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Small Business VoIP Solutions and Comparisons

When considering a Small Business VoIP phone solution for any business, there are a number of factors to consider, and a few critical questions to get answered. At a very high level, if the following three questions can be answered to your satisfaction, then a small business VoIP solution (such as the solution provided by Nextiva) is likely the right choice for your business:

  1. What are the different phone solution alternatives that I can consider as options?
  2. How much do I need to understand about VoIP if I choose that solution?
  3. How much is VoIP going to cost me and how much can I save longer term?

Step 1: Alternatives to a Small Business Hosted VoIP Solution

The following table compares small business VoIP with other solutions and looks at some of the key features and benefits. Some service providers may optimize service packages to address some of these potential issues with each solution, so although this information is based on typical scenarios, it may vary somewhat depending on requirements.

Feature Comparison Hosted VoIP IP-PBX Legacy
Free Setup YES NO NO
Free Installation YES NO NO
Little or no training required YES NO NO
No Annual Warranty Costs YES NO NO
No upfront cost for new call management equipment YES NO NO
Upfront cost for IP Phones YES YES NO
Call Management Equipment in Cloud YES NO NO
Vast Array of Features YES YES NO
Portability & Flexibility YES YES NO
Shown to improve productivity YES YES NO
Can be self managed YES NO NO
Free Inter-Office Calling YES YES NO
Digital Voice Quality YES YES NO
Cheap Local and Nationwide Calling YES YES NO
Probable Best Solution - Less than 50 users* YES NO NO
Probable Best Solution - More than 50 users* NO YES NO

* The scale at which the hosted solution becomes more cost effective depends on overall requirements.

Step 2: VoIP Education

The level of understanding that you need to gain on VoIP technology really depends upon the type of phone solution that you decide upon for your business. To expand upon the information in the table above, here are some typical scenarios for you to consider:

  • Minimal understanding of VoIP: With a hosted VoIP solution for your small business, you can get away with knowing very little about VoIP and how it works. You should ensure you understand how to use the web management interface such that you (or someone at your company) can quickly make minor changes such as adding an extension. As the voice packets are going out over the internet, you should also have an understanding of your companies broadband requirements. Voice quality will degrade if there is not enough bandwidth. In summary, small business VoIP is an excellent choice if a business wants to gain all the benefits of VoIP without adding a lot of overhead.
  • Moderate understanding of VoIP: In reality, the larger your company is, the more you should understand this technology. However, even with up to 50 or 100 phone users, you can still get by knowing very little about VoIP with a hosted solution. From a functionality perspective, there is no reason why a relatively small company with only 5 or 10 phone users cannot use an on-site IP PBX. However, when you introduce an on-site piece of equipment, the costs are going to increase and more education is required. In saying that, businesses can always pay an outside company to in and perform service and maintenance if there is interest in learning how the system actually works. In the majority of cases, it is more cost effective to go with a hosted solution if the business has less than 50 phone users.
  • High level of knowledge of VoIP and Networking: With either a traditional phone system or an on-site IP enabled PBX, there is extra overhead for items such as training, management, maintenance and warranty. An on-site PBX system will connect to your company network if it is a digital PBX so needs to understand how the entire solution works. Companies typically have at least one dedicated IT person to manage the data and voice networks.
  • Yet another alternative: Existing on-site PBX systems can often take advantage of VoIP and reduce calling costs by connecting to SIP trunks. These trunks by-pass the PSTN and enable businesses to take advantage of lower call charges. Visit our SIP trunking section if you are interested in learning more about this solution.

Step 3: The Bottom Line - How much can VoIP Save a Business?

Most businesses are either considering switching to a VoIP solution or have already switched over. The number one reason for this is the opportunity for significant cost savings, despite some potential up-front costs, such as if any network upgrades are required, or if a business needs to purchase IP Phones. As every business typically has different requirements of a phone system and varied reasons for a potential change, it is critical to start talking to a few different service providers. Here is what we suggest:

  1. Get no obligation and customized price quotes by completing the form on the right.
  2. Evaluate the different price points and features and read reviews for that provider.
  3. Decide if this is the right solution for your business. If it is, start negotiating!!

 

FREE small business voip quotes button

 

Author: Tony Campbell

Small Business VoIP Providers Comparison

  1. Get FREE pricing quotes from reputable providers, 1 simple form.
  2. Do your own comparison research using the table below.

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Continue Learning with some Relevant Articles

These articles and white papers are a small selection from our library that specifically focused on small business VoIP and VoIP in general.

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