Business VoIP Provider Buyer Guide

Compare leading Business VoIP Providers for your company

By Neil Zawacki
Updated: June 20, 2011

Picking a VoIP provider can be a complicated task for a small business. There are hundreds of vendors on the market, and they offer a wide range of different products and features. This buyer’s guide will provide several tips for you to keep in mind during the selection process.

Important Features

You generally want to make sure the VoIP provider offers the following features with their phone system:

  • Auto-Attendant
  • Call Forwarding
  • Voicemail
  • Call Waiting
  • Fax Capability

These features will help small businesses to present a professional demeanor and serve the general needs of the company. If the phone system doesn’t have them available, you should probably move on to the next provider.

Training/Management

You may need to train your employees how to use the VoIP phone system. They function quite a bit different than traditional phones, and some of the special features may take a while to get used to. The manager will also need to understand how to properly administer the phone system. Many VoIP providers will offer this training for free as part of the overall sale package. If they don’t, you will need to factor it in when trying to determine the total cost of the system.

Security Issues

You should also keep a few security concerns in mind before making your decision. You definitely want the VoIP phone system to have password protection and secure firewalls to defend you from hackers and denial of service attacks. It’s also a good idea to select a provider that offers full data encryption, so people won’t be able to access your information as it is sent over the internet.

You can learn more about choosing a VoIP provider by filling out the contact form below. We have several buyer’s guides on our website that are highly informative and completely free.

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