When failure is not an option

If you are like most businesses, your phone system is a critical component of your business. Before you decide to use the services of a particular Hosted VoIP Company you need to do your research.

Not all Hosted Providers are the same nor are the conditions that exist at each customer location identical. This, however, does not excuse implementing a Hosted VoIP phone system that delivers poor performance. It is the responsibility of the Hosted VoIP Provider to ensure that each installation has the proper conditions in place to ensure maximum results.

If a customer wants Hosted VoIP primarily to save money and at the same time the customer is not willing to pay for the proper equipment to ensure the quality of service, the Hosted Provider is asking for problems if they agree to work with that customer. You can’t expect to get business quality voice running over a crappy router supplied by an ISP with a $19.95/month DSL connection and try to run 25 users on that system. This is guaranteed to fail.

On the other hand, if the Hosted VoIP Provider works with the prospective customer and explains what is required and what it costs to install a business grade Hosted VoIP solution and the prospective customer actually follows the VoIP Providers recommendations, the chances of delivering a successful VoIP phone system greatly increase.

The ideal Hosted VoIP solution has the following components;

• T-1 connection dedicated to Voice
• VoIP router from manufacturers like Edgewater Networks or Cisco
• IP Phones from Polycom or Cisco
• Hosted VoIP Service from a quality provider
• Hosted VoIP Provider can prove they have redundant facilities
• Hosted VoIP Provider offers superior customer service

It comes down to the simple but time-honored saying “Do your homework first” and “if it sounds too good to be true, it probably is”.

Your phone system is a critical component of your company, it does not make sense to cut corners on one of the most important parts of your business. This is why skydivers don’t choose the cheapest parachute. Failure is not an option.