5 Considerations for Choosing Cloud VoIP for Your SMB
If you’re a small- to mid-size business (SMB) eyeing renewal time with your telephone carrier, it may be time to consider a communications upgrade. Many SMBs are transitioning to cloud voice over internet protocol (VoIP) to gain access to rich features while lowering their monthly costs.
Cloud VoIP replaces your landlines with a cloud-based solution accessed through an internet line via your existing network. There’s little or no initial investment for hardware or the solution itself. Rather, cloud providers use a subscription-based pay model to invoice your business with a consistent, predictable monthly invoice.
This may sound like a slam dunk, but before you decide on a cloud VoIP solution, there are a few considerations you should keep in mind:
Pricing: While this is usually the aspect of cloud VoIP that gets SMB decision-makers considering a communications change, it is often dwarfed by the opportunities for collaboration and innovation that make VoIP a valuable investment. Even so, you’re likely to save a significant amount compared to your monthly costs for a legacy phone system.
It’s a good idea to begin with a needs analysis, so you’re paying for exactly the number of features you’ll use. Otherwise, you may be distracted by the bells and whistles and end up paying for features you might use “someday.”
Mobile Support: One of the elements that makes cloud VoIP so attractive is its anywhere, anytime access. If you have remote or mobile workers, the ability to use the phone system in exactly the same way as in-house employees is an attractive feature. Be sure that the provider you’re considering offers a fully functional mobile app to support this segment of your team.
Features: Cloud VoIP offers an array of tools, such as digital receptionist, call forwarding, videoconferencing, and more that aren’t available through your legacy system. You may eventually also want to implement the more-advanced unified communications, so find out whether the provider has the ability to transition you to those features.
Security: You need to be sure your provider’s security practices fit with your own policy. Find out whether they use end-to-end encryption to protect your data in transit, and ask about their disaster recovery and business continuity plans. What’s their plan of action if they experience a breach that affects your customers?
Integration: Many cloud VoIP solutions will integrate with third-party apps such as customer relationship management or your enterprise resource planning software. While this may not seem immediately important, enterprises are discovering extensive opportunities for streamlining processes when VoIP is integrated with their other solutions.
Cloud VoIP represents a great way to reduce your communications costs while enjoying advanced features. You’ll improve the customer experience and equip your teams with tools that speed up decision-making and remove barriers between departments. Contact us at Precision Interconnect by emailing at hbitman@precisioninter.com or call us at (212) 784-2002.
