Tips on How to Prepare for Buying Business VoIP

Introduction

When the time comes to consider Business VoIP for your Small to Medium Enterprise (SME), you will need to apply some discipline and structure to the process by both thinking through and writing down your organization’s telephone requirements. If you have already replaced your home telephone service with VoIP then you have looked at cost and feature options available, and most likely followed straightforward guidance similar to what is outlined here at VoipReview.org.

Large enterprises typically approach the acquisitioning of a telephone system by developing a Request For Proposal (RFP) which ordinarily contains the organization’s technical, support, and business requirements. The RFP is sent to prospective bidders for responses and the winning bid is normally based on selection criteria determined by the inquiring enterprise. An SME does not need to exercise the formality of an RFP, but business VoIP providers will not be able to appropriately respond to your needs unless they are thoroughly informed.

Why Prepare?

Simply stated, communicating your requirements in writing will help you think through and better understand your current and long-term needs, improve your knowledge of VoIP technology and how it can improve your business, and will aid in your decision making when choosing between the various business VoIP providers. Moreover, this written communication will help those VoIP providers understand how to best satisfy your needs and to suggest alternative solutions that may be beneficial to your enterprise.

What’s in the VoIP Phone System Requirements Document?

There are numerous ways of categorizing requirements. We will suggest a template consisting of four parts:

  1. Overview and Goals
  2. Required Features and Services
  3. Optional and Future Capabilities
  4. Operations and Support

Part 1-Overview and Goals

This first section should concentrate on the “big picture” and enterprise principles and parameters that set the context for the new VoIP telephone system:

Part 2-Required Features and Services

This section outlines what required functionality must be provided on “Day 1” of the new system:

Part 3-Optional and Future Capabilities

This section covers “Day 1” optional capabilities (which responders may be able to address) and capabilities which are likely to be needed in the future. Examples are:

Part 4-Operations and Support

This section addresses operations and support requirements including elements that are desired to be performed by the SME with tools provided with the solution, and those elements which are the responsibility of the business VoIP provider.

Final Comments

When moving to a system using new technology, good business practice involves taking adequate time to research the new technology and to seek guidance from those who have taken the same steps before. VoIP technology is certainly no exception to this. In fact, that is what VoipReview.org is all about.

One of the most important aspects of the VoIP phone system requirements process is to place the needs on paper in articulate and concise language. The VoIP phone system requirements have to be understood not only by more technical users, but by management and those who are less familiar to the technology as well, so avoid technical ‘jargon’ whenever possible and remember that business VoIP providers need to clearly understand what is needed.

Make sure that business VoIP providers know something about your evaluation criteria; this will help eliminate many potential difficulties in providing your business needs and wants. Additionally, ensure that the requirements response process allows providers to have the latitude to suggest alternative solutions and options in their responses. These providers often have a greater understanding of the technology and thus, are able to teach you many new and valuable things.

Finally, if you need assistance in pulling your VoIP requirements together, the question of “who are you going to call?” is not a trivial one. VoIP technology is relatively new, so make sure your “helper” or consultant (whomever will be in charge of selecting the new service) has the greatest level of VoIP technical and business knowledge, knows the RFP (or equivalent) acquisition process for VoIP telephone systems, and can write well. Remember that the phone system is critical to any business environment. To begin your search for a business VoIP telephone system, click on Search for a Business VoIP Telephone System.

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