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Deciding upon the best phone service provider can be challenging for any business.  Given new technology, there are a host of new options available to you in the marketplace and you are no longer bound to your traditional telephone provider.  You should start by determining your organization’s ability/desire to utilize new technology in your communication practices and identifying the characteristics of a phone service provider that will meet your expectations.

If your company desires to utilize new technology in your communication practices and you want to keep the capital expenses low for such an endeavor, you can consider a hosted phone service provider.  This literally opens up the competition to a number of great providers.  These providers provide both the phone service and phone system, as the phone system is provided in a cloud environment and the service is delivered over the internet.  Additionally, if your company has points of presence in multiple cities or has virtual employees, they all can be on a common phone system and you can consolidate service providers!

The process of narrowing down your potential list of hosted phone service providers can be
quite daunting.  Set your expectations high, as new entrants in this marketplace have helped push customer service to new heights.  Here is a list of questions for potential service providers that can help you narrow the list:

1. Describe your approach to customer service.  Do I have an account team to rely upon?  How are requests for service handled and are there multiple ways to create a service ticket?
2. Do you conduct a consultative session with me on customizing the configuration for the hosted phone service so that it conforms to how we do business?
3. How do you handle VoIP voice quality management?  Do you deploy a device on our network or do you manage this solely by bandwidth expansion?
4. Describe your hosted platform.  Is it located in a secure data facility?  What redundancies are built in? 
5. What disaster recovery options are available to me with your service?
6. Given our industry, what features do you believe we will benefit the most from?

These questions will help qualify candidates and you can narrow down competitiveness of bids from the providers who answer the above qualifications to your satisfaction.  First and foremost, judging the potential provider on their willingness and ability to get to know you and your needs through the qualification stage is a great indicator of the type of service they will provide.  Those providers who are experienced in working in multiple industries and can provide the consultation necessary to appropriately customize the solution to meet your expectations will clearly rise to the top.

Many focus on the features, coolness factor, and price, but fail to be able to truly understand your business and what is important to you.  Your business deserves to be supported by a provider who can be seen as your phone department rather than a vendor.

About the author:  Mark Greim is the Vice President of Sales and Marketing at sipVine, a provider of a variety of digital phone solutions and services. Mark has extensive experience working for start-up or entrepreneurial organizations and a passion for affordable, reliable, and purposeful technology solutions in those environments. 

Making changes for your business can be filled with anxiety, and changing phone service providers is no exception.  There are several items to consider and plan for that should ensure a smooth and seamless transition.

Porting Numbers – The good news is that regulations allow you to keep your existing phone numbers when you change phone service providers.  The challenge is that this process is a potential minefield of challenges.   Your new provider can guide you through this process, but you need to provide key pieces of accurate information to ensure a smooth transition.

1. Letter of Authorization – You will be asked to sign a letter of authorization to allow your new phone service provider to assume responsibility for your phone numbers.  The name of the business needs to match the name that appears on your bill with your current provider.  The individual signing the letter of authorization needs to be the authorized representative on record with your current phone company.  If you are not aware of who is the authorized representative, contact your current phone company and ask who the authorized contact that appears on your customer service record (CSR).
2. Time Frame – If you are with a major carrier today, ten business days is typically enough time to allow for the porting process to take place.  Some other providers can take up to thirty days, again depending upon who you choose as your new provider.  If you have a move, contract expiration, or other key milestone events that you are timing with this change, make sure you provide enough lead time for this process to take place.
3. DSL Number – If you are going with a Voice over IP (VoIP) provider and you are going to utilize your existing DSL service to carry your new voice traffic, knowing which of your numbers includes your DSL line is critical.  You should not port the phone number associated with your DSL line, or you will not have DSL when the transition takes place.  The other option is to provision a new, separate DSL with no voice service attached (a “dry loop”).  This is the best solution for this situation.
4. Forwarding Numbers – As a precaution against potential delays or issues in the porting process, ensure that you have the capability to forward your existing numbers to temporary numbers that can be provisioned by your new carrier.  Make sure you have forwarding enabled with your existing carrier and your new provider can accommodate this potential solution.
5. Cancelling Service – Your porting of numbers to a new phone service provider typically stops the billing cycle and ends your service with your current carrier.  However, after the port, it is a good practice to contact your previous carrier and cancel the account.

If you are moving your service to a VoIP service provider, ensure that they can provide numbers local to your business.  They should also be able to configure their equipment and service to how your business operates.  There are numerous advantages to switching to a digital solution, so check out our previous blog on tips for choosing a VoIP service provider..

About the author:  Mark Greim is the Vice President of Sales and Marketing at sipVine, a provider of a variety of digital phone solutions and services. Mark has extensive experience working for start-up or entrepreneurial organizations and a passion for affordable, reliable, and purposeful technology solutions in those environments.