What Do I Need to Do to Migrate My Small Business to VoIP?

Cloud-based VoIP providers are becoming the most embraced business communication option for companies of all sizes. Landline and traditional on-site PBX systems are being phased out increasingly every year due to the vast benefits of VoIP such as robust feature sets, cost savings, and impressive productivity hikes. 

Whether you have a small business going to VoIP or an international enterprise, there is a VoIP solution provider on the market to fulfill your needs and improve your business communications with new features and efficiencies.

All of the features offered by VoIP phone service providers are the tools that will help enhance your company’s communications. While your business needs, users, and budget will all work together to help you choose the best VoIP phone services for your business.

Follow the steps below to implement your VoIP phone system without a hitch:

Plan the Move

Do extensive research and collaboration with your team to plan out how to execute the migration to VoIP.

Test your Internet Connection Strength

Your VoIP phone system is only as good as your internet connection. Ensure that you have enough broadband to handle the data load of call center software. 

Prepare the Network Infrastructure

You may need to invest in a specific router to handle your VoIP system’s call load. Consult with your ISP about upgrading your network infrastructure to handle the impending load increase.

Find the Right VoIP Provider

We can help you narrow down the top VoIP service provider that will suit your company’s needs.

Take advantage of business phone features such as an auto-attendant, IVR (Interactive Voice Response), automatic call forwarding, call queues, voicemail forwarding, etc. 

Choose the Correct Hardware

Your new VoIP system may require you to upgrade your existing communication hardware. Mind the high and low cost of VoIP before undertaking and devise a solution that will allow your business to scale up when required.

Staff Training

Your staff will need extensive training in operating the VoIP phone system. Most VoIP phone service providers will help your company with employee training. 

Install the VoIP System

With all the preparation is out of the way, now it is time to implement your VoIP phone system. This could be as easy as plugging in a few devices or downloading the relevant apps if you’re using a cloud-based system.  

First, you must decide whether you will use a hosted or an equipment-based solution. Hosted solutions are becoming extremely popular as you do not need to purchase new equipment, but many IT managers enjoy the control they retain with an in-house equipment-based solution.

If your small business decides on an equipment-based solution, you may need to purchase business VoIP phones and a router or switch. Medium-sized companies may need to implement a server for voicemail and another for call management. 

If you currently have PSTN business-grade phones in place, it may be possible to integrate them into your solution.

We have listed below 5 steps to setting up a VoIP phone system:

Chose a Phone Number

This could be your company’s existing number or a new number specially dedicated to your VoIP phone system. 

Add Users to Your VoIP Phone System

You will have to add all of the users that will be using your VoIP phone system solution and set up permissions based on the level of authority for extra security measures. 

Route Incoming Calls Using a Call Flow

The call flow is a visual map of features that dictate how your VoIP phone system handles incoming calls. These customizable solutions can be tweaked depending on your company’s call system priorities. Some such features are:

• Auto-attendant features that allows callers to route themselves to the relevant parties.
• Call queues allow callers to stay on hold until the next agent is available. This is a great feature if you’re anticipating a high call volume. You can add a caller waiting for music, record calls, and inform the caller about their position in line.
• Hunt groups allow callers to reach a specific person via an extension or redirect that call to different relevant personnel. 
• Schedule-based call routing allows your business to route calls to the call center during normal business hours and routes calls to an answering service or voicemail during off-business hours.
• Set up the equipment

Choose the Deployment Method

A VoIP phone system can be deployed via traditional analog phones using a VoIP adapter or be completely virtual on a cloud-based VoIP service. Businesses and users have increased flexibility using a virtual VoIP phone with the ability for a business to reach any customer base and provide adequate customer service. It also can be a unique feature that can help your company operate a remote call center or completely outsource the task. 

Most companies use a hybrid model of both physical and virtual phone systems to reliably serve their customers. 

Integrate With Other Apps

VoIP phone systems allow a suite of business features to make business easier. 

Such features include:

• Group chat with your preferred chat service (ex: Slack)
• Storage integration options (Ex: Google drive/Dropbox integration)
• Payment processor integration can allow you to collect payments over the phone.
• Google sheet integration can be useful for evaluating call center performance. 

Such integrations might seem like a tedious task that your IT team can best handle. All of these features can be accessed using a convenient dashboard to make your business grow by improving business communication more seamless than ever. 

If you believe that a VoIP phone system is the right option for your company’s communication strategy, you can consult with our phone system buyer’s guide to help you select the right options. You may also compare the top VoIP phone system vendors to compare the features of each service and ensure that you decide on the right vendor.