Choosing a VoIP Provider
What to look for in your Internet phone company
VoIP providers are popping up all over the place as more and more people and businesses discover the many virtues of using an Internet phone service. This preponderance of VoIP companies can benefit you, the consumer, provided you know what to look for when choosing VoIP provider.
Choosing a VoIP provider requires assessing the following categories at the very least:
- Price Value: How much is each Internet phone company offering you and for what price? Compare VoIP providers to see which one will give you the most for your money.
- Sound Quality: Not all Internet phone providers are built alike, and neither are their infrastructures. The quality of VoIP service you get depends greatly on the VoIP equipment you’re given by the VoIP provider you choose (though it also depends greatly on your broadband Internet connection). Here, you’re looking for accolades like “clear” and “crisp.”
- Reliability: Reliability is another factor influenced in part by your VoIP provider and in part by your Internet service provider (ISP); you’d do well to look at how consistent and reliable the phone connection provided will be.
- Customer Service/Support: This is one little quality that goes a long way towards making the difference between a great VoIP provider and a terrible one. Questions and problems do arise, in any business, when using any new product, service, or technology. The question is how well your Internet phone provider can answer those questions and assist you in solving those problems. Look at what different types of contact methods the different VoIP providers use (toll-free phone, live chat, email) and what hours they have (24/7/365 or business hours M-F). Look as well at how many self-guided help tools a given VoIP provider makes available to its users. A searchable knowledgebase, user guides, troubleshooters, tutorials, and active user forums are all invaluable resources.
- Features: Here we come to the meat and potatoes of an internet phone company. These days, any decent VoIP provider will at least include the standard features you’ve grown accustomed to on land line phones and cell phones (call waiting, voice mail, caller ID, call forwarding, 3-way calling, etc.). Beyond that, however, look at what other features each VoIP company provides. A good Internet phone should have several features that make use of the Internet (such as an online account manager, email notifications of calls and messages, and the ability to check voicemail over the Internet). A great VoIP provider will offer even more advanced and enhanced features than that, designed to put you in full control of your Internet telephony experience. One thing to also note is that many of these features come free with one plan or another that an Internet phone company may offer, while other features may come at an extra cost, a la carte, either as an additional fee added to your monthly charge or on a per-use basis. Be sure you know which features you get for free and which ones you would have to pay for.
- Guarantee: Trying out any new product or service is a lot easier and more effective when you know that you can return it or cancel your subscription if you decide after using it that it’s not right for you. That’s why a risk-free trial period is such an advantageous quality for a VoIP provider to have. Thirty days is all it should really take to know whether a particular Internet phone company is or isn’t right for you.
Beyond that, your best resource for choosing an Internet phone company is the people you already know and trust. Ask around. See if you can get a word-of-mouth recommendation of a top-notch VoIP provider. That alone can go a long way towards helping you make that ultimate decision.
View our list of the best VoIP providers