Would you make a critical client call on your smartphone while driving through a bad cell area?
Absolutely not! Your client’s frustrations due to poor quality will be directed at you because, in your client’s eyes, your system is messed up, not theirs.
Voice over Internet Protocol (VoIP) can be as bad as a 1990’s cell phone if it is not correctly implemented.
A business owner I know recently installed a VoIP system at their offices. After installation, he asked for our help because they were experiencing echoes, audio delays, and dropped calls.
The company who installed the system tested their network prior to the install to see if it would support a VoIP system, but there is a vast difference between a system that is supported and a system that is functional.
This business ended up spending much more time and money than expected to bring quality up to an acceptable level – on a solution which was expected to be cost-saving. This problem would have been prevented if the correct planning was done on the rest of the network before implementation.
“It was the best of times, it was the worst of times”
Charles Dickens could have easily been describing an experience with VoIP.
A VoIP System has amazing features with the potential to increase productivity, unify remote offices, and place calls anywhere. However, you need an experienced IT Professional to guide you through correctly implementing such a complex system.
If you think VoIP is right for you, what are some things you should consider?
Was it designed to be a business class system?
There are many VoIP systems out there, but several of them are built for home businesses or other applications. A true business class system will provide you with the ability to monitor the connections and manage them if necessary. They will also provide you access to a team that can support you if issues arise.
Does the vendor understand the full spectrum of my needs and IT environment?
It is important to choose a vendor that will get to know your business needs and how to implement, manage, and support network and Internet connections.
For example, it is critical to your business that someone downloading a file or using an Internet application does not interfere with someone’s VoIP phone call.
VoIP systems are as unique as each business and as complex as your individual needs.
It is important to have IT professionals invested in the success of your overall network to help you implement the right system with results you expect.
Doing otherwise is akin to buying your pacemaker online without input from your cardiologist. When your business is ready to upgrade to VoIP, be sure to involve IT professionals who are invested in the success of your entire network to help you implement the right system with the results you want.
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