Good communication is important in any company or business; you need to communicate with both your colleagues and your customers to maintain and grow your business.  Even with the increasing uptake in new technologies, most businesses still communicate with their customers over the phone.   The VoIP phone platform potentially offers companies countless benefits, the main benefits being cost savings and increasing productivity.  However, there are some pitfalls a business new to VoIP can fall into:

1.     Don’t test the network

A VoIP phone system differs from a standard phone system as it runs over your in-house IT network.  This means that your company’s IT network needs to be tested to assess its suitability for VoIP.  These days network infrastructure is very reasonably priced so the fact that your current network may need updating will not be a problem, but you should be aware of this before implementing the VoIP platform so that the operation runs smoothly.

2.     Don’t do a need’s assessment

There is a whole variety of VoIP Solutions in the market place which contains a multitude of options, some of which you will need and some you won’t.  Before you commit to a VoIP service you should evaluate what features you require or will benefit from to ensure you get the most out of your new phone system.  VoIP platforms provide benefits such as call routing, direct dial services, flexible messaging and convenience dialling, ready to be harnessed to increase your productivity.

3.      Buy the first thing you see

With the diverse range of VoIP solutions available you should investigate which of these options would best suit your business at the right price.  Do you need all the options a more expensive solution provides, or are you only trying to save money on your current calls?  Alternatively, are you an expanding business and need a VoIP phone system due to the flexibility it affords?  New lines and extensions can easily be added and if in the future your business grows, you may need to add the additional features as well.

4.     Don’t check bandwidth requirements/ don’t have adequate bandwidth

VoIP systems save you money, but because they use your internet connection to transport the calls, it increases the demand on your internet connection, generally doubling the amount of traffic you generate.  You need to have sufficient bandwidth available to handle the extra traffic, without adequate bandwidth, the quality of your calls will be poor, and neither you nor your customers will be happy.

5.     Fail to take complete advantage of VoIP / Power of VoIP

Cheap calls are not the only benefit offered by VoIP.  With VoIP you can integrate voice into many of your current business systems, increasing worker efficiency and productivity. There are also countless call features available.  One of the major benefits is that the phone number and extension number are stored on the actual phone.  This means that wherever your handset is connected to the internet, you will be reachable on your office extension, this is ideal for people who work in multiple locations.

6.     Knowledge gap

A common pitfall of a successful VoIP installation is simply because the right people in the company simply do not know much about VoIP before a solution is deployed.  It is not a requirement to become an expert but you need a basic understanding so that you can ensure the right solution is implemented.

7.     Not know they can take they can take advantage of VoIP

Once a business has had a PBX exchange or existing phone solution installed, they often do not realise that they can benefit from a VoIP system, for example when a business is stuck in a long-term contract with their current service provider. 

Hosted VoIP offers some powerful features that can be accessed through a hosted PBX system.  A number of providers will offer a hosted solution to overlay you current phone system so that you can take advantage of extension dialling, auto attendant, follow-me and more…

8.     Voice quality issues

The quality of VoIP has been improved over the years but people are very fussy over the voice quality in VoIP because they are used to the impeccable quality of landline phones.  The two main things that affect Voice quality are Bandwidth and the equipment you are using.   For example, you need sufficient bandwidth in order to keep the voice quality, this is one of the reasons it is so important to check your broadband requirements.  The phone equipment you are using also has an impact on your call quality, so get the best quality hardware you can afford.

9.     VoIP always up and on

VoIP connections are dependent on an active connection to the Internet. Internet providers have become more and more stable over the years, but sporadic loss of Internet, often referred to as a local outages can be expected from time to time.  If you lose your internet connection, you will lose the ability to make outgoing calls but incoming calls should go to your voicemail, this enables you to call those people back at a later time.  Some VoIP providers are able to automatically forward your VoIP number, in the event of non-registration, so that you do not miss any of your calls.

Even with all these potential pitfalls, VoIP continues to be stable, effective and is saving businesses like yours a lot of money as long as you seek professional advice with the installation process.

Databax offer a professional hosted VoIP system, please get in touch for more information using the contact form below or call 0844 543 7501