Moving to a business Voice over Internet Protocol (VoIP) phone service is a relatively easy process. Following these simple steps will help you make smart decisions about providers, configure your system, and enjoy the benefits of a robust business VoIP phone service.
Before you begin, you will want to examine your current business phone service provider, if you have one, to make sure that you can move to a new provider without significant penalties. If you’re unsure, ask your potential VoIP service provider for help reviewing the current agreement.
Step No. 1: Choose Your VoIP Provider
It is crucial to choose the right VoIP provider for your business. While price will always be a consideration, it is just one part of the equation. These five key factors also deserve attention.
Reliability
The most important consideration when moving to a business VoIP phone service is reliability. If your phone service goes down, it can cripple your business. Look for a company that offers 99.999% uptime. Ask for a service-level agreement that guarantees it in writing.
Service
If you’re considering a national, residential or cable internet VoIP provider, take a close look at their service and support. Often, service is provided through call centers that are far away or even out of the country. If you have a problem with your service, you should be able to talk to someone nearby who can solve your problem 24/7 year-round.
Features
Determine which features are important to you and your business. Today’s business VoIP systems offer a range of advanced calling features that weren’t available just a few years ago. Options may include:
- A basic hosted private branch exchange (PBX).
- Unified communications, with apps for voice and video calling and messaging.
- Advanced conferencing and collaboration tools.
Hardware and Software
Determine the hardware and software needs for your business to avoid surprises when moving to VoIP. Your provider will be able to tell you if you need to add devices or upgrade your system. In many cases, it’s as simple as connecting calls to a cloud-hosted PBX, or routing lines from an Internet Protocol-based PBX to the cloud. Your provider can show you the options.
Connectivity
Most national VoIP providers as well as residential or cable providers use shared or leased lines. For the most reliable business VoIP phone services, look for a company that provides a fully dedicated business fiber network that is monitored 24/7 year-round.
Step No. 2: Notify Your Current Provider
Once you have settled on a provider for your business phone service, you should notify your current business phone provider. Set a termination date for your current service that is a week or two beyond when you plan to make the transition to VoIP. This grace period allows time to install and set up your system without worrying about downtime. Your new VoIP provider should be able to commit to an installation date within that window.
Step No. 3: Back Up Your Data
Depending on your current phone system, you may need to back up and store any data that exists before making the transition.
Step No. 4: Configure Your System
Your business VoIP phone service provider should install your system and help get you up and running. Before that happens, you will want to have this information ready to aid in configuring the system:
- Phone numbers: You can select local or toll-free numbers for your business. If you want to keep your existing phone numbers, you will need to provide a list to your new VoIP service provider to facilitate the transfer.
- Features: You will want to make decisions on configuring options, such as auto-attendant, simultaneous and sequential rings, routing, and integration with other software.
- Phone trees: During the configuration process, you will make decisions on your phone-tree structure, assign extensions to employees, and set up voicemail greetings and business hours.
Step No. 5: Train Your Team
Another advantage of a VoIP phone system is that most of the work is done behind the scenes. In other words, most employees won’t notice any difference when making or receiving calls. They will just notice the additional features that are available. Training is minimal compared to a traditional PBX system.
LOGIX VoIP is Built for Business
When it comes to choosing a business VoIP phone service provider, LOGIX makes the choice easy.
LOGIX is trusted by more than 10,000 businesses. With a fiber network that spans more than 300,000 fiber miles, connecting 3,000 enterprise buildings and nearly 80+ third-party data centers. LOGIX’s network operations center provides 24/7 year-round monitoring to ensure that you get the high-quality business phone service you need. LOGIX offers business VoIP phone service; cloud-hosted PBX; and advanced services such as unified communications, conferencing and collaboration tools. These features enable your workforce to connect from anywhere at the speed of your business.
Request a quote today, and let LOGIX show you the benefits of the most reliable and versatile business VoIP phone service.