VoIP is a technology that has taken call centers worldwide to a new level. Allows you to make calls regardless of location. Employees can call your customers from across the country. Since the connection is sufficient for the Internet.
Today, an increasing number of companies are choosing to hire remote employees or transfer existing ones to a remote form of work. Therefore, VoIP is gaining immense popularity. According to studies, small businesses that have switched to VoIP, have achieved 40% savings on local calls.
If you decide to introduce technology in your business, you most likely have faced the difficulty of choosing. And it’s not strange, because there are many services that offer suitable solutions. Today we will tell you what you should pay attention to when choosing a VoIP service.
1. Price
Perhaps the key factor in making the decision will be the cost of the proposed software. Plan your budget, think how much you will pay for it. How critical is the acquisition of an expensive solution with wide functionality? The fact is that this is not always justified. If you have a small company and the number of calls is small, then perhaps you do not need a high-performance solution, but there will be enough basic functionality. If the scale is large, then it is better to pay attention to more complex systems.
You always look at the company’s online reputation. For example one of the biggest VOIP companies out there Nextiva is a behemoth in their space. If you’re thinking about purchasing their virtual phone system which can spin up local phone numbers for cold calling prospects and a TON more, you should first look through Nextiva Reviews. Such an approach will help to avoid the loss of time and money. So you can find a reliable supplier.
2. Mobile App Availability
For modern companies, having a mobile application can be a critical selection criterion. If your company has many remote workers, this will be especially relevant. When choosing a VoIP provider that offers a mobile application, make sure that it is as convenient as the desktop version. Indeed, it often happens that the functionality for mobile versions is partially limited, which can be inconvenient. Therefore, before purchasing, it is important to test all the features on the devices that you plan to use.
3. Compliance with company needs
Consider the needs of your company. Each service chooses its own direction of development. Therefore, it can make a bias in solving certain problems. Thus, at first glance, identical tools can be very different. We suggest that you require VoIP for support services or receiving orders, where there is a huge flow of calls. Then the call queue function would be appropriate. This will help not to lose the call when all supports are busy. The call will simply be queued and you need to wait until the agent is released to process the request. Choose several suppliers that are suitable for the price and compare the functionality as it suits your preferences. This will help you to make the right purchasing decision.
4. Safety
In today’s world, technology reliability is more important than ever. Every solution that a company uses must provide security. Customer data is at stake, and leaks can cost a company’s reputation. When evaluating service providers, familiarize yourself with this issue as thoroughly and preferably as possible in the contract. So you can protect yourself and users. Give preference to services that have strong authorization, for example, using multi-factor authentication. Also note if there is end-to-end encryption. If you have a department responsible for security in the company, instruct it to examine the providers, check the compatibility and reliability of the local network equipment.
5. Maintaining integration
VoIP services that offer integration with popular platforms greatly simplify the work and streamline the process. Thus, employees can spend less time processing applications, which means they will have time to do more within the framework of the working day. Extensions allow you to copy phone conversations to Google Drive or Dropbox automatically at a specific time. Or applications will be saved in the service offered by the provider, attached to the application number, adding a call record.
6. Quality support
Agree, if any failure occurs and you cannot get help from the supplier promptly, it will be extremely unpleasant. The quality of provider support significantly affects your communication with customers and their degree of satisfaction. Therefore, consider services where there is an operational response. Otherwise, you may get into an unpleasant situation. Especially if telephony is your main channel of communication with customers.
Conclusion
When choosing a VoIP provider, make sure that it meets your needs, ensures connection security and stable operation. Before making a decision, make a list of the functionality that is most important for your business and build on it. Make sure that you do not overpay for features that you will never use.
