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Hosted VoIP gives SMBs the features and functionality to put them on equal communications footing with their larger competitors, and lets them respond and react to their customers’ needs more quickly–all at a total cost of ownership potentially below what they pay today, and significantly less than an IP PBX (where installation alone can cost up to $6,000-$7,000 per location).
Hosted VoIP allows for increased flexibility for mobile workers, particularly road warriors, giving them the ability to respond immediately by answering important client or prospect calls while out of the office. For those in a SOHO arrangement, having a virtual number gives the appearance of being at the office to both incoming and outgoing calls, with the added benefit of being billed to the company’s long distance instead of to the home line.
Merging voice and data onto the same hosted network also reduces network requirements, which can further reduce capital expenditures. An IT staff, an internal telecom expert or a support manager are not required. Moves, adds and changes also can be made instantly through simple data entry instead of having to wait hours or days for the phone company to implement them. In addition, VoIP significantly reduces or completely eliminates long-distance charges. Finally, the space requirement for equipment and duplicative wiring is also eliminated.
Hosted VoIP requires minimal initial capital outlay, depending on your current phones. It also interoperates with a variety of technologies (so you no longer need to commit to one type of phone device) and can support multiple devices–including the ever-popular soft clients–on the same system.
There are also unseen benefits that hosted VoIP provides, such as protection from technology obsolescence. As the depth and breadth of new services continue to grow rapidly, service providers and their vendor partners conduct ongoing upgrades that are typically automatically provided at no additional cost.
Another benefit from outsourced VoIP is that you do not have to worry about managing your voice and data network. If you have multiple locations, your service provider will handle getting them all seamlessly connected, as well as provide constant monitoring of your network.
An additional key feature that gives SMB owners added assurance is network security. Before selecting a service provider, determine if it provides a level of security that is sufficient for your type of business. This is particularly applicable for those in the financial services, banking, healthcare and retail industries.
A secure solution may provide encrypted VoIP communications for site-to-site VoIP calls. It should also secure VoIP calls from a customer’s premises, through the Internet and to the service provider’s platform before being handed off to the public switched telephone network. Having encrypted VoIP streams eliminates vulnerabilities to your network and improves overall security management.
Most SMBs probably have most, if not all, of the necessary components for hosted VoIP already. The critical component is the existing LAN/WAN, and your service provider will conduct an assessment to ensure the network is engineered appropriately. Other considerations to keep in mind when shopping for VoIP services:
Proactive network monitoring. Check to ensure that networks are monitored proactively, and ask for service-level guarantees with corresponding performance metrics.
Dedicated customer support. Look for providers who will guide you through the implementation process to ease your internal transition.
Source: Communications News, Rich Grange is president and CEO of New Global Telecom, Golden, Colo. |
