Voice over Internet Protocol (VoIP) lets you make phone calls over LAN (Local Area Network) or WAN (Wide Area Network) networks or through an internet connection. It is no doubt a great means of communication for a lot of businesses. If you have already decided that switching to VoIP phone service is the best alternative for your business, then perhaps you are now trying to decide on which VoIP provider will work the best. If you have any question about VoIP don’t forget to visit FAQ section where we have answered all major VoIP questions.

1. Make sure that Your Internet Connection Can Handle VoIP

Having a great VoIP provider is not much of use if your internet speed isn’t up to the task. If your internet connection is not able to handle VoIP, it is extremely unlikely that you are going to get high call quality from any VoIP provider. Your first step prior to doing any kind of research into VoIP providers should be to make sure that you have a strong and stable internet connection that can hold up your network.

2. Determine What Features You Need from Your VoIP Provider and Look for Established Providers

When searching for a VoIP phone service provider it is important that you know which features are most essential for keeping your workers and clients connected. Call forwarding, call waiting, conference call, call filtering, and caller ID are a few of the helpful choices accessible with Voice over IP (VoIP). However, it also important to know if these extra features are just bonuses for your business? Or are they important to how you communicate with your customers? Assess what your company requires from its VoIP phone service to make sure that the providers you research offer all these features to you for free as they are all very useful bonuses.

Now as through our tips you are ready to search for an individual VoIP provider. You will need to search for ones that are well-known as a secure, informed company. Fresh companies should be approached with a strong amount of caution, as they are less likely to stay around and could more likely give you more bother than help as they work out the bugs in their systems. A VoIP business service that has been around for a while, however, it has to be experienced and is more likely to stay in business. As a result, your business with VoIP services runs more effortlessly and uninterrupted.

3. Verify That the VoIP Provider’s Service Will Work with Your Equipment and Inquire about Call Quality, Service Reliability, and Customer Support

You can more often than not decide if a VoIP provider’s service will work with your equipment by looking at their website. A lot of providers give full lists of supported devices, and a few will also work with you depending on your accessible phones and internet routers. In a number of cases, VoIP providers also have testing tools on their website to verify if your internet connection will support their services, therefore be sure to test. If these choices aren’t accessible, ensure possible providers run some type of network testing to make certain that your systems will work before you are bound by a contract.

Before you sign up, you should ask about the quality and reliability of the service. You should ask the providers how they will ensure that you get the best call quality possible. Check what kind of reliability the service provider has. These are questions you absolutely should ask during your analysis into a business VoIP service provider. There are a few sites that list customer reviews which can be used as a reference. On the other hand, please keep in mind that these reviews can be biased and as the quality of VoIP service is affected by other factors (e.g. the quality of broadband connection), it is very common to find both good and bad reviews for the same company.  If you have any doubts, you can anytime call the VoIP companies to express your concern and ask for clarification.

4. Find Out If They Have a Satisfaction Guarantee

A high-quality VoIP provider will be certain enough in their services to give you a Satisfaction Guarantee. Generally, they would say something like “if you aren’t satisfied with our service, terminate within 30 days to get a full reimbursement.” This serves two purposes. First, it restores your confidence in the company. Second, it protects you and your business from getting locked into a service only to find within one or two weeks that it doesn’t suit your companies requires. Several people watch the price first and pick the one offering the lowest price, thinking that they get an excellent haggle.  Price should never be your main concern when picking a VoIP provider. These days with a lot of competition in the market, the price difference between different VoIP providers is minimal, almost certainly differing by only a few pounds per month.  You should think about your need first and get the VoIP provider and service plan that best accommodates all your requirements, and then you can compare the price.

5. Determine How They Factor In Traffic and Bandwidth

A number of business VoIP providers have refined systems that prioritize the calls throughout high traffic situations, limiting call disruption due to traffic problems. A lot of businesses will also recommend you on the bandwidth needed to make possible clean, flawless VoIP experiences for your customers and workers. Ensure this is the case with the VoIP provider you opt for to save you from headaches down the road.

6. Ask About Their Redundancies and Disaster Recovery Protocols

If a crisis happens on either their end or yours, particularly if you live in an area prone to natural calamities (i.e. hurricanes, earthquakes, and tornadoes), you will need to select a business VoIP provider that has a backup plan. Or even a small number of backup plans, to make certain that your business gets back up and is running as soon as possible. Moreover, check on their redundancies to see what they do to take care of that malfunction doesn’t happen in the first place.

7. Make sure That They Offer Local Area Codes

You don’t want local residents paying long distance when your company is just ten miles away from them. Make certain that the Residential VoIP phone service provider you prefer offers local area codes, or better yet, lets you maintain your own number, even though you stop service with them. Nevertheless, having to alter phone numbers can be exceptionally puzzling and difficult for your business. Without this service, your friends living in your area will be charged for long distance calls when they call you using an analog phone

8. Make Sure They Have E911 Available and Find Out about International Call Rates

Whereas it’s accurate that VoIP services do not attach to 911 in a conventional manner. Quality VoIP providers can attach to enhanced 911 services (also known as E911). It is significant that the VoIP provider you prefer has access to E911, as these services still permit dispatchers to see your location and phone number in the case of a crisis call. VoIP phone service operates another way from an analog receiver. Make certain the VoIP provider offers E911 service. The enhanced 911 service allows your personal information like name and address to be given to your local dispatch center automatically. Keep in mind to renew your address with your VoIP provider when you move so the dispatch center can reach you right away during an emergency.

It’s an excellent idea to discover about this even if you aren’t presently operating globally, just in case. You might find yourself expanding before you know it and you want to be certain that you won’t get charged extra and that you have the choice to use these features either now or in the future.

9. Ask about Upfront Costs and Read Reviews

Don’t get blindsided discover if there are any open costs and what they are for. At times these are called installation charges. Not every company charges these fees, although, ensure to figure that into your overall costs and assessment of which company’s VoIP phone service for business will best suit your requirements. 

This is where you authenticate the information you got from the company itself. It is important to read reviews with a grain of salt, as a lot of people are quicker to write a bad review than a good one. Nevertheless, if you’re constantly seeing complaints about the same issue with a particular VoIP provider, mainly if they are current, you might want to steer clear.

10. Check into ALL Fees, ALL Terms, ALL Features and when in uncertainty, Call in the Experts

It’s comprehensible that you would like to keep your overhead as low as possible, however when selecting the most excellent VoIP provider for your business. Ensure you are not just taking price into consideration. You should also identify exactly what you will get for that price. This is when you make sure the whole thing. Inquire your possible service providers for a full, written list of which features are incorporated at every price point and which ones cost additional. Then, make certain you go through and comprehensively verify for any hidden fees or terms. For instance, a number of companies might charge you for checking your voicemail, and others might lock you in with software licensing. Confirm this isn’t the case before you consent to any contracts. Just by doing these things can you acquire a full picture of what you are paying and what you are paying for, and consequently, precisely evaluate providers that might be right for you.

Client First Communications offers VoIP installation and phone system solution that go with a range of business sizes and kinds. Our IT communications design and implementation services (together with VoIP) are tailored to fit your finances and your timeline.

Check out our complete VoIP Directory that contains more than 300 International VoIP Providers.

The post Top ten tips for choosing right VoIP provider appeared first on VoIP Blog.