Are you making one or all of the common VoIP mistakes in your business? Voice over Internet Protocol (VoIP) is a great way to save money and increase efficiency in your small business. There are many advantages of VoIP over traditional phone systems, including lower costs, increased mobility, and greater flexibility for remote or off-site work. Did you know that over 73 million workers work remotely?
Just because something is easy, however, doesn’t mean it’s not worth doing right. If you fall into one or more of these common traps when implementing your new VoIP system, then you’re missing out on all the benefits that it has to offer. Let’s jump into the most common VoIP mistakes and how to avoid them.
1. You Didn’t Plan Ahead
Planning is essential for success. You can’t just start a project and expect it to work out without planning your VoIP deployment process. This applies not only to your day-to-day business activities but also to your bandwidth for VoIP calls.
Switching phone systems is a big change. No matter how many employees you have, this is a big step and an exciting step forward. A little preparation and pre-planning will go a long way.
Planning also needs an end goal in mind so that everyone knows what their role is during this process and where they’re headed once everything has been completed successfully. Before implementing a new VoIP system, meet with the experts and your team to discuss the transition.
Give yourself and your team realistic timelines for implementation and plenty of time for training. Use your provider’s resources to help you and your team become equipped to take on new your new systems. The more you plan ahead, the smoother your transition will be.
2. Not Taking Advantage of the Flexibility
VoIP has many advantages over traditional phone systems, but it can also be used in a variety of ways. Some businesses use VoIP to connect people in an office setting, while others utilize the technology for remote employees. If you’re considering switching from a traditional phone system, consider how your business will benefit from adopting VoIP.
The biggest advantage of VoIP is the cost savings. Traditional phone systems require a large upfront investment, plus ongoing monthly fees for maintenance and support. With VoIP, you can pay one low price for all your equipment and service needs. You also don’t have to worry about paying extra fees as your business grows or downsizes, which makes it much easier to manage expenses over time.
Another advantage of VoIP is the ability to use your phone system from anywhere. With traditional phone systems, you need a dedicated landline for each employee in order to make calls with high-quality sound and transmission. With VoIP, your employees can connect using their mobile devices or laptops, which makes it much easier for them to get work done while on the go.
3. Overlooking Optimizing Your Bandwidth
VoIP is a bandwidth hog. That means it uses more bandwidth than other types of communication, like email or text messaging. When you use VoIP, you’re using up the limited resources that are available to your business and if everyone in your company starts using it, those resources will run out quickly.
Luckily for you, there are ways to optimize your VoIP usage so that it doesn’t take up too much space on the network or cost too much money. Some examples include using video conferencing instead of live calls whenever possible, for example. This saves both time and money since there’s no need for long-distance calling fees or even local ones.
Scale up your network and bandwidth if needed in your offices. It’s worth keeping in mind that the more employees you have who use VoIP, the more data will be used up by your company’s network. That means it’s important to make sure everyone has enough bandwidth to do their job. You don’t want anyone, in particular, overloading their connection and causing problems for other people on the network.
4. You’re Still Using an Analog Phone System
If you’re still using an analog phone system in addition to a VoIP, you may be wasting money. It’s 2023 and every business should be using VoIP technology to communicate. If you’re still using both or you’re unhappy with your current providers, there are some common red flags to watch for.
If you’re using analog and you’re paying too much for your service, your provider isn’t offering the best rates or features. You’ll want to look at the competition and make sure they aren’t charging any less than what you’re paying now.
Often times, other companies don’t offer enough support for their product. For example, maybe they don’t have live chat support or 24/7 phone support available in case something goes wrong with your system. You need someone who will answer any questions promptly so that no one else has to deal with any issues while they wait for traditional business hours.
Often times with analog phone systems, you don’t have a system set up to easily transfer calls from one extension to another. You’ll want to make sure that you can easily switch between extensions while on the phone with someone else so that they don’t have to hang up on you and then call back again.
5. You Don’t Have an Easy Way of Contacting Customers
You need to be able to reach your customers at all times and places, which means you should have some sort of method for communicating with them inside or outside the office, on their cell phones, and at home. This can be done through automated voice messages or even just by having a dedicated customer service number that’s answered by someone who works at the company.
