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VOIPO VoIP Blog Toggle navigation VoIP SAQ: Questions You Should Ask Before Getting VoIP September 13, 2017 September 13, 2017 voipo111 Leave a comment Are you thinking about making the switch to VoIP for your small business? Make sure that you are getting the most from your new provider by asking the right questions. There are a large number of Voice Over IP companies offering a broad variety of packages and features. Sometimes it can be tough to make comparisons and get the information you need to make a decision. Finding transparency with your current or future provider is important. Here are a few ‘Should Ask Questions’ to help you make the right choice on VoIP providers for your small business. What Internet Speed Is Needed? While VoIP creates a relatively small footprint on your bandwidth, it is still important to find out what the recommended internet speeds are for a smooth connection. This will vary depending on what else you are doing with your business internet connection and how many users you intend to have on the phone simultaneously. For example a small business that is going to be streaming video content while having 10 concurrent calls will need a much more robust bandwidth than the business making just 2 concurrent calls with minimal streaming needs. A good guideline is to assume that each user will require 100 Kbps up and down while using their line. Factor that in with your other internet requirements to get an accurate idea of your needs. It’s also a good idea to talk to your ISP to make sure your connection will support VoIP. For small businesses that plan on having less than 10 users making concurrent calls 5-10 MBps Up and Down should keep your service functioning smoothly. What Are The Features That Are Included With Each Package? Every business has different needs and every VoIP provider has different ways of meeting them. Make sure you make a quick list of the most important features to your small business. Then when you are ready find out what is actually included in the packages you are being offered. It’s important to find out if additional features mean additional costs. Failing to find out how much additional features cost could run up a big tab as you scale up your workforce. At VOIPo we make things easy by offering 40+ standard features for small business accounts with no additional or hidden fees. How Many SIP Extensions Are Included? What Is the Additional Cost To Add Extensions/ Users? Does the provider you are considering charge additional fees for added users or extensions? If you shop around you may find that many companies on the market charge on either a usage basis or a user basis. It’s important for you to not only consider how much it costs today with the number of SIP extensions you need but to consider the future. As you grow, what are the additional costs associated with adding new users? Is There A Contract? Contracts have their pros and cons. While they may lock in your prices they also prevent flexibility and may have hidden costs to break them. If your potential VoIP provider does require a contract make sure you find out what the cost is to break that agreement. Sometimes providers may require you to pay additional fees for any equipment you leased from them for early termination. Are IP Phones Provided And What Are The Associated Costs? One of the major benefits of Voice Over IP is it’s versatility. There are numerous ways to put VoIP to work for your small business whether you wish to use a standard IP Phone or a Softphone. Make sure you map out what you want your telecommunications setup to look like. Equipment can require a larger upfront investment or be leased into your monthly agreement depending on your needs and your budget. How Many Minutes Are Included? We offer unlimited calling for your small business within the United States and Canada. And with low international rates, you are sure to get exactly what you need. Still haven’t found the company that meets all of your expectations? Give VOIPo a call today to find out why we are The Likeable Phone Company.” We offer a number of transparent packages to suit your needs at prices that won’t break your budget. With a 30-Day Money Back Guarantee you’ve got nothing to lose. Call us at 877-99-VOIPO to get started today. Share this: Tweet Share on Tumblr Email More Print Pocket Like this: Like Loading... VoIP Cheat Sheet (Inforgraphic) September 8, 2017 September 8, 2017 voipo111 Leave a comment VoIP Cheat Sheet by Ben Smith Share this: Tweet Share on Tumblr Email More Print Pocket Like this: Like Loading... The 9 Must Have Small Business Tools You Can’t Live Without September 6, 2017 September 6, 2017 voipo111 Leave a comment So maybe that small business you started isn’t so small any more. Or maybe you are just about to launch your new endeavor and want to make sure you don’t miss a beat. Here at VOIPo we have helped countless small business owners and teams save costs and improve their thriving businesses. It’s no secret that it takes a lot to make your creation come to life. Our goal is to make that process easier for you. Unfortunately we can’t build your business for you but we can give you the tools to help! This is a list of the 9 small business tools that you won’t be able to live without. Don’t just take it from us! Try these tools out for yourself and drop us a comment of your favorite tool. Slack (Messaging/ Communication) In the early and late 90’s AOL Instant Messenger was the communication platform of choice among teens and young professionals while email prevailed in the work place. Slack brought business communications into the 21st century by taking what we loved about Instant Messenger, cleaning it up, and giving it a professional spin. Email will probably have it’s place in the business world for decades to come but in just a few short years Slack has become the go to source for small business text communications. The service offers extremely affordable and easily scalable cloud or app based messaging and tools for you growing small business. Do everything in one place. Upload and share files, send individual or team messages, tag users, easily search archived messages and integrate your communications with a whole host of 3rd party applications. 2. Google Suite (Everything) Google may have a plan to rule the entire world but you can start by using their GSuite to rule your small business domain. The Google GSuite offers their entire list of services for your business. From gmail to google docs, nowadays its tough to do much without using Google. Check out the full list of features and pricing options here . 3. Freshbooks (Accounting) Freshbooks is the Small Business Accounting Software that makes Billing Painless.” Ahhh technology. If there is one thing technology has given us that we can all be grateful for it would have to be cloud accounting software. If you are anything like a large portion of business owners who favor doing anything but accounting, then Freshbooks is worth a look. They have taken all the headaches out of doing small business accounting and dropped it in one easy-to-use cloud based software. That’s right invoicing, expenses, payments, time keeping, and reporting all at your fingertips. 4. Evernote (Organization) If you ever feel like you need a second brain to process everything you have going on Evernote is small business tool must have. This is every note taker’s dream program. Create notes, organize them into notebooks, add tags, upload images and audio, and even instantly clip text or full articles from the web. If your entire team uses Evernote you can even invite them to collaborate on notes or notebooks with you and message them directly from the platform. While they do over an extremely robust free account, you can opt into the premium account for a nominal fee. The software is available in a cloud-based or app-based format with a mobile app and google chrome...