2015 business voip buyer's guide

7242019 2015 Business VoIP Buyers Guide

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2015 Buyerrsquos GuFor Business Host

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ContentsIntroduction

The Beginnerrsquos Guide to Business Telephony

First Itrsquos all VoIP

Second Premises vs Hosted

Evaluating Cloud Providers

The Hidden Costs

Evaluating Cloud Solutions

The Platform

Management

Vendor Scorecard



Daily Breakdown

PlaySound Clip

Welcome Message

4

8

Introduction

So yoursquore in the market for a new business phone solution

Bummer

No really We understand how big of a pain this is We know phone systems are an essential part of your business but at the end

to work And not be too expensive

The fact that yoursquore reading this guide means yoursquore trying to make sense of whatrsquos out there Wersquore here to help The Jive Buyerrsquos

on cutting through the sales pitches and understanding what yoursquore actually getting for your money

But donrsquot take our word for it Use the tools and information wersquove put together in this guide to check us out and then go check ou

of who you end up going with wersquore pretty sure yoursquoll thank us for helping you ask the right questions and ultimately make a choi

And you know what Even if itrsquos not Jive yoursquore welcome



The Beginnerrsquos Guide to Business Telephon

There are really only two things you need to understand about 21st century business telephony

First Itrsquos all VoIPWhile a few of us may still have traditional landline telephone lines at home the fact is that business stopped using them about 10

Yoursquore not alone What many people donrsquot realize is that in order to offer you the advanced phone features wersquove come to depend

on that landline at home) desktop business telephones must use IP

1 9 2 8

V o i c e I n v e n t e d

1 9 6 9

B i r t h o f t h e I n t e r n e t

1 9 8 9

I n v e n t i o n o f T r a n s c i e v e r

amp W o r l d W i d e W e b

1920 1960 1980



Second Premises vs HostedThere are two basic flavors of business telephone solutionsmdashpremises-based and hosted - and the only real difference is how an

data are routed managed and stored

PREMISES983085BASED

The diagram on the right is a typical

premises-based deployment Yoursquoll

notice it includes the following

PBX - This is your call management

server It houses the software for

managing all inbound and outbound

calls and included system features It

may also include supplemental servers

to manage voicemail auto attendants

and other external system components

Switch - This piece of hardware

switches your inbound and outbound

calls from the PSTN (outside world) to

your VoIP (internal) system

Voice Circuit - Depending on the size

of your business these circuits come

in several different varieties including

T1 ISDN PRI etc They are provided

by your local telephone company

and provide connectivity to the PSTN

(outside world)

Itrsquos important to note here that if your business has more than one location - or plans to in the future - this same equipment must l

each location in order to deliver service



Now if yoursquove made it this far yoursquore probably

one box in the hosted solutions telephone clos

why in the premises-based closet all call man

stored on the premises in your phone closet I

transferred to the PSTN (outside world) But in t

of that call management and call data is sent to

cloud where it is translated and transferred to t

So what does this mean for you

How and where your calls are manag

Now you may be suspicious that wersquore trying t

a hosted service solution (over an on-premises

cloud service provider The fact is more and m

market are moving to hosted solutions every y

same enterprise-grade features and functionali

competitors at a fraction of the cost So many i

based competitors have started offering hoste

accommodate the shift

Therersquos a lot of reasons businesses decide to g

decisions it usually comes down to the cost A

telephone closet is expensive Expensive to pu

and replace when it wears out Expensive to in

needs of your growing business The hosted m

for all that expensive stuff on your service prov

the server stacks and the switches while you p

reliable phone service

But donrsquot take our word for it There are many

the trend and forecast an increase in the future

Read The Big Picture of the Hosted Vo

PREMISE983085BASED HOSTED 983080CLOUD983081

INITIALINVESTMENT

Large investment in system

hardware (switches servers

routers etc) and software

(including licenses)

Minimal start up investment

as the solution can be

deployed over existing data

network resources

OVERALL COST

High operating costs include

large dedicated voice

circuits

No dedicated voice circuits

required The system can

use your existing broadband

Internet connection

DATA

All system data is stored

securely on-site To achieve

survivability continuity of

service resources must be

duplicated at multiple sites

(primary and backup)


securely in multiple

datacenters for automatic

backup and redundancy

SCALABILITYCapacity is limited by

available hardware

Pay only for the capacity

used with no appreciable

limits on solution scalability

MAINTENANCE

System hardware that was

expensive to purchase and

deploy continues to be

expensive to maintain and

eventually replace when it

reaches end of life

Responsibility for system

hardware purchase

deployment maintenance

and replacement stays with

the service provider and out

of the IT budget

SUPPORT

IT employees (or third party

certified technicians) are

required to support and

maintain the system

All system management

support and upgrades are

included in the cost of the

system




With hundreds of service providers in the marketplace it can be hard to know where to start to compare hosted vendors and the

few exceptions cloud providers fall into three basic categories

1Traditional Phone Companies

Big telephone companies that have been

providing on-premises business solutions

for decades and now include a hosted

solution as part of their service portfolio 2Service Resellers

Companies who resell another

vendorrsquos hosted solution under their

own brand 3Pure H

Provide

solution

deploym

maintai

Now that you understand the types of vendors that are out there letrsquos go over some key differences in their approach

