Sunday, April 8, 2012

The Right Steps To Choosing VoIP Plans, And Finding A Perfect Provider

By Lorraine C. Oliva


There are many VoIP plans, and the vast choice can make choosing the right one a little difficult. There are plans designed to fit the needs of very small companies, and there are also plans that would be better suited to multi-office corporate organizations. Most companies will have a set budget, so it is worth calculating what this is before making a decision.

Signing a one or two year contract with a VoIP provider is by far the cheapest way to use an online phone system. Unless the company ceases to trade, the phone system will be an integral part of the daily operations, so it is a low risk commitment. If the company does run into problems during this contract period, customer services will be able to help identify and solve the problem.

After this step, choosing from the many VoIP plans is just a matter of what suits the business. Some have features to suit smaller, more relaxed companies which may not be right for a large, multi-office organization. It can be confusing at first to earmark which ones seem useful, but it is worth spending time looking over these features to decide. Some of the basics that most companies require include an easily accessible web interface and voicemail options. This interface means that users can log in to the main setup from any online location and change settings remotely to reflect their call preferences. Those who hot-desk, work abroad or travel frequently may find that this feature is invaluable for running the system efficiently. It also means that voicemail recordings can be changed from anywhere, and forwarding numbers redirected whenever the employee relocates.

Some VoIP plans have been specifically put together for large, multi-office companies and will have features that are not useful in smaller offices. For example, auto attendants guide callers through predefined menus before their call is forwarded to the most suitable department. This feature only serves a purpose if there is a high level of calls or a large variation in the types of service offered over the phone. Some plans allow the conversion of voicemail messages to WAV file formats so that they can be sent as an email attachment, which also isn't going to be useful for a small office.

The final step to setting up an internet phone service is to decide on the provider who will maintain the back end of the phone system. Highly rated providers offer the chance to bring existing numbers to VoIP plans to limit any disruption to normal service. It is also worth speaking to a sales representative before finalizing the sale to make sure that the plan fits the needs of the company perfectly.




About the Author:



No comments:

Post a Comment