others may merely echo the problems inherent with current VoIP systems. One way to avoid these problems is to wait until VoIP has resolved the E911 issue, which may alter how enterprise VoIP is used across the board.