As a telecommunications service provider wersquore going to give you an insiderrsquos tip here Every telephone company out there has a

the lowest possible service price and then saving the actual cost for your bill Wersquore sure yoursquove probably experienced that - eithe

personal mobile phone plan That $99 per month quote quickly turns into $15479 after taxes add-ons and other fees To protect

by all those hidden charges make sure you look carefully at vendor quotes to identify what is and isnrsquot included

The Hidden CostsTake a moment to look over the example sales quotes left While both vendorsrsquo sales quotes include the following charges they

One Time Start Up Charges These fees typically cover number porting system designbuild sales engineering and project m

always Check with your vendor to determine exactly what is and isnrsquot included If you want a full turnkey solution (one where the

sure you understand the real costs associated with that Ask your vendor for an implementation plan that clearly outlines exactly w

support your transition



This quote is ripe with hidden charges extra features taxes

Monthly Recurring Charges Look carefully at how vendors list their mon

vendors put their lowest per-seat price on their quote but donrsquot include any

essential to your business Want voicemail Itrsquos going to cost you extra The

other system feature auto attendants call center unified communications e

clearly identifies what is included in their monthly recurring chargesmdashand w

This goes for your specific pricing package as well Many providers bundle

into a packagemdashbasicstandard advancedpremium This is great if all the f

included in the package yoursquove selected but could become a problem if yo

a different (and more expensive) package to access the additional features

Quantities Finally be sure to ask them about included quantities For exam

offer a single voice mailbox for each system user but will then charge you f

company is looking to grow you want to select a solution that will scale with

Once you add in those hidden costsmdashunlimited dialing enou

taxes etcmdashthe price goes up

BroadbandMPLS Once yoursquove decided to come to the Cloud you need

to get there Hosted VoIP only works on a Broadband Internet connection T

most people in the business world have either blocked out the memory of t

heard it to begin with That said not all Broadband connections are created

can have a big impact on your call quality For example

OTT (over-the top) Many Cloud providers can deploy their hosted s

providerrsquos broadband circuit This can be a real cost savings - both O

allows your new voice system to ride your existing network resource

no additional configuration for your network Work with your Cloud pr

(Quality of Service) standards are met as they have the biggest impa

MPLS Cloud providers can also deploy hosted services using a priv

around the public Internet to provide you with a flawless experience

for routing your phone system but as you can probably guess itrsquos ve

What You See

What You Pay



As a hosted VoIP provider we want all of our customer to have a flawless experience but we realize that getting MPLS just m

this year No matter which type of connection you choose make sure you have an ISP who is willing to work with you to deli

connection possible Then make sure your Cloud provider has the know-how to help you troubleshoot and resolve your iss

ISPmdashand the ability to route around them in the event of an outage

Service Selling service contracts is where many service providers increase their profit margins Find out what level of service and

with your service Who can access the vendorrsquos technical support teams Is it only system administrators or IT personnel or can enthere limits on the number of calls per month or year Is support available 247 Is it outsourced or does the vendor offer it in-hous

best providers yoursquore going to have issues with your service Is the vendor going to be there to give you the help you need

Some vendors require a separate contract with available service tiers while others include unlimited service

Be sure when yoursquore evaluating sales quotes you adjust them to achieve a fair and equal comparison Donrsquot wait for your first bill t

less than you expected or paying more to get what you want

Finally one last note about service providers before we move on Donrsquot be taken in by a good sales pitch Go to independent sou

review sites post comments from actual users that havenrsquot been polished by vendors While no vendor has a 100 positive rating

are they isolated or consistent Look at overall ratings averages and comparison tools

Then ask your vendors for references and reach out to them with questions like

bull Describe the implementation process What issues did you encounter How did the vendor resolve them

bull Were there billing surprises or have the costs been what was quoted and what you expected Has there been anything tha

included in the package you purchased

bull How has the companyrsquos technical support and customer service been Are wait times long Are representatives knowledge

What You Think Youll Pay What You Actually Pay





ManagementIf you need a PhD in telecommunications to administer your new phone system - donrsquot walk run away A complex administrator int

high quality product Itrsquos actually a sign that your vendor wants you to pay extra for their certified technicians to service your soluti

solutions are focused on self-service and feature

Browser-based interface You shouldnrsquot have to camp out in your

phone closet or a specific desktop station to make changes to your

solution Thatrsquos kind of the reason you opted for a cloud solution

Freedom You should be able to manage your solution from any device

anytime anywhere

Intuitive dashboard Even novice users should be able to quickly

navigate through all menus to configure and maintain user profiles

permissions devices lines extensions features and functionality on

their own with minimal training

Helpful helps Wizard guides should guide you through complex

tasks Online tutorials and other helps should provide quick answers to

frequently asked questions Customer service should be available 247

to walk you through any system issue

And since we know you wonrsquot actually believe u

some hints on what to look for in a features list

Included Unlimited We touched on this

features you want are included in the pac

prepared to pay extra Then double chec

the quantity If you want to add an extra vo

auto attendant is that going to cost you mo

Unavailable Are there any features that y

doesnrsquot offer Why not If theyrsquore in develreceive them once they go live Or will yo

your service If they arenrsquot in developmen

something similar (or better) as an accepta

Dialing How are calls billed Per minute

Call Center Even if you donrsquot have one ye

probably going to need one soon Does th

functionality Is it an integrated componen

software to deploy How much does it cos

Unified Communications (UC) What kin

provider offer Mobility Single number re

fax Chat presence Find out whatrsquos inclu

find out whatrsquos in development and if you w

upgrades



Vendor ScorecardVENDOR

VENDOR TYPE r Traditional r Reseller r Pure Hosted (Cloud)

Vendor Evaluation

ONLINE REVIEWS

CUSTOMER REFERENCES

Sales Quote EvaluationQUOTEDBASE PRICE

ADD ITI ONA LSERVICE COST

ADJUST EDTOTAL

ONE983085TIMECHARGES

MONTLYCHARGES

SERVICE ampMAINTENANCE

Solution Evaluation

PLATFORM DEVELOPMENT NOTES

Does the vendor develop and maintain the solution r Yes r No

Are updatesupgrades automatically deployed r

Yesr

No

Are existing customers charged to access updated features amp functionality r Yes r No

Does the vendor support custom integrations with other business apps r Yes r No

Does the solution require proprietary hardwaresoftware to deploy r Yes r No

Can the solution be deployed across existing network resources r Yes r No

Does the solution require vendor-specific hardware (including handsets) r Yes r No

PLATFORM RELIABILITY NOTES

Is the system configured to ensure four 9rsquos (9999) uptime and availability r Yes r No

Is the system distributed or centrally housed

What redundancycontinuity plans are in place to support you in the event of

an outage

PLATFORM SECURITY NOTES

Does the vendor have documented security procedures in place to protect your calls

and call datar Yes r No

MANAGEMENT NOTES

Does the vendor allow easy management r Yes r No



MANAGEMENT NOTES

Is the solution manageable via mobile device r Yes r No

How much training does the dashboard require

Are online tutorials FAQs and customer service readily available r Yes r No

How are calls billed Per minute Unlimited Flat fee


Are features included in the selected service package r Yes r No

Are there quantity limits on features r Yes r No

Are there extra costs to add features in the future r Yes r No

Are there required features the vendor doesnt offer r Yes r No

If in development will features automatically roll out when they go live

Does the vendor offer a workaround for missing features r Yes r No

Does the vendor offer call center functionality r Yes r No

Does the vendor offer mobility r Yes r No

Does the vendor offer single-number reach r Yes r No

Does the vendor offer a unified inbox r Yes r No

Does the vendor offer virtual fax r Yes r No

Does the vendor offer chatpresence r Yes r No

What other features are in development



ContentsIntroduction

The Beginnerrsquos Guide to Business Telephony

First Itrsquos all VoIP

Second Premises vs Hosted


The Hidden Costs

Evaluating Cloud Solutions

The Platform

Management

Vendor Scorecard



Daily Breakdown

PlaySound Clip

Welcome Message

4

8

Introduction


Bummer















1 9 2 8


1 9 6 9


1 9 8 9



1920 1960 1980





PREMISES983085BASED





















(outside world)


































INITIALINVESTMENT








network resources

OVERALL COST



circuits




Internet connection

DATA












available hardware




MAINTENANCE






reaches end of life


hardware purchase




of the IT budget

SUPPORT




maintain the system




system













own brand 3Pure H

Provide

solution

deploym

maintai









































What You See

What You Pay

































anytime anywhere





























upgrades





Vendor Evaluation

ONLINE REVIEWS

CUSTOMER REFERENCES



ADJUST EDTOTAL


MONTLYCHARGES


Solution Evaluation




Yesr

No










an outage




MANAGEMENT NOTES




MANAGEMENT NOTES





















Daily Breakdown

PlaySound Clip

Welcome Message

4

8

Introduction


Bummer















1 9 2 8


1 9 6 9


1 9 8 9



1920 1960 1980





PREMISES983085BASED





















(outside world)


































INITIALINVESTMENT








network resources

OVERALL COST



circuits




Internet connection

DATA












available hardware




MAINTENANCE






reaches end of life


hardware purchase




of the IT budget

SUPPORT




maintain the system




system













own brand 3Pure H

Provide

solution

deploym

maintai









































What You See

What You Pay

































anytime anywhere





























upgrades





Vendor Evaluation

ONLINE REVIEWS

CUSTOMER REFERENCES



ADJUST EDTOTAL


MONTLYCHARGES


Solution Evaluation




Yesr

No










an outage




MANAGEMENT NOTES




MANAGEMENT NOTES


























1 9 2 8


1 9 6 9


1 9 8 9



1920 1960 1980





PREMISES983085BASED





















(outside world)


































INITIALINVESTMENT








network resources

OVERALL COST



circuits




Internet connection

DATA












available hardware




MAINTENANCE






reaches end of life


hardware purchase




of the IT budget

SUPPORT




maintain the system




system













own brand 3Pure H

Provide

solution

deploym

maintai









































What You See

What You Pay

































anytime anywhere





























upgrades





Vendor Evaluation

ONLINE REVIEWS

CUSTOMER REFERENCES



ADJUST EDTOTAL


MONTLYCHARGES


Solution Evaluation




Yesr

No










an outage




MANAGEMENT NOTES




MANAGEMENT NOTES























PREMISES983085BASED





















(outside world)


































INITIALINVESTMENT








network resources

OVERALL COST



circuits




Internet connection

DATA












available hardware




MAINTENANCE






reaches end of life


hardware purchase




of the IT budget

SUPPORT




maintain the system




system













own brand 3Pure H

Provide

solution

deploym

maintai









































What You See

What You Pay

































anytime anywhere





























upgrades





Vendor Evaluation

ONLINE REVIEWS

CUSTOMER REFERENCES



ADJUST EDTOTAL


MONTLYCHARGES


Solution Evaluation




Yesr

No










an outage




MANAGEMENT NOTES




MANAGEMENT NOTES


















































INITIALINVESTMENT








network resources

OVERALL COST



circuits




Internet connection

DATA












available hardware




MAINTENANCE






reaches end of life


hardware purchase




of the IT budget

SUPPORT




maintain the system




system













own brand 3Pure H

Provide

solution

deploym

maintai









































What You See

What You Pay

































anytime anywhere





























upgrades





Vendor Evaluation

ONLINE REVIEWS

CUSTOMER REFERENCES



ADJUST EDTOTAL


MONTLYCHARGES


Solution Evaluation




Yesr

No










an outage




MANAGEMENT NOTES




MANAGEMENT NOTES































own brand 3Pure H

Provide

solution

deploym

maintai









































What You See

What You Pay

































anytime anywhere





























upgrades





Vendor Evaluation

ONLINE REVIEWS

CUSTOMER REFERENCES



ADJUST EDTOTAL


MONTLYCHARGES


Solution Evaluation




Yesr

No










an outage




MANAGEMENT NOTES




MANAGEMENT NOTES

















































What You See

What You Pay

































anytime anywhere





























upgrades





Vendor Evaluation

ONLINE REVIEWS

CUSTOMER REFERENCES



ADJUST EDTOTAL


MONTLYCHARGES


Solution Evaluation




Yesr

No










an outage




MANAGEMENT NOTES




MANAGEMENT NOTES



















































anytime anywhere





























upgrades





Vendor Evaluation

ONLINE REVIEWS

CUSTOMER REFERENCES



ADJUST EDTOTAL


MONTLYCHARGES


Solution Evaluation




Yesr

No










an outage




MANAGEMENT NOTES




MANAGEMENT NOTES























Vendor Evaluation

ONLINE REVIEWS

CUSTOMER REFERENCES



ADJUST EDTOTAL


MONTLYCHARGES


Solution Evaluation




Yesr

No










an outage




MANAGEMENT NOTES




MANAGEMENT NOTES





















MANAGEMENT NOTES



















2015 business voip buyer's guide

Documents