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The Top Mistakes Made When Selecting a Hosted VoIP Provider

May 26th, 2010

More and more companies are throwing out their tired old telephone system and replacing them with state-of-the-art Hosted VoIP or Hosted PBX services.  In addition to lower telephone bills and getting away from 1960s phone line technology, the benefits are wide and far ranging.  They include virtual local numbers, telecommuting, connecting multiple locations together through voice, Personal Telephone Numbers, Mobile PBX, Private Faxes, Unified Communications and many more.

Regardless of their reasons for choosing a Hosted PBX or Hosted VoIP provider and the goals that accompanied the decision, not all deployments of Hosted PBX services are successful.  Here is a list of the top mistakes made when choosing a Hosted VoIP service and how to avoid them:

1.  Selecting a provider that is new to the industry.  Providers that are new to the industry may not know how to successfully deploy their service.  In addition, they will be learning and solving new problems while using their customers as Guinea Pigs.  Worse, they could go out of business with little or no notice which could have devastating effects on their customers.

Choose a provider that has been delivering Hosted PBX services for a minimum of 5 years.  The length of time that a provider has been in business is an indicator of quality service, satisfied customers and financial health.

2.  Deploying a Hosted VoIP service with an Internet connection that is not ready for VoIP.  Approximately 60% of all headaches related to VoIP are usually the customer’s Internet connection.  An unstable or insufficient Internet connection can cause choppy and garbled voice, dropped calls and a frustrated staff.

Make sure that your Internet connection is large enough, stable and clean of problems before Hosted VoIP service is installed.  The Hosted VoIP provider should have tools in place to help determine stability and diagnose issues.  Ask them to explain how they are going to do it.  If their explanation is not understandable, then they probably do not understand it either.  Remember, the Internet pipe has to be stable and large enough to handle the number of anticipated simultaneous calls.

3.  Not understanding the calling plans and hidden charges before selecting a service provider.  The cheap pricing advertised on websites can be very appealing.  In some cases, all is not what it seems.  Unlimited calling plans frequently only include the provider’s network which are usually very small.  Off network usage can be as high as $.065/minute!  The average desk phone is used approximately 750 minutes/month adding anywhere from $20-$50/month per user.  Not cheap!

Find a hosted VoIP provider who offers an unlimited plan for placing local and domestic long distance calls.  The variable plans are too unpredictable in price and rarely a good deal for their customers.  If you do select a variable plan, make sure you know the per minute charges.  Estimate your monthly usage and do the math.  If you are not sure, use 750 minutes per month per phone.

4.  Selecting a provider that does not deliver crucial features.  Hosted PBX providers offer many exciting new features and capabilities.  However, some of your most common phone system functions such as paging or Busy Lamp Field (who is on the phone) may not be offered at all.

Do not take the basic features of your telephone system for granted.  Spend some time watching how the system is used and which features are instrumental to the smooth operation of the company.  Verifying that the Hosted VoIP provider furnishes these features will save some nasty surprises later.

5.  Electing a provider that does not assist in prioritizing voice traffic as it goes out on your Internet connection.  Internet connections from cable companies and DSL circuits have lower upload speeds to the Internet.  Unprioritized voice and data traffic compete for this limited resource.  Sending a large e-mail while conducting a phone call can create choppy voice and even dropped calls.

Find a VoIP provider who will assist in prioritizing traffic.  Ask the potential provider how your data vendor can prioritize their voice traffic.  If they cannot give you an answer or they claim it does not need to be done, find someone else.

6.  Making a change of providers without learning service termination and other charges that may apply.

Vendors offer attractive pricing and reduced installation charges in exchange for long term commitments.  Review your contract and know any remaining term, cancellation procedures and termination charges.  Do not get surprised by these charges after you have already committed to another provider.

Hosted VoIP services deliver the ability to reduce phone bills, lower overhead and transform the manner in which a business operates.  Avoiding common mistakes in selecting a provider increases the likelihood of a successful installation allowing the business to take full advantage of the powerful capabilities that these services supply.

Posted in Hosted PBX, Hosted VoIP, Internet | No Comments »

How to Stop the Waste When Operating a Business in Multiple Locations

May 21st, 2010

Some businesses have employees that work out of their homes.  Others have satellite locations across town or in another city or state.  When a business does not have the luxury of having all employees report to the same office, several communication challenges can cause problems in customer service, sales and operations.  Hosted VoIP providers have a service called Virtual PBX that can solve these obstacles and help companies improve the performance of each department and their bottom line.

Following is a partial list of issues from having a work force under more than one roof:

1.  Calls can not be transferred between locations.  Asking an outside caller to hang up and dial another number within an organization includes the risk that they will not call.

2.  Many companies have redundant positions at each of their locations because they cannot easily transfer calls.  Redundant positions may include call answering points, sales, customer service and accounting.

3.  Communication among employees is strenuous as it is harder to get someone on the phone than it is to see them in the hallway or catch them at their desk.

4.  Departments that are geographically spread apart cannot be grouped together for answering calls and incoming calls cannot be fairly distributed between locations.

