Six Slipups To Avoid When Selecting A VoIP Provider
Whichever way you look at it, the days of the traditional telephone are numbered…for the business world, at least. Slowly but surely, businesses up and down the UK are warming to the fact that VoIP has the potential to not only revolutionise the way they do business, but also save them a small fortune both short- and long-term. And of course, the higher the demand for VoIP service, the more providers opening their doors looking to capitalise on the shift.
According to the experts at www.thevoipshop.co.uk, this is both a blessing and a curse at the same time. On one hand there’s the way competition breeds low prices, but on the other there’s the inevitability of wholly inept amateurs and fraudsters slipping the net. Well, maybe not fraudsters as such, but certainly those that are more about taking your money than providing great service.
So, in order to help any business make the right decision when the time comes, here’s a quick overview of six common slipups to avoid along the way:
1 – Going Bargain Basement
Mistake number one is perhaps the most common and understandable alone – being fooled into signing up by ridiculously low price. The problem here being that while VoIP is vastly cheaper than a standard telephone service, there’s something of a lower-limit when it comes to realistic prices. For example, if you find the deal you’re interested in generally comes in around the £50 per month mark and you find the same deal elsewhere for £6.99, there’s a pretty strong chance the latter isn’t up to par. Bargains are always tempting, but there is such a thing as being too good to be true.
2 – Choosing Big Brands Instinctively
It’s natural to look at the biggest brands on the market and assume they’re going to offer the best deals and the best customer care, but this often isn’t the case at all. For example, not only may the bigger household names have only recently begun dabbling with VoIP, you can’t expect the same level of dedicated, tailored and personal care when you’re dealing with a brand with hundreds of thousands of customers – millions even. Oftentimes, the best deals and the best service comes courtesy of the ‘little guys’.
3 – Not Buying British
Making sure you do business with a British brand has nothing to do with patriotism or morals…well, maybe just a little. Above all this however, there’s the way in which dealing with those who speak your own language, work in your own time-zone and are governed by the same rules and regulations as you are makes it wholly less likely that you’ll be dealt a bum hand. Deal with an unknown entity from some far-off country at your peril – it’s a risk not worth taking.
4 – Accepting Prefab Packages
As there are not two businesses in the world that are identical, it stands to reason that pre-fab VoIP packages with no room for manoeuvre simply should not exist. It’s one thing to have a choice of packages that can then be customised, but if and when you sign up for a pre-made deal that’s been put together at random by the provider, you cannot expect it to tick all the right boxes. It might leave you lacking in some areas while charging you for other services you don’t use. It’s always a better idea to have your ideal package built for you by quality provider.
5 – Paying Up-Front
In today’s business world, heavy up-front fees tend to be little more than signs that the provider in question expects you to jump ship and would prefer you didn’t. By contrast, those that offer free trials, zero fees to get started and the kinds of rolling contracts you can opt out of anytime are inherently displaying the kind of confidence in what they do that breeds further confidence in their clients. Of course the time will come when some form of payment or other is required, but paying in advance and handing over hefty deposit-style payments is a big no-no.
6 – Overlooking Feedback
Last up, every VoIP service provider on the market right now will have been reviewed and commented on dozens, hundreds or even thousands of times by their clients and customers. This tends to be the information that can be used to paint the clearest picture of all of who they are and what they do. As such, to ignore or not bother looking for such feedback before going ahead is to take what they tell you at face value and essentially roll the dice with fate. Suffice to say, risks that aren’t really worthwhile when the feedback you need is right there at your fingertips – just be sure to use it!
