Tips To Make A Smooth Transition To VoIP In Your SME.

As VoIP architectures continue to mature, the opportunities for small and midsized enterprises to make the switch from traditional phone systems are widening. Yet regardless of the business size, VoIP brings with it a host of concerns that must be addressed to ensure an effective implementation. Even those highly experienced in IP-based technologies can find themselves struggling with architecture issues if they’re not in tune with the VoIP’s various complexities, but we’ve tapped experts to help sort out the pertinent implementation issues.

Vendor Venture

According to Scott Kinka, senior vice president of network services for Evolve IP (www.evolveip.net), vendor selection is a critical component of the VoIP implementation process. He recommends that managers do their research and consider a potential VoIP vendor as a long-term communications partner rather than a simple vendor.

Part of that research requires finding answers to several questions: Is the vendor’s platform secure, reliable, and scalable? Is the company financially secure with solid leadership? Does it bring any value to the table other than the VoIP service?

“Don’t be afraid to ask for references,” Kinka says. “Test the responsiveness of their customer support by calling to see how long it takes them to answer the phone or respond to email. This can be a valuable indicator of how quickly issues will be addressed and resolved.”

Read the rest of the article here at Processor.com