The VoIP migration checklist

Companies relying on traditional landlines for their business phones can achieve similar functionality with a Voice-over-Internet-Protocol solution and gain much more flexibility in terms of promoting employee collaboration. Philadelphia Business Journal contributor John Gelhard recently explained businesses with VoIP services can reduce the amount of equipment they use and maintain, as well as leverage multiple suites simultaneously to protect against system failure.

VoIP really comes in handy when employees are outside of the office, since the services are available on mobile devices. Staff members can communicate with coworkers, customers and clients as if they were sitting at their office desk. What’s more is that organizations no longer have to pay two separate bills – one for their Internet and one for their phone provider – if they implement VoIP, since calls can be made through PCs and other Internet-connected devices directly through a Web connection. This enables businesses to ditch their phone service and just use their Internet for communication.

Businesses planning a VoIP implementation should pay close attention to some key factors before making any decisions. Gelhard encouraged firms to determine their cabling needs. Does every workstation, break and conference room offer cable outlets? If not, companies will have to hire a third-party cabling company or hosted VoIP vendor.

How many workers will use the call service?
Gelhard indicated it is critical to also determine how many phone lines or call paths a firm will utilize. Businesses should also consider the percentage of the workforce that may use the phone service at the same time. This approach is especially important for firms interested in hosted systems. In some cases, companies can make do with 40 percent less phone lines than phones with a VoIP service.

Bandwidth capacity
One of the most important decisions regarding any VoIP implementation involves bandwidth. Gelhard explained it is best to have either cable Internet or Ethernet over Copper. Businesses that do not can opt for a hosted VoIP services that includes “bring-your-own-Internet” provisions, but he cautioned that is not always the most ideal scenario for ensuring quality voice capabilities.

“If you’re operating a retail store or a coffee shop, maybe you can get by with below average call quality. But if the phone is a key component in your business and you don’t want to experience echoes, latency or dropped calls, make sure your hosted VoIP provider is delivering Quality of Service (QoS). Get it in writing,” Gelhard suggested.

Get some help when adopting VoIP
As businesses can see, they must take various operational requirements into account before adopting any VoIP service. Rather than going at it alone, adopters can partner with an IT services provider to make the most informed decisions pertaining to VoIP suites. At Beringer Associates, we assist customers with every facet of their IT product implementation before, during and after launch.

We are different from the run-of-the-mill IT vendors because of our desire to support each customer’s unique demands. Not every company is the same when it comes to operations, end-users and budgets, which is why our team of professionals take everything into account when developing personalized product roadmaps that position each client on a successful path.

Once a VoIP solution or any other product is in place, we deliver 24/7 operational support to address any complications that may occur, as well as oversee any system updates and upgrades over the system’s life cycle. This means your business can go about its days not stressing over IT maintenance but instead fulfilling your internal goals and freeing employees from handling these tasks.

If your company wants to get your on-site VoIP or hosted suite right from day one, contact us today.