5.  Call answering positions do not know whether or not someone is already on the phone.

6.  Key personnel who travel between offices frequently miss their important phone calls when they are away from their main desk.

7.  Employees cannot page people in other locations.

Hosted PBX or Hosted VoIP services are the solution to all of these issues and more.  Here are the ways they can help:

1.  Calls can be transferred between locations as easily as they are transferred within the same building.  Now callers can always get to the right person by calling the company only once.

2.  Some premium Hosted VoIP providers offer Busy Lamp Field (BLF) which show who is busy on other phone calls.

3.  Call answering points can be centralized into one location since calls can be transferred anywhere and BLF features show who is on the phone.  Other redundant positions such as sales or customer service can be centralized, eliminated or reduced.

4.  Mobile PBX option integrates the desk phone with the mobile phone.  Employees can receive and process calls whether they are sitting at their desk or away from the office.

5.  Camp On feature provides an alert when an extension becomes idle or is used again.  Hosted PBX users do not need to hunt for each other as the phones will do it for them with Mobile PBX or Camp On.

6.  Automatic Call Distribution (ACD) is furnished by some Hosted VoIP providers.  ACD evenly distributes calls among several people within a department.  It also stacks calls that are waiting to be answered similar to the teller line at a bank.  People in comparable departments such as customer service that are spread apart in multiple locations can be included in the same ACD group and answer any of the department’s calls.

7.  Hoteling allows a user to go to any desk phone, enter a code and that desk phone is now their main extension.  Hoteling is beneficial for employees that travel between office locations and need to receive their calls no matter where they are.  Since their extension is the same, call receptionists never need to hunt for them.

8.  Overhead paging systems can be accessed in other locations.  In some instances, multiple paging systems in multiple buildings can be used simultaneously.

Whether a business has single user multiple locations or stand alone satellite offices, Hosted VoIP services and Virtual PBXs solve many communication challenges.  Separate phone systems will cause disjointed communication and the sales and customer service experience of the outside caller will suffer.  Hosted VoIP providers deliver one cohesive telephone system for all locations.  Businesses can save money by centralizing, streamlining or eliminating redundant positions while simultaneously improving the caller’s experience.  In addition, advanced features such as ACD, Mobile PBX, Hoteling and Camp On will significantly improve the service a company delivers to its callers.

Posted in ACD, Busy Lamp Field, Hosted VoIP, Hoteling, Mobile PBX, Overhead Paging | 1 Comment »

Hosted PBX Services – the Key Business Strategy to Surviving Disaster

May 17th, 2010

On a regular basis, businesses have to handle and respond to several different types of disaster.  Fire, hurricane, tornado, earthquake and flood are the most commonly recognized disasters.  Other less commonly considered disasters (but no less disruptive) are inclement weather, cable cuts, disgruntled or careless employees and power outages.

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When a business is struck by one or more of these disasters, the effects can be wide ranging.  If the business can not respond to their needs, customers seek out other solutions including competitors.  Employee productivity is reduced when they cannot get to work.  Revenues suffer with lost customers and reduced employee productivity.  Further, the business may be physically displaced and key business resources such as the telecommunications systems, data networks and vendors may be unavailable.

Although proper disaster planning involves many aspects of the business, one primary component is the communications system.  Staying in contact with employees, customers and the general public can help mitigate the damage caused by the disaster.  A key strategy for a robust, disaster resistant communications system is the use of a Hosted PBX system.  Hosted PBX services (also commonly referred as Hosted VoIP services and Virtual PBXs) house the equivalent of the telephone system central equipment and call processing at the VoIP Provider’s Point of Presence (POP).

Hosted PBX services are a superior disaster resistant strategy for the communication system for several reasons.  The POP is located in a hardened facility that is resistant to disasters.  Call processing happens in the POP and away from the main business.  This means that calls are handled regardless of what is transpiring at the main building.  Since most Hosted PBX services use the Internet for voice delivery, phones can be rapidly deployed wherever broadband Internet access exists.  In addition, some services accommodate redundant Internet connections for automatic failover.

Because they contain core call processing in a hardened facility and they use the flexibility of the Internet to deliver their service, Hosted PBX services present a wide range of options in a disaster.  These options include:

1.  Automatically re-routing calls to homes, mobile phones and other offices

2.  Forwarding inbound calls to any 10 digit telephone number

3.  Turning employees into telecommuters

4.  Assembling a temporary office anywhere the telephones can be plugged into a broadband connection

5.  Recording special announcements and instructions for callers

6.  And finally, doing nothing and allowing the normal automated attendants and voicemail systems to process the calls

With many of these available options to help the business stay in touch with the public, outside callers may have no idea that disaster has struck.

How a business responds to a disaster is dependant on how well they have planned to keep their core functions operational in a catastrophic event.  Companies that are prepared to remain operational in a disaster become a resource during the disaster rather than a victim.  Processing and handling calls is a vital function to the performance of most businesses.  Hosted PBX services are a robust, disaster resistant communications system that can handle calls and help a business survive a disaster.

