VoIP Service Providers: How To Find The Right One?
The field of VoIP is growing very fast because it offers features and services that are not usually found in traditional phone service. Not only that: VoIP offers everything that your phone service offers today. And you’ll pay less when you go this route. Is it any surprise that VoIP is altering the way that folks use their phone service at home and at the office? It’s a pretty good choice now for almost everybody, whether you’re a homeowner or business owner.
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:
Does it sound good?
With the most current systems, the sound quality is much improved while reducing static and noise. One can look forward to outstanding quality from their VoIP vendor. 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.
Can you count on it?
If you’re a business owner, you can imagine the damage that can be caused if your phone goes out in the middle of an important conference call. Imagine what a disaster it would be if there were 20 people on the call — 10 at your office and another 10 around the country. Even a 15 minute outage equals five man-hours of productivity lost. So don’t cut corners with your VoIP service provider. Don’t try to cut corners up-front; pay a little more and get the best.
How’s the customer service?
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. Know what you need ask and for it at the best price before you make a decision.
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.
Even with all of these benefits VoIP still has a couple of drawbacks. For one thing, you still have to have high-speed Internet — or be capable of it — for VoIP phone service to work. If you have a power outage and lose your Internet feed, or if your Internet is just plain slow, VoIP will not work for you. So just be certain you have a proper Internet provider.
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.
Conclusion
Before you can make an informed decision about a VoIP service provider, make sure you know all the issues involved.
© 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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