When investing in new technology, cost is always a deciding factor, especially for VoIP phone systems. No matter what features or services it’s bundled with, there’s no point in investing in a phone system that easily puts you over budget. That’s why it’s important to evaluate the total cost of ownership (TCO) of VoIP systems.

What is TCO?
The TCO is the overall sum of procuring, deploying, and operating a VoIP system has over its life cycle, which is typically five years. Naturally, some of the costs (like operating costs) can be predicted only before the implementation, but an experienced VoIP expert should be able to give you an informed approximation.

Upfront costs
When selecting a VoIP system, make sure to check the features offered and the quality of the system -- by looking at reviews -- so you get the best bang for your buck. While full-featured, high-quality phone systems will come at much higher price points, they do tend to be more reliable and require less maintenance than a cheap phone system.

Beyond the price of the VoIP package, there are also additional costs like headsets, webcams, and a stronger network connection to ensure crystal-clear calls.

You also have to consider the payment options. You could either buy it outright or rent it from a reputable third party. Although the former carries a steep upfront cost, payment will not continue indefinitely. This makes sense for large, fully staffed corporations with massive budgets. Meanwhile, the latter option is better for small- and medium-sized businesses that prefer to pay a monthly subscription for the phone features they need rather than make a huge investment.

Implementation costs
In addition to upfront costs, you’ll have to pay a consultant or managed services provider (MSP) to design, deploy, and configure your VoIP system.

Then, there’s onboarding. Since you’re installing a completely new phone system, you’ll need to hire experts who can teach employees how to use the VoIP system effectively and securely.

Operational costs
This covers monthly recurring costs of voice and data plans. For example, some service providers charge local and long distance calls per minute, while others offer unlimited local calls for a fixed monthly cost.

If you’re managing your VoIP system yourself, you’ll also have to take into account the monthly power, cooling, and maintenance fees. If you opt for hosted VoIP services, however, you’ll be billed only for the maintenance.

Upgrade costs
You should also set aside some room in your budget for VoIP upgrades. For instance, to improve customer service, you may need to integrate customer relationship management software with VoIP, but that requires a certified CRM expert to facilitate the entire integration process.

Evaluating all the costs that apply to your business will give you a clear idea of how much you can expect to pay for your VoIP system. You can also compare VoIP TCO with traditional phone system TCO to make a business case for VoIP.

If you’re having difficulty calculating the real costs of VoIP, call our experts today. We’ll help you figure out which VoIP solution is most ideal for your business and budget.

The post Evaluating the total cost of VoIP systems appeared first on Complete Technology Resources, Inc..

VoIP has allowed businesses like yours to make and receive calls from anywhere, at any time. This enables employees to meet client demands promptly and improve customer satisfaction. One VoIP feature that can further elevate your customer service is call recording.

#1. Improve customer service

One of the most important reasons why businesses should always record their calls, no matter the significance of the call, is to ensure high-quality customer service. By reviewing calls, managers can understand how their agents have been dealing with customers, whether or not they’ve followed company protocol, and pinpoint any aspects that can be improved on.

Without call recordings, managers would have to listen to each call in real time, which is a time-consuming process. By recording each call, not only will your managers save time, but your employees will also be motivated to perform at their best every time they’re on the phone because they won’t know which calls are being monitored.

#2. Upgrade employee performance

According to Edgar Dale’s Cone of Learning, people only remember 10% of what they’ve read, 50% of what they’ve seen and heard, and 90% of what they’ve done. By providing your agents with actual recordings of good and bad calling examples during training sessions, and have them simulate calls afterwards, they’ll be able to learn and provide high-quality customer service faster.

This is possible thanks to VoIP’s call recording feature, which allows every single call to be automatically recorded; that way, you can easily keep all audio files for future usage if necessary.

#3. Retrieve missed details and prevent litigation

With hundreds of phone calls daily, it’s understandable if your employees don’t catch every single detail. And for companies that require their agents to manually input information during the calls, there’s always a possibility that they’ll forget or miss certain information. Needless to say, this could lead to disgruntled customers who can harm business reputation, lower work opportunities, and if things escalate, proceed to litigation.

VoIP’s call recording feature lets you replay saved audio files to make sure you haven’t missed any details, ensuring that all customer demands are met. And if you ever get into a dispute with your clients regarding who said what, you can always retrieve the exact audio file and have both sides listen to it, saving you thousands of dollars spent for lawsuits.

#4. Understand customer preferences

Have you ever received an inquiry about a product or service that’s not included as one of your offerings? While your agents will usually jot down this piece of information and pass it on to the relevant personnel, if numerous calls are being made that day, more often than not, they’ll forget about noting it down. Tiny issues like this can lead to huge losses in potential profit.

Again, issues such as this could've easily been avoided with call recording. With the option to review all your calls at the end of the day, you’ll have a better picture about what certain customers are looking for and what you can do to address them.

VoIP allows businesses to make on-demand calls affordably, and its call recording feature helps companies improve their customer service and prevent litigation. If you think business VoIP is right for you, or if you have any questions, give us a call today.

The post Why businesses should record their calls appeared first on Complete Technology Resources, Inc..

VoIP, or Voice over Internet Protocol, is a telephony solution that allows users to make calls through any internet-enabled desk phone (hardphone) or software device (softphone). The type of business you run will determine which option is most suitable for you.

What’s a hardphone?

A hardphone is a desk phone that is connected to your business’s IP network, just like a normal phone. There's no learning curve associated with VoIP hardphones, and they allow your staff to call anyone worldwide at a more affordable price. The more advanced hardphones have built-in video displays and touch screens to accommodate video calls, eliminating the need of having separate equipment for video conferencing.

What’s a softphone?

A softphone is any electronic device that uses a software program that allows users to turn their PCs, laptops, and tablets into high-tech phones to make and receive local and international calls. Softphones let you dial a number on your computer or mobile device and speak through its embedded speakers and microphone, or through a headset with microphone, so you can make and take calls wherever you are.

Which type is ideal for you?

There are some things to consider when you’re choosing between hardphones and softphones:

• Are your employees always moving around?
• Do they require 24/7 connectivity?
• Does your company rely on having top-notch customer service?
• What’s your IT budget?

Your answers to these questions will determine the type of equipment you need. If your employees are mostly in the office, hardphones may be better, especially since you probably already have them and they will be available for use with VoIP.

But if your company requires a mobile workforce, adopting a softphone solution may be better. Softphones feature call routing which allows calls to be diverted to one or several specified internet-enabled devices, ensuring your clients have 24/7 access to your employees. Other features like transcribed voicemail messages also enable you to receive messages promptly, no matter whether you’re in a meeting or on the road.

Costs

Hardphones and softphones each have their advantages, so which one you choose may come down to your IT budget.

For SMBs that have a limited IT budget, purchasing new hardphones for all their employees can be expensive, especially if you require hundreds of them. Softphones may be better if you're on a tight budget. You just need to download an application and buy some headsets.

If your budget permits you to spend more on telephony infrastructure, then a VoIP solution would be a great way to improve your users' productivity and save money on your monthly phone bills.

Our experts are available 24/7/365 to advise you on any questions you may have pertaining to VoIP, and especially about whether hardphones or softphones are best for you. If you’re interested in upgrading your telephony infrastructure, give us a call today.

The post Discover the VoIP suitable for you appeared first on Complete Technology Resources, Inc..

Voice over IP (VoIP) technology epitomizes every small-business owner’s IT goals. It’s affordable, flexible, and full of features that make it a valuable long-term investment. There are countless worthwhile VoIP options. You just need to know your priorities and what to look for.

Total cost of ownership

The most pressing concern when adopting new technology is the price tag, but calculating the total cost of ownership for a VoIP solution involves a number of variables that will change from year to year. Before signing on the dotted line, ask for an estimate of each cost over a three-to-five-year period based on your growth plan. Important items include:

• Basic subscription costs (How many numbers will you need in year one vs. year three?)
• Feature upgrades (Do you plan to add new components as you expand?)
• Office moves (How much will a VoIP relocation cost? Will there be significant downtime?)
• Hardware costs (Will you need to purchase new handsets?)

By partnering with a managed IT services provider (MSP) like us, you can drastically reduce routine VoIP security and maintenance costs by rolling them into your monthly service plan.

Customer service

Another reason to sign up for an internet-based telecom through an MSP is personalization, which is especially important for a solution that is often used outside the office. IT providers guarantee their availability and response times with service level agreements so you know exactly what kind of support you’ll receive every time you make a request.

Imagine the difference in service between a VoIP vendor and your local MSP if a remote employee were struggling to connect to a sales call. One is going to connect you to a call center hundreds of miles away for help, while the other already knows your business before picking up -- which provider do you think is going to offer better long-term support?

Features

Aside from the cost savings, advanced call features are the leading advantage of VoIP over traditional landlines. Most providers offer similar features, but there may be small differences. Take a look at all the options and rank them by priority before choosing a provider. Consider things like:

• Call recording
• Voicemail transcription
• Text messaging
• Video conferencing

Phone numbers that can be used on multiple devices is foundational to internet-based phones, and although nine out of ten vendors will hit all the mobility benchmarks, make sure to double-check you won’t be missing out on any basic features.

Our team has partnered with the best VoIP providers in the industry to produce a hassle-free solution for small businesses. To learn about the customer service, costs, and features included in our VoIP solutions, give us a call today.

The post What you need to know to select a VoIP service appeared first on Complete Technology Resources, Inc..