Posted in Disaster Recovery, HostMyCalls Services, Hosted PBX, Mobile PBX | No Comments »

Pissed Off Callers Cost You Revenue: Fix It with Automatic Call Distribution (ACD)

May 6th, 2010

In the typical business climate, sales departments generate revenue and customer service departments protect revenue.  Many times, your phone system connects the customers to sales and customer service.  If callers are left on hold for employees of these departments while they assist other callers, then you have a big problem.

When customers do not get the help they need in a timely manner, they turn into revenue and morale killers.  The customers may hang up.  When they do, they may not call back or, worse, they may call a competitor.  Multiple ringbacks to the receptionist not only consumes the receptionist’s time and frustrates the caller, but it also communicates an unprofessional disorganized image of your company.  And we all have experienced what happens when a call gets left on hold too long.  The caller gets angry and then abuses the unlucky employee who finally tries to help them.

Automatic Call Distribution (ACD) can readily solve these issues.  ACD is available in many phone systems and the higher quality Hosted PBX services from Hosted VoIP providers.  ACD has two components: call handling and reporting.  Both can get very complex.  Businesses with small customer service and sales departments can solve most of their problems with the call handling capabilities of ACD alone in their Hosted PBX service.

The employees who answer calls from an ACD are commonly referred to as ACD agents.  Call handling in ACD distributes calls to the agents in a round robin or longest available format.  When all agents are busy assisting other callers, ACD stacks up waiting calls similar to the teller line at a bank.  ACD will use delays, music on hold, comfort messages and overflow destinations to manage the call until it can be serviced.

With ACD, calls are handled more efficiently and effectively.  When the caller is placed in queue (hold), they are comforted in knowing that they are waiting in a structured line.  Some ACDs will provide real time information on the calls waiting in queue to supervisors and agents which allows for adjustments to be made in length of calls or number of agents handling calls.  ACD in Hosted VoIP systems can include agents working out of their home or remote offices.  No matter what, ACD will significantly reduce abandon calls and customer frustration.  Both translate into improved revenue generation and protection.

If you ever have callers left on hold waiting to be assisted, talk to your telephone provider, Hosted PBX service or Hosted VoIP provider about how ACD can help.

If you have used ACD, I would appreciate you sharing your experience below.

Posted in ACD, Hosted PBX | No Comments »

Remove Your Startup Business Image by Using Hosted PBX Services

April 22nd, 2010

Startup businesses need services that are inexpensive, scalable in design and will promote their growth.  Further, they need a communication system that is easy to manage, provides seamless communication even when all workers are not in the same office, gives outside callers the feel of a company with depth, moves easily and enables its users to wear many hats.  Enter Hosted PBX or Hosted VoIP services.

Hosted PBX services appear to be designed with the startup in mind because they can do all that and more.  Typically the business owner only needs to purchase VoIP phones to work with their selected Hosted PBX service significantly lowering capital required for a phone system.  Most services bundle free outbound long distance with a subscription to their service.  Combining long distance with eliminating the concept of phone lines, monthly phone costs become quite predictable while insuring all calls get through.

Hosted PBX services can include users in a seamless communication system regardless of their location because they are based on VoIP technology.  The top Hosted PBX services provide all telephone users with the ability to transfer calls, know who is on the phone (Busy Lamp Field) and camp-on to extensions while eliminating the costs for calls between remote staff.

Hosted PBX services promotes a startup’s growth by allowing effortless addition and deletion of phones, simple service and phone moves and new employees to work from their home when office space is not available.  Further, the startup can test new market areas by merely publishing a local number in that area while receiving those calls in their home area.  Whether the new market area produces the desired results or not, a Hosted PBX service significantly reduces the risk by minimizing the investment.

The startup business owner must wear many hats.  They include answering calls, meeting clients and potential clients in the office and out in the field and traveling to promote their business.  Published phone numbers can ring multiple phones in multiple locations.  The Mobile PBX option of premium Hosted PBX or VoIP providers will pass business calls on to mobile phones when the called party does not answer their desk phone.  Calls will get answered without anyone being chained to a desk.  In addition, faxes and voicemails can be delivered via email permitting the traveler to stay in touch with all of their messages.

Startup businesses must be very sensitive to appearing as a startup or small business with limited resources.  The caller’s perception is greatly influenced by how calls are answered.  Live body answers, auto attendants and individual voicemail greetings give the feel of a company with resources.  In contrast, calls answered by general company voicemail boxes convey a small company appearance.  The many features of a Hosted PBX service will facilitate a professional image of a company with resources.

Hosted PBX services from VoIP providers are perfect for the startup business.  They provide communication services that are inexpensive, scalable in design and foster the growth of the business.  They are easy to manage, provide seamless communication even when all workers are not in the same office, give outside callers the feel of a company with depth, move easily and enable its users to wear many hats.  Lastly they allow the owners to stay in constant communication with their customers and employees without ever giving out their personal mobile phone number allowing the entrepreneur to remain a private individual, too.

Posted in Hosted PBX, Hosted VoIP, Mobile PBX | No Comments »

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