Standing Out in the Crowd: How VOIP Companies Differentiate Themselves

How VOIP Companies Differentiate Themselves

In today's digital age, business communication is critical to staying competitive and growing your business. With the rise of remote work and the need for flexibility, many businesses have turned to VOIP (Voice over Internet Protocol) services as a