5 Mistakes to Avoid When Purchasing a Cloud Telephony System

Purchasing a cloud-hosted telephony system is a significant investment/process for any business, large or small, so make sure you have all of the necessary information to avoid making a costly mistake.

So, to help you make the best choice possible and have a stress-free experience when shopping for a new phone system, Buckeye Telecom compiled a list of five of the most popular mistakes people make when purchasing a cloud telephone system.

Failure to Do Due Diligence

Customers are encouraged to study all of the various types of phone systems and to look at a variety of providers before deciding which is best for them.

It may be tempting to buy a phone system from the first provider you come across, particularly if you are new to phone systems or are unsure about the technology; however, it pays to be careful, and a good provider will be happy to answer as many questions as you need to make you feel comfortable and secure in your purchase.

It's a good idea to compare what each provider has to offer in terms of phone systems, technological requirements, and functionality to see what the company can actually use.

It is preferable to know whether such features are optional or not, as you will end up paying for features that you would never use.

Your vendor can create a custom system that is tailored to your company's specific requirements, rather than a one-size-fits-all solution.

Remember that you, as a customer, are in control and have the freedom to shop around for the best cloud phone solution for your business.

Costs Should Be Monitored

It's tempting to go with the cheapest provider, and this may be the best option for your company in some situations, but the cheapest provider may end up costing you more in the long run.

The cheapest provider might not have the best solution for you; it is critical to investigate precisely what the provider is providing for the price quoted before signing a contract.

Examine a provider's quote carefully to see if it includes anything you need from the provider to get your hosted phone system up and running. Is installation included in the price? Is training included?

Is that all the hardware you require? What about upkeep? If the response is no, you may want to rethink the provider or look at other options that may have a higher quote but will provide you with all of the help your company requires.

Cheaper quotes can include additional fees that can significantly increase your monthly bill, leaving you worse off than if you had chosen a more costly provider.

Another expense factor to consider is call costs. Examine the actual call use and get a realistic picture of how many calls the company makes and how much it costs.

Since call costs are much lower in the cloud, a hosted phone system can save your business money. Using the data from your current system, you can determine if the call costs from a provider can save you money or whether you need to keep searching.

Accepting LESS THAN WHAT YOUR BUSINESS Needs

There's no need to settle for anything less than what you want or need when there are so many providers providing various features and packages for hosted telephony.

Settling for a package that does much of what you need it to do will not save you money in the long run, and could even force you to replace your phone system in a few years, adding to your costs.

To avoid making this expensive error, make sure you've done enough research on the provider to understand how much adding additional features would cost, whether these features are still available with this provider, and whether the phone system is scalable.

Since the last thing a hosted phone system can do is keep your company back, it's critical that it's simple to scale the system up as your payroll grows.

It should be easy to connect a new line to your phone system, and if you are unable to do so, it can be expensive and time consuming.

Failure To Comply With Compliance Regulations

Security has become a major concern for companies in a variety of industries in recent years. But it's more important than ever to make sure you're following all applicable laws.

For your own and your customers' sakes, make sure you ask your provider about their security compliance and how they ensure your data is safe from hackers.

It's important that your phone device has the most recent software updates to protect against the new and most advanced threats, so instead of missing data and having to pay for a potentially expensive patch, it may be more cost-effective to choose a provider who keeps your system updated with a maintenance kit.

Figures for Uptime

Things can go wrong in any phone system, but the main thing is that the company is prepared to get the phone system back up as soon as possible if anything goes wrong.

Will your phone system be disabled if anything happens to your office building, such as a power outage or a natural disaster? If your company does not have a plan in place to get your phone system back on track in an emergency, you should start thinking about whether they are the right provider for you.

We hope that nothing bad happens to your business, but it pays to be prepared, and not being prepared might cost you a lot of money.

Most providers store your data in multiple locations around the world, providing an extra layer of protection.

In the event of a crisis, your company will be covered. With uptime guarantee’s, you can be assured that no matter what happens, your employees will be able to move devices and pick up where they left off with no disruption to customers – even in the middle of a call, they will be able to easily transfer the call to another system and continue providing the best service possible.

If the company was not contactable, this may mean the difference between retaining customers and losing them to a rival.

Call or text our expert team at 614-224-2003 to learn more about preventing costly errors while selecting a hosted phone system.