Finding the Right VoIP Service Provider For You
Traditional phone service can’t offer what VoIP offers — and that’s the reason why VoIP is growing so fast. And another thing: VoIP can provide you with all the same things you grown accustomed to from your phone service today. And, perhaps best of all: you’ll pay less for the package. It shouldn’t come as a surprise that VoIP is fundamentally remaking the way we all look at — and use — our telephones. It is a very attractive option for nearly every segment of the marketplace — commercial and residential alike.
For example, long distance calls are going to be free or nearly free on VoIP phone systems. This is because VoIP uses the Internet to send your voice messaging. And another thing: Wherever you go, as long as you have an Internet connection, you can have VoIP service. As I said before, VoIP service offers the sorts of features that we were used to paying extra for.
Here are some things that you should investigate when you’re choosing a VoIP service provider:
Sound quality
With the most current systems, the sound quality is much improved while reducing static and noise. Expect the best from your VoIP service provider. Don’t commit to anything until you have made a few sample phone calls. A symptom of overall bad quality would be if you heard significant lags or delays while talking with the person you called.
If you think I’m exaggerating, think about a one second delay and what it can mean. It could mean that the person you are talking to is hesitating for some unknown reason. It could mean that the person you are talking to doesn’t understand what you are saying, or is simply confused. Or it could mean that you have a slow Internet connection. Before you commit to VoIP service, eliminate the possibility that the delay is due to technical reasons.
Reliability
Business owners know: if your phone goes out in the middle of a conference call, you’re losing customers. Worse yet — imagine that there are 10 people on the call at your end and 10 people on the call at the other end. If you can’t talk for 15 minutes, that equals 5 man-hours of lost productivity — and maybe a valuable business contract — or your reputation. You don’t want to pinch pennies when it comes to your VoIP service provider. Pay a little bit more and get top-notch, reliable service.
How are the customers treated?
It should go without saying that your VoIP service provider should give you 24/7 customer support. Not only that: you shouldn’t have to wait on hold — you should be able to get a straight answer quickly. Look for a VoIP service provider that offers alternate modes of tech support, like live chat.
Features
A reputable VoIP service provider can give you best of both worlds — all the features you now have with conventional phone service plus extras like email, fax, web conferencing and even videophone capabilities for one low price. Some VoIP service providers may not be able to deliver, instead charging you extra for these features. Be sure of what you want — and ask for it — before making a final decision on who to go with.
What about price?
We all feel that VoIP should be free or very cheap. At the very least you should be able to get free long distance and a low monthly service charge. But make sure you’re getting more than you pay for. A low price with low voice quality is not a good value. If your VoIP service provider offers a trial. Take advantage of it to make sure that you’re getting your money’s worth.
VoIP still has a downside regardless of the benefits. The most notable drawback is that you must have a high-speed Internet connection for VoIP service to work. If you have a slow Internet connection or if your power goes out and you have no Internet connection, you will not have phone service. So make sure that your Internet service is reliable and fast.
As for which companies are the best VoIP service providers, visit this page to find out how to make an intelligent comparison. You’ll have to do a little bit of homework and find the best VoIP service providers available to you. But you’ll find the investment of time to be worth it.
One last thing…
Review all the issues — pro and con — before making an informed decision on VoIP service providers.
© 2007 Ara Rubyan. This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-No Derivative Works 3.0 License. You have permission to use it if you include the resource information below.
For more info on VoIP service providers, visit Ara Rubyan’s VoIP Solution.
Ara Rubyan is not a part of the VoIP industry, nor does he sell VoIP services, nor does he pretend to be a guru of any kind. Instead, he is like you: a consumer, a business owner, and someone who has been researching the industry so that he could make an informed decision about the best VoIP service for his needs. Now, he’s put all his research (so far) in one convenient location and he’s sharing it with you, no strings attached.
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