Transferring your Michigan business phone systems to a VOIP, or Voice Over IP, is a great way to bring your company into the modern world of communications. VOIP is basically using the internet to power your phone system, as opposed to the traditional telephone lines. In addition to saving your company money, making this transfer can also improve the functionality of your business’s phone system.

 

Test Your Network

 

Because a 3cx VOIP phone system uses your internet to function, you must take the time to test your network. Make sure that you have only one server or router, and check the computers to make sure there is no lag in internet service. There are free programs online that you can use to ‘ping’ your network that can help you see how your network speed is. Too much latency is going to mean your call quality will suffer greatly. You will also need to check your bandwidth. Find out how many calls you will need to carry simultaneously, and make sure that your bandwidth can handle not only that, but any computing that you will need to be doing at the same time. If your bandwidth is too low, or the service too laggy, you may want to look into other internet providers in your area that can give you the type of service you need to install a VOIP phone system.

 

Be Picky

 

When you are looking for a VOIP provider, it pays to be picky. Your company’s phone system is integrated into every aspect of your business. Communication is important, and being stuck with an uncooperative VOIP provider can make communicating with your team and your customers very difficult. Take the time to find a provider who has fantastic customer service reviews and seems to communicate well with you when you are looking into them. Price is of course something to take into consideration, but at the same time, will saving $50 a month be worth it if you end up with a phone system that is constantly having issues? A VOIP service with good customer service will be priceless during setup, and of course during any issues that may arise later on. You may also want to ping the VOIP provider’s server, to see how many networks and routers the signal has to hop to get there. The fewer hops, the less latency and greater speed your calls will have.

 

Consider Your Geographical Benefits
One of the greatest benefits of VOIP business phone systems is that geography is no barrier at all. Not only does this mean that your business phone can travel with you, but it means you are not bound by your geographical location when it comes to your phone number. For example, your business could be based in Dubai, and with VOIP you can choose to have a phone number based in the UK or the United States. Take the time to analyze your customer base; where are most of them located? If the majority of your consumer base is in the United States, having a phone number based there can greatly increase the number of calls you get, or even the number of people who answer your calls, as many people are wary of answering calls from international numbers.