Cheap VoIP Service Folsom

VoIP can open up all sorts of exciting, technical possibilities for SMBs. In many cases, however, what SMBs want from VoIP is just lower calling costs. The key to lowering costs without sacrificing call quality is getting the right VoIP service partner on your side. With this in mind, here is a quick guide to finding a cheap VoIP service partner in Folsom.

Keep your initial implementation to a minimum 

Like most network applications, VoIP is hugely flexible and scalable. This means that the sensible approach to implementing it is generally to start small and build up as far as you feel works for your organization. For practical purposes, this means that you generally want to start with a close copy of what you already have. Your staff should not lose functionality which is of clear benefit to them, although you can eliminate any existing services which are not being used. They may not, however, gain much functionality in the early stages of VoIP.

Given that you switch to VoIP will result in the removal of your current telephone lines, you might want to implement Fax over IP (efax) at the same time. Technically this is different from VoIP but most VoIP vendors will support it. If you want to work with one who doesn’t, some vendors specialize in Fax over IP. They can plug the gap.

It may be worth implementing conference-calling at the first pass as this is fairly straightforward and has all kinds of potential uses. You may, however, want to hold off on video-calling. This is technically straightforward but uses anything between three times and twelve times the bandwidth of regular audio calls. That said, it could be worth including if it can reduce the need for business travel.

Request VoIP

Set out your minimum requirements from a VoIP service vendor 

When you’re implementing VoIP to cut costs, the idea is to pare back the VoIP services you use, rather than compromising on your service-quality standards. You literally cannot afford to compromise on your security and compliance standards because if you do you are almost inviting trouble. It’s also highly advisable to focus on VoIP service partners who can demonstrate a commitment to customer service, especially towards companies of comparable size and a similar industry sector.

Define the minimum standards you need based on the requirements for your organization. Once you have set them, stick to them. Even a slight miss is still a miss and means that the vendor has to be rejected no matter how good they are overall or how competitively they price their services.

Assess what hardware you need and how to source it 

Your first requirement is for bandwidth. Your first decision, therefore, is whether you’re going to organize the necessary bandwidth yourself and then organize a separate VoIP service contract or if you’re going to look for a VoIP service partner who can manage the hosting for you.

In principle, organizing the bandwidth yourself gives you full control and flexibility and may allow you to reduce your outgoings. In practice, there will be a management overhead to this approach which may reduce your cost savings and may increase the potential for errors.

Your second requirement is for end-user equipment. If you’re on a budget, then softphones are generally the most attractive option as most VoIP service vendors provide them for free (or a nominal cost). You will, however, probably need to get headsets to go with them. You might also need VoIP handsets for certain types of users. For example, if you have location-based staff who move around a lot, you might want to give them a cordless VoIP handset so they can easily make calls.

If you’re planning on implementing conference-calling then speakerphones are a good investment and if you’re planning on implementing video-calling, then you’ll definitely need cameras. You may also want stand-alone microphones.

In most cases, you will have a choice between sourcing this yourself or getting it from your VoIP service vendor, either as an upfront purchase or bundled as part of a contract. Again, sourcing it yourself may get you the very best deal, especially if you look on the reconditioned market, but there will be a cost in time and you’ll need to think carefully about warranty-support.

Analyze your call traffic 

Your telephone bills should tell you what locations your staff have been calling and whether they’ve been calling landlines or cell phones. Ideally, you want to cover your core usage with subscription, but you may not need a single “perfect” calling package. You might, for example, be able to have a main calling package with some bolt-on extras to cover the extra areas.

If you’d like to speak to one of the best cheap VoIP service partners in Folsom, please click here now to contact Salient IT.