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Many entrepreneurs are exiting their business incubators with a number of operational decisions to make for their start up organization.  One easy decision is to select a Hosted VoIP system for their phone services, as it carries a number of advantages and provides one less worry as they stand-up their company.

Low Cost of Entry and Scalable – Purchasing a phone system at a business start up phase is a guessing game.  Do you go big to match your five year plan or go small and risk being underserved from a feature perspective and having to replace the system as soon as it is stressed with growth?  The beauty of a Hosted VoIP system is that you are not buying a phone system at all!  You buy the VoIP phones as you need them, and the programming of the system is completely flexible and scalable as you grow.  You receive the same features as large companies enjoy but you don’t have to buy an expensive on-site platform to enjoy those benefits.

No Contracts – Most hosted VoIP providers offer a no contract based service.  If you are talking with one that has term contracts for “the best rate”, then keep looking.  Certainly, traditional phone services and cable providers require contracts to receive their best rates.  Finding a hosted VoIP provider that offers a no contract service will give you peace of mind if your business doesn’t take off as planned.

Features Are a Good Fit – Some of the features inherent in a hosted VoIP platform are very applicable to organizations in their infancy. 

• High Touch Requirements - Business owners and initial sales people need to be in high touch with the burgeoning client and prospect base.  Thus, being able to answer calls from a soft phone app allows you to be reachable anywhere.  Quickly transferring calls both internally and externally helps enhance the strong feeling of reachability to your callers.  Receiving voicemail to email provides you the ability to listen to callers needs and quickly forwarding along the message or calling them back with answers.
• Effective Use of an Auto Attendant – Whether an auto attendant is engaged at the start of a call flow or after a series of rings, it can be an effective way to quickly route callers to their desired destination.  There are several good tips for setting up an effective auto attendant, but clear options can be very beneficial to new companies.  Additionally, it can disguise your size.  Never set it up with “press one for Joe, press two for Jane, etc.”  Always use departments, such as “Sales” or “Service” even if those calls are routed to one or the same individual!
• Virtual Staff – Hey, the garage businesses are real for many start-ups!  Even if your business has an office presence, you don’t have to over commit on square footage at the outset.  As your business grows, you can deploy staff from their homes or other environments and still have them on your phone system!  The handsets connect to the hosted platform wherever they are located via a high-speed internet connection, but callers (internal or external) would never know they are not located at the office!  

Market Reach – Another advantage of going with a hosted VoIP provider is that you can grow into other markets and have each location on the same phone system.  Most hosted providers have a national footprint, therefore they can secure local phone numbers wherever you set up shop.  They can also provide local numbers in an area you are marketing to, but have the number ring back at your central location.  There are a myriad of ways to effectively expand your business through the utilization of this technology.  Additionally, you can recruit staff based upon affordability or ability, but have them work in a location outside of your headquarters.  You can choose whether they have a direct dial number that is local to them or your headquarters, or both!

Because sipVine’s headquarters is in Kansas City, a recognized hotbed for entrepreneurialism, we have helped quite a number of start-ups with the establishment of their communication platform.  Robert Conner, sipVine’s CEO, states:  “With services stemming from such incubation organizations as the Ewing Marion Kauffman Foundation and with the entry of Google Fiber into our local marketplace, we have been in great position to understand the unique needs of start-up organizations.  We strive to provide guidance to their voice communication processes at start-up and nimbly address changes as they evolve.  It has been a pleasure serving such organizations.”

If you are starting up a new business and would like to discuss how a Hosted VoIP option will work well for your specific need, call us today and we would be happy to consult with you. 

You don’t need to sign a term contract for your phone service!  Simply put, traditional business telephone providers want to lock you in, and term contracts in exchange for something is how they do it.  It’s all about creating a guaranteed return on their marketing and sales investment. 

Examples of methods utilized to coerce you into signing term agreements are:

1.   Special promotional or advertised pricing is only available with a term agreement

2.   Up-front installation or other “activation” fees are not waived without a term agreement 

Once you’ve signed a term agreement with your phone service provider, you pay penalties for early termination and service downgrades. Additionally, you may face auto-renewal notice requirements that, if missed, can lock you in for another year or longer.   Finally, many of these contracts don’t provide you with price protection.  Check the fine print to see if the rates are subject to change without notice. 

If you are in a contract or are contemplating moving forward with one, be sure to ask for the terms and conditions.  Many times these contracts are essentially a sales order that references terms and conditions in an obscure or difficult to find location on the phone service provider's website!  This is where you'll find the auto renewal provisions, rate change provisions and other n0t-so-customer-friendly terms.  If you signed a contract, you may find that you've already been subject to an auto renewal based upon the notice you are required to give if you are not planning on renewing.

There are business phone providers out there who are willing to earn your business every day without the protection of a term contract.  At sipVine, we believe that our advertised or current price schedule should be uniformly applied and available to everyone who wants to use our service.  We also stand on the principle that customers deserve the right to change providers if the service does not meet their expectations.  It may not be a standard business practice for the telecom industry, but it is a fundamental way of doing business for sipVine. 

So, as you are evaluating a change in your phone providers, suggest that you can receive advertised prices without signing a contract with other providers and see if the providers will match that understanding.  If not, call us!