Business VoIP—Which VoIP solution is best?
Small business survival depends not only on providing a good service or product, it also depends on operating with as few expenses as possible. That is even more critical today, during a recessionary economy. Small business VoIP solutions today are offering small companies two opportunities: First, to have access to high-end features that were once available only to larger enterprises, and second, to enjoy a lower cost structure for telephony.
VoIP in reality, is not just for small business. There are VoIP solutions for every size business, from SOHO two- or three-person shops, to large enterprises with thousands of employees. Small business VoIP solutions of course have the same technological underpinning as any other VoIP solution, the difference is in scope. Because of the nature of Internet Protocol, a small business VoIP solution may be able to offer a wide range of very sophisticated features, which makes this option particularly advantageous for smaller operations.
Hosted VoIP v On Premises VoIP
The first deciding factor in figuring out which VoIP solution is best, is to decide between managed, hosted, or on-premises VoIP. Most small business VoIP options center around a managed or hosted solution. For smaller businesses that may lack full-time IT personnel, or may not have the telecom expertise available in-house to set up and maintain an on-premises system, the managed or hosted option presents an excellent option for small business VoIP. The managed or hosted solution also gives the small business the advantage of avoiding the up-front capital expenditure required for an on-premises solution, providing additional cost savings.
In very small operations, such as small office/home office (SOHO) installations with only two or three employees, the high-end IP PBX equipment would be mostly unnecessary, and the installation in this case may be something as simple as plugging two or three IP phones into the broadband router. Small business VoIP solutions for SOHO are therefore quite simple and straightforward, and very inexpensive.
After deciding between managed, hosted, or on-premises small business VoIP solutions, the next step is to find what is available in your area. Chances are, there will be several options available, and you can easily compare price and feature set to come up with the best option for you. Remember however, that there really is no single small business VoIP solution that is the best for all circumstances; what’s best for you will depend on your own particular needs. Start out by making a list of features that you need or desire, and then compare prices between the providers that offer those features.
In addition to useful features, the best VoIP solutions however, will offer small business VoIP users a service level agreement (SLA), and detailed reporting functionality as well. The SLA is particularly important here; and there is sometimes a perception that this is only for larger companies. This is not true at all; even small users of VoIP should still be offered an SLA. A good small business VoIP offering will make this available; the best ones may even make available multiple levels of service at different price points. Also consider the need for reporting: The best VoIP solutions will offer you both periodic and ad hoc reporting capabilities, which will give you the ability to assign accounting codes to various numbers.
Submit a VoIP quote request today for your business and save up to 80% on your monthly phone bills.
Andy
WhichVoIP.com