While you can outsource customer service, VoIP also allows you to keep customer service internal with remote employees. This allows for more employees with less office space. That translates to more help and happier customers.
In addition to phone service, in 2023, you also need to be able to provide customers with a way of contacting you, such as an email address or a company website where they can chat, and leave comments and complaints for you. This will make it easy for them to resolve any issues they have with your product or service.
Finally, you need to have a way of tracking how customers are reacting to your product or service. You can do this by making sure that any feedback they provide is logged by someone and sent on to you. This can be done by phone, text, or email surveys.
6. The Call Quality On Your Phone is Poor
One of the most common problems with other VoIP services is poor call quality. Callers often complain that they hear beeps, clicks, and other noises during their calls, which can make it difficult to understand the person on the other end of the line.
Poor call quality can be caused by many things including, hardware issues with your phone or computer. Poor internet connection is another culprit. If you’re experiencing poor call quality on a regular basis but don’t know why, you’ll want to speak to us as you set up your new systems.
There are also a few troubleshooting tricks you can try. To start, check the phone’s power adapter and make sure it’s plugged into a working outlet.
Use a different phone if possible or try plugging your VoIP phone into another computer to test if there’s something wrong with the hardware. Check the internet connection and make sure it’s not being slowed down by other devices on your network.
7. The Current System is Unreliable
One of the best things you can do for your business is to choose a provider that has a proven track record of reliability. Look for reviews and ratings from other customers to determine if the provider you are considering is worthy of your business.
It’s best to choose a provider that offers the most reliable service at a reasonable price. Your business is too precious to drop calls and lose customers over poor phone quality.
8. You Haven’t Made VoIP Work for You Yet
VoIP is a complex technology. It’s not just about the phones, it’s about the network and software. You need to integrate it with other systems, for example, your CRM system or your accounting package. You also need to train your staff on how to use it properly.
If you have never implemented VoIP before, we strongly recommend that you hire a qualified consultant who has experience working in this area before taking on such an important project yourself. We can help you choose the best systems for you and your needs.
Without looking at your network and software, you may run into problems with your new VoIP systems. Problems lead to breakdowns in communication and frustrations internally as well as on the customer level.
The bottom line is that VoIP is a great technology, but before you plug and play, you’ll want to consider your needs. These easy-to-use systems can be game changers for your business if done correctly.
9. Not Integrating Your Other Systems
Integration is important. Not only do you need to integrate your phones and other communications equipment together, but you should also be sure to do so with cloud services like video conferencing, online meeting apps, and more.
The good news is that VoIP technology itself has become easier to use and more reliable over the years. It’s very user-friendly and easy to integrate with your other systems. You can seamlessly use it to transfer calls, make calls, answer calls, and more. Make these systems work with your email, video conferencing, and CRM, systems for example.
This investment will make using all of your systems easier. You’ll be able to work more efficiently and get more done. The best part is that you can do this out of the office, remotely from a meeting, a client, a factory, or at home.
10. You Didn’t Do Your Research
If you used a bad VoIP system before or have heard horror stories, chances are, there wasn’t enough research done. You want to take the time to look at the services and make sure they are the right fit.
Speak to us about offerings, systems, and reviews from other customers. Research is key to making sure your provider has services that fit your needs and that work well with your other systems. Your business should be your provider’s top priority.
Do your homework and make sure you’re getting the right fit and business VoIP requirements for your team. Whether you have 50 or 500 employees, not all VoIP systems are created equally. The more research you can do the easier the transition will be.
Avoid These Common VoIP Mistakes
If you’re thinking about making the switch to VoIP, we hope this article has helped give you some ideas on how to avoid some common VoIP mistakes. We know that it can be overwhelming to make a change like this, but it’s worth it when done correctly. You’ll find that your business will run more smoothly with fewer problems and less maintenance required.
VoIP also gives you the freedom to work where and when you need to. Ditch the expensive analog and move into the future. We have solutions and systems for every business and budget. To learn more and to speak with a VoIP expert about your business needs, fill out the contact form here.
