5 Costly Facts Most UK Business VoIP Providers Hide From You

Obscuring costs, dressing-up benefits, and omitting truths are all tactics used by providers attempting to sell your company a product or service. How many times have you committed to something and then realised that things don’t add up? The world of business VoIP is no different and, while there are plenty of benefits resulting from choosing such a system to handle your communications, there are also a few expensive, disadvantageous, factors that you’d do well to familiarise yourself with.

You may be somewhat unsurprised to hear that many UK business VoIP providers would be rather relieved if you never discovered these pitfalls in their systems. As one of the UK’s leading, and most proudly upfront, Internet telecoms companies, we thought it was only fair to let you make your own mind up…

1. Third party contractors: While third party contractors are commonplace in business, how helpful is it when your business VoIP service is managed and maintained by someone other than the provider you’ve paid to do just that? Depending upon a contractor to support such a system has the potential to cause serious problems for your business, particularly if the services of a dedicated professional have been overlooked. The chances are you’ll never need to question whether a contractor is managing your communications or not, or appreciate the potential costs involved, but do you want to find out when everything goes wrong?

2. Limitations: As will all systems, business VoIP does have its limitations; after all, operating on a server as complex as the Internet is bound to cause issues, particularly if you’re not prepared for the pitfalls, or unreliability. Issues that you may experience include the unavoidable loss of service in the event of a power cut, transmission errors caused by network hiccups, and the system’s inability to integrate with other products and services. Before making the switch to a business VoIP system, weigh up the pros and cons of such restrictions.

3. Reimagining your IT infrastructure: While it stands to reason that you’ll incur a few network changes, costs, and head-scratching moments during your business VoIP system’s set up, it is worth researching how much needs to change before you commit to anything; flexibility, reduced telecoms costs, and call quality are well and good, but if your IT infrastructure can’t handle such sophisticated technology there’s little you can do. How many providers will ask you about your system’s capabilities BEFORE proffering the sale?

4. Security concerns: The chances are you’re familiar with the Internet, and use emails, websites, and data storage systems on a regular basis. As such, you’re bound to be aware of firewalls, online security, and the types of things you should be doing to protect your company and the data that it stores online. Now, is your VoIP system compatible with your firewall? Do you know how to protect your communications? What would happen in the eventuality of a security breach? Security concerns should be paramount during your search for a business VoIP provider, as should their ability to handle such worries.

5. Your phone calls in the public Internet’s domain: Shiny brochures, smooth sales pitches, and a bold website, as well as flashy demonstrations of call quality are all well and good, but what happens once you’re all set up and ready to go? Some businesses later discover that their telecommunications are now part of the public domain. This is likely to reduce quality and decrease functionality, which is hardly the service you’ve signed up for. It is important to research the type of service available to you, including asking about bandwidth, the network that will be carrying your voice traffic, and prioritisation. Failing to do so could lead to a long search for resolution, or worse; having to find a new provider at cost.

While not comprehensive, this blog post should inspire you to ask more questions, and to conduct deeper research when it comes to choosing the right business VoIP provider. Never be afraid to query the finer details, always put your business and its technical requirements first, and always take charge of communications between your company and prospective providers. They need to win your loyalty far more than you need this particular business’s wares, after all. Please feel free to contact us if you need to know more; we’re here for you whenever you need us.