There are hundreds of VoIP suppliers in the UK. The vast majority of these suppliers are dealers or resellers for a small number of wholesale operators who provide broadly similar technologies.
Your choice should be driven by the factors which are most important to you and your business such as:
The industry is divided broadly into two types of company:
Solution Providers who supply and support compete systems for customers. There are hundreds of these – at least one in every town.
Platform Operators who run the server networks and system software and who connect to the public telephone network. Some examples are: BT, Daisy Group, Gamma Telecom, Gradwell, Ring Central, Talk Share and VIP VoIP.
Typically a solution provider will be a dealer or reseller for one or more of platform operators. Platform operators are usually pure wholesalers who do not deal directly with customers.
Platform operators base their systems on one of three basic switchboard software technologies: Asterisk, Broadsoft and 3CX. Asterisk is by far the most popular and it has been around the longest. Another growing player in the market is Microsoft which owns Skype.
When you are considering who to buy your system from it is worth asking how their supply chain works and which company in the chain is responsible for what. Ideally you want to be paying your bills to the same company who sets up and supports your system.
All suppliers have different charging structures and it is difficult to make true like-for-like comparisons between their services.
A realistic benchmark is about £10 – £15 per user per month A typical trading business would expect to make an average of about 100-200 minutes of calls per user per month. Companies who offer inclusive bundles with thousands of minutes per month know that you will never use the allowance.
You should expect the following features to be included as a minimum:
There are many choices open to you:
Traditional desktop office telephones with handsets connected to the main unit by a curly wire. Most models have to be connected to the internet using a computer network cable. Some models have wireless connectivity.
Portable telephones which you can walk around with. The cordless handset connects to a hub unit using DECT technology – similar to a domestic cordless phone. The handset are usually supplied with separate mains charging cradles. The hub unit must be connected to the internet with a network cable.
VoIP apps for smartphones. These make your mobile devices behave like physical VoIP telephones and they will connect to the VoIP system either by wifi or by the 3G/4G network. Most of the basic versions are free to download. A VoIP app is a cheap and convenient option for connectivity on the move but you would not want to rely on it as your main business telephone.
There are many manufacturers of VoIP telephones. Popular brands are Avaya, Cisco, Grandstream, Gigaset, Linksys, Polycom, Snom and Yealink. Most models will work on any VoIP platform but some (such as Avaya and a few Cisco models) are designed to work with specific systems and they are not interchangeable.
As with any market there are trade-offs between price and quality. You should expect a phone to last at least five years. Cheaper brands are not as robust as more expensive brands and the sound quality won’t be as good. A popular mid-range choice is Yealink. They have developed a good reputation in the trade.
Be wary of a minimum contract periods. The only justification for them in the VoIP world is if the supplier is providing you with “free” equipment or services in advance.
Make sure you read the supplier’s Terms & Conditions. These should be written in plain English without legal or technical jargon. If you can’t understand what the T&Cs mean then don’t agree to them.
Be particularly alert for contract clauses which refer to early termination penalties or automatic renewals. These are never going to work in your favour.
The most trustworthy suppliers will not insist on a minimum term of contract. They should be confident of keeping your loyalty by serving you properly.
A popular way of offering low cost VoIP services is the self-service model. The supplier will aim to have the bare minimum of human contact with you. You need to be confident about what you are ordering and you need to have the patience, tolerance and competence to solve your own problems.
Setting up and maintaining an effective VoIP solution for your business isn’t as easy as it is often made out to be. It can be well worth paying the small premium for a full support service.
The telecoms industry is one of least trusted in the UK. It is very easy to set up shop as a supplier. There is very little investment needed and no professional accreditation required.
So, what can you do re-assure yourself?
