| The first thing you need to do when doing a VOIP | | | | mean cost savings. There is nothing automatic about it |
| comparison or a comparison of virtually any other | | | | in terms of cost savings. If your small office is doing |
| product or service is to understand that lowest price | | | | less than about 4000 long distance minutes per month, |
| rarely is the same thing as best value. Even many | | | | it may not make financial sense to implement VOIP. |
| government contracts these days, where they used to | | | | Consider that when doing a VOIP comparison, at least |
| be solely focused on lowest price, are changing to | | | | one aspect is going to be the same for all carriers, and |
| consider the aspect of best value, which is rarely the | | | | that is the reliability of your high-speed Internet |
| same thing. | | | | connection. VOIP services use your high-speed |
| Granted, there is no sense in paying more for | | | | Internet connection to make and receive your phone |
| something than you need to, and there is also no | | | | calls, and without a very reliable, stable, and otherwise |
| sense in paying for features of a service that you will | | | | rock solid high-speed Internet connection, you are not |
| rarely if ever use. But for basic functionality, I would | | | | going to have a pleasant experience with VOIP no |
| strongly encourage you to look for the best overall | | | | matter which VOIP service provider you choose. Note |
| value for a service instead of merely best price, | | | | that the VOIP provider has absolutely no control over |
| especially when doing a VOIP comparison. | | | | how reliable your Internet connection is. |
| The first thing you need to consider is what features | | | | When doing your VOIP comparison, make a list of the |
| you want with your VOIP service and why you are | | | | features you want to have and make sure you are |
| considering it. With residential or home office usage, | | | | comparing apples to apples when looking at VOIP |
| implementing VOIP is almost a no-brainer. With a | | | | service offerings. Is unlimited long distance important to |
| traditional telephone line costing you $25 a month or | | | | you? If so, make sure that is there. Is voicemail |
| more and having no more additional features than just | | | | important, or call waiting? If so, make sure they are |
| a dial tone, justifying the implementation of VOIP | | | | there. |
| services at approximately the same price which also | | | | How is the carrier's customer service? There are |
| includes the other standard VOIP features of unlimited | | | | some carriers where the customer service is so bad |
| long distance calling, calling waiting, voicemail, and | | | | that their VOIP service is not a bargain at any price. If |
| others truly makes it a bargain. But then again, consider | | | | you have ever had to get through to Verizon |
| if you need those features - if you never make long | | | | customer service, you know exactly how frustrating |
| distance calls, you don't need voicemail or call waiting, | | | | that can be, and I don't know about you, but my time is |
| then it makes little sense to use technology such as | | | | worth something more than listening to elevator music |
| VOIP simply for the sake of technology. | | | | on hold. |
| Even for the small office, VOIP does not automatically | | | | |