View our Newsletter: To VoIP or Not to VoIP - http://eepurl.com/oaTZ1
By now your IT person is either the company's head cheerleader for business VoIP or they are throwing their fingers up in a crucifix-type gesture when the word VoIP is mentioned. Likewise, your CFO is advocating VoIP business phone system solutions for the potential cost savings, but a couple of tenured employees hate change and do not "have the time" to learn a new phone or system. Apologies for generalizing, but does this sound like your company?
Never fear, options are here!
Ok, that was lame, but seriously, choosing a business phone system doesn't have to be so cut and dry- now you can have both business VoIP solutions and a standard PBX system with SIP Trunking service.
Most standard business phone systems are SIP Trunking compatible, either SIP Trunk out-of-the-box ready (like Toshiba's new IPedge or Cisco's UC 500 business phone system) or capable of business VoIP / SIP services with additional hardware or licenses.
For those who are not familiar with SIP Trunking let me take a quick moment to provide education; SIP (session initiation protocol) is a business class VoIP (voice over IP), basically VoIP 2.0. SIP offers extremely high phone call quality, with very low (if at all) latency and static. To the CFO's delight SIP Trunking can save most companies around 40% on their phone bill. Since SIP Trunks are technically voice lines over the internet, local and long distance calling and disaster recovery (never lose a call or connection if your business phone system goes down) is included for one low monthly price.
Now back to the point...to appease everyone in your organization, SIP Trunking just might be the ideal voice communication solution. Companies that deploy SIP Trunking rarely experience problems and have a very high customer satisfaction rate.
5 Tips to Know: Carrier Lines vs. SIP Trunking Lines
1. Contracts: Large voice carriers understand you CAN and WILL find a lower costing business voice service provider, so to increase customer retention large carriers have implemented automatic renewal contracts with up to a $10,000 penalty. Yes, you read that correctly- a whopping $10,000! Most carriers require written notice 30-60 days prior to the expiration of your contract and will automatically renew your contract for another 2-3 years if you do not inform them of your intentions. In addition, you will most likely be automatically renewed into the SAME PRICE structure you had previously even though prices may have decreased with the existence of VoIP technology.
2. Cost: SHHH, carriers don't want you to know this but since your voice calls are over the internet (VoIP / SIP), cost savings can be dramatic for some companies. On average, companies are saving 40% on their phone bill by moving to business VoIP / SIP phone lines. For one low monthly fee averaging around $30/month, you'll have unlimited nationwide calling (including Canada) and disaster recovery (survivability and business continuity in a network or system failure situation).
3. Large carrier's are using VoIP / SIP technology: Large carriers are using VoIP technology but are calling it "digital" technology. Same thing except they are charging more, throwing in lengthy contracts that automatically renew and provide long wait times for customer service.
4. Infrastructure: If your company is contemplating at a VoIP solution, make sure to run a network assessment to determine your bandwidth quality. Business VoIP / SIP internet phone lines are infrastructure heavy, meaning your internet/bandwidth must be sufficient enough to house voice and data services. (Purchasing a T1 is also an option).
5. Customer Service: Every carrier out there claims to have the #1 customer service in the industry. Thinking about this logically, how long does it take you to get to a customer service rep? How many prompts and automated menus do you have to go through to finally get someone on the phone? How long does it take to get your problem resolved? Stick to the local telecommunications companies, like ACC Telecom, for example, for great (and fast) customer service, technical support and bundled solutions at fair prices.
To conclude...
Dear CFO, IT person & 'I Hate Change' Employee,
I hope this article provided you with a win-win solution for everyone in your organization. Now go have a cold beverage together- you deserve it!
Cheers!
~Kristin
