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Usability. There must be an onsite demonstration including the exact hardware to be deployed. It is usually advisable to have two or greater vendors demonstrate side-by-side, or on the other hand to install alternative prototypes at two separate company offices and then exchange systems and locations to see which one users preferred.
Jim Green is a telecommunications broker, assisting his clients in both finding the top T1 service provider as nicely as recommending local providers of all the most popular VOIP and TDM small business phone systems.
Reliability. What is the probable failure rate, based on actual deployed systems using Bellcore/Telecordia ideas? Mr Combs pointed out that academic failure rates are not sufficient for confidence in deploying a new system. You do not want to the the "guinea pig" for a vendor's prototype or Beta testing.
An IP phone system enables the collaborative and reach aspects of unified messaging technology. The VOIP telephone system frequently provides features resembling teleconferencing, unified messaging (voicemail in email), web collaboration, mobile integration (cell phones), presence (to locate employees quickly), instant messaging, video conferencing and business process integration (customer relationship management, sales, accounting, etc.).
Architecture. What design philosophy turned into used in the system? Was it outfitted according to a plan or technology patched together from disparate systems and conflicting architectures?
Availability. Make sure you comprehend the impact of downtime on the business based on the planned configuration. How many points of failure exist in the seller's configuration?
Vendor References. Your team should contact their industry associates for information relevant to the vendors being considered Did they make a wise decision with this vendor? Who else do they know using the system? How do actual costs compare to vendor estimates? Is it easy for IT staff to support? Are there any "raving fans?"
Shoretel's CEO, John Combs, gave the keynote address recently at IT Expo West, providing very relevant counsel to IT managers and business owners upgrading to a voice over IP (VOIP) phone system. He used the MAC iPhone as an analogy, to illustrate how new technology can quickly come to the fore in an industry. With a VOIP business phone system, IP technology is poised to dominate correspondingly over existing analog (TDM) systems. VOIP telephone systems can significantly improve user adaption rates, which also can improve productivity in a corporation.
Vendor Financial Status. Make sure the seller has a solid balance sheet, or be prepared for support issues should they encounter financial difficulty.
Scalability. What are the costs should you need to double the planned configuration?
Total Cost of Ownership. Most of the time upfront costs (hardware, network and implementation) come to only 20% of the overall system expenditure in the long term. Operating costs (training, move/add/change, system management, network and utilities) can easily add up to 80% over the system lifetime. What estimates are available from vendors being considered?
When choosing to upgrade small business phone systems, the original choice is a VOIP business phone system. A careful evaluation of each vendor's offerings and above all the presence of "raving fans" for any VOIP business phone system are critical in getting all the benefits of VOIP for business.
