No Buyer’s Remorse: The most important tips when searching for VoIP phone solutions

As a business owner, you already know the importance of having a reliable and effective means of communication with your customers. Email and chat may work for most instances, but neither can totally replace telephones and the need for telecommunications – especially with prospective customers. So, you need the right VoIP phone solution for your company, and that means finding the right platform and implementer. 

When attempting to decide between hosted or managed voice or VoIP providers, are you asking yourself the right questions? Do you know what questions you should be asking? RingCentral, Mitel, 8×8 – you can go almost anywhere to get “voice service” but, what exactly does that mean?

Let’s paint the picture: You’re on the hunt for cloud-based phone services. You’ll also need a carrier, and then you’ll need to sift through all of the features tied to the software and find what you absolutely need. There are so many factors to consider, all the way up to your actual network and what kind of connected devices you have. Understanding all the services and features that voice software can provide can be difficult, and to an untrained individual, each service provider might seem very similar. This leads the average consumer to base their purchase decision on the lowest price, not necessarily the best option for their business needs. 

With help from the right experts, you can find the most cost-effective managed voice solution that best suits the unique needs of your business, and get the continued support you might need after everything is set up. And that’s important! Once you have your VoIP platform set up, you’ve got to ask yourself, who’s going to help you get the most out of it? And who can you call to help fix an issue? 

Finding the right implementer and service provider is key. Here at Vanbelkum, we have a lot of expertise in not just building the right kind of network, but providing post-implementation services and support for your business. So the question is, do you need a provider – or a partner?

The right VoIP phone solution partner will understand each feature-rich platform and the versatility that each can bring. They will look to learn what you want to accomplish, your future plans, and the state of your network so that they can determine what kind of software and services you need. That same partner will recommend the best ways in which your business could use a managed voice service, instead of a hosted voice service, and how to best utilize it. This means you can spend more time running your business and not researching. 

How do you keep your system updated?

It’s important to keep your system updated, as well as adopt any new features or extra services that might better benefit your business. A good VoIP phone solution partner won’t leave you to do the work yourself, they will continue to monitor your account, update you as needed, and provide continued education and training on the software and platform you choose – especially as your needs change and your business adapts.

What happens when something breaks?

If anything does break or systems go down, the right VoIP phone solutions partner will provide the support needed to fix the issues. Your partner in VoIP phone should be able to connect all independent pieces of managed voice software and network, acting as the backbone of an overall positive experience. 

At the end of the day, the partner you choose should troubleshoot any and all issues, using their resources and connections to make things work. That’s the benefit of working with a company that does more than set up your service but provides you with service post-implementation. 

The right managed VoIP phone solution goes beyond setting it up and letting it run, the right solution involves finding the right implementer and partner – and when you work with VanBelkum, we always make sure our clients never have to worry about their voice services. We’re not here to sell you a product – our goal is to put the power back into small businesses through education and support. We want to make sure you’re picking the absolute best option for your business and have the best experience possible, from setting up to implementation and beyond. 

Want to learn more about VanBelkum’s VoIP services and how we can help? Click here.