In recent years, many service providers have popped up all across the country due to the increased use of VoIP throughout multiple industries. This means you'll have plenty of providers to choose from, but the question becomes … which one is the right one for you? To help you narrow down the field, we've compiled a few simple questions that you should ask:
Do They Understand Your Industry?
You can't expect a VoIP provider to understand every little detail about your industry, but it's important that they have at least a rudimentary knowledge of how you operate in order to understand what your needs and expectations will be. In the hospitality industry, for example, the provider must realize that a big focus of your communications will revolve around the desires and needs of your guests. The better they know certain elements about your business, the more effective they can be.
How Many Businesses Just Like Yours Have They Serviced?
Some VoIP providers may have a select number of industries that they have chosen to dedicate themselves to. The more businesses that a potential provider has serviced that is just like yours, or at least very similar, the more smoothly they'll be able to make the transition to VoIP and provide you with exceptional service. In other words, as a hotel owner or manager, you should only consider a provider who specializes in the hospitality industry.
How Many Systems of This Type Have They Installed?
Along with knowing certain details about the hotel industry, it's equally important that the provider you choose has extensive installation knowledge of the equipment needed for your location. The best way to ensure this is to ask how many systems of the type you need have been installed by the provider in the past. A number that's a bit low isn't a deal breaker, but it's definitely something that should be measured.
Can They Provide Referrals from Clients Similar to Your Business?
Before you begin work with any company on a big project, it's a good idea to ask for a list of referrals from their clientele. This is certainly true with upgrading your hotel's phone system to VoIP because referrals will be able to tell you how well the installation went, the performance level of installed equipment, and the overall quality of the provider. This last detail is obviously important, because you want a provider who will respond to your needs quickly and efficiently.
Do They Understand Emergency/911 Requirements?
Since VoIP isn't connected to the 911 system the way that standard phone systems are, it's important that any potential provider understand the requirements of ensuring connection to this emergency system if the need arises. Doing so will provide your guests and employees with a greater feeling of comfort and safety.
What is their Failover/Disaster Recovery Plan?
Everyone knows how great technology is when it's firing on all cylinders, but we also know that even the best systems can experience problems from time to time. A reputable VoIP provider will ensure that your system is running at its full capacity at all times. But in those rare instances when your VoIP system experiences a disastrous issue, the provider should have a solid recovery plan in place so that the downtime is either nonexistent or very minimal.
Choosing a proper VoIP provider for your hotel is absolutely essential. PhoneSuite can positively give you everything that these questions ask for, and will answer any additional questions that you may have. Your hotel is your life's blood and you deserve to be serviced by the very best.