by Joe Taylor Jr., Vendor Guru Columnist
Voice over IP phone services offer tremendous money-saving opportunity while increasing staff productivity. However, installing any new phone equipment requires buy-in from all points within an organization. Missed deadlines and malfunctioning equipment can crush staff morale while robbing companies of vital revenues. Communications experts advise following these steps to a smooth VOIP implementation.
Hire Independent Help
While telecommunications veterans often warn about "too many cooks in the kitchen," a phone service consultant can usually help a company make effective decisions about VOIP implementations. When demanding clients and eager phone service providers come together, telecommunications consultants can help prevent unrealistic timelines from emerging while managing expectations about the installation process.
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Get Clear About Vendors and Features
With or without the help of outside consultants, company leaders must make some crucial decisions about phone service at the start of the installation. Unlike other IT purchases that can be made piecemeal, VOIP installation projects require attention to consistency and a focus on the end-to-end solution. Getting all stakeholders to sign off on agreed sets of features and preferred vendors can help project managers stay focused in the latter stages of the project.
Decide on Space
VOIP systems offer unprecedented flexibility among telecommunications solutions. Hosted phone systems often look most attractive to companies that anticipate rapid growth or require disaster readiness. On-site installation appeals to companies with a stable work force and a firm physical presence. In both cases, a VOIP consultant can help vendors, company leaders, and real estate agents agree on the physical plant necessary to house a company's digital phone system.
Set the Right Timetable
Once installed, VOIP phone systems offer tremendous flexibility. However, industry experts note that the deployment of VOIP phone systems should not be rushed. Setting an appropriate timetable for launch can help a company preserve the cost benefits it realizes by installing a VOIP solution. Leaving too little time for the installation and testing of a new phone system can lead to costly overtime, user frustration, and even lost revenue.
Start a Pilot Project
Communications experts recommend that companies of all sizes start small when implementing VOIP phone systems. By choosing a technically savvy department or team member to try out new VOIP phone solutions, companies can identify early warning signs and implement key deployment changes.
Create a Disaster Plan
Before or during the installation of VOIP phone systems, companies should develop emergency plans that include relocation of existing equipment or the provisioning of remotely hosted equipment in the event of a power outage or another catastrophe. By keeping disaster response in-house company leaders can save significant amounts of time and money when team members can reroute calls using simple online tools.
Install, Then Listen
Throughout the VOIP implementation, company leaders should solicit feedback from phone system users. Catching problems with call quality or with phone service features early in an installation process can prevent end users from finding fault with new systems. Likewise, demonstrating a commitment to hearing and acting on employee feedback can improve morale during a stressful transition period. Closing each stage of a VOIP implementation with a feedback loop can make future stages more effective.
Sources
Baseline Magazine
New York Times
O'Reilly OnLamp
Wall Street Journal
ZDNet
Joe Taylor Jr. is an internal business consultant for a Fortune 500 company, who writes about finance, culture, and design. He holds a Bachelor of Science in Communications from Ithaca College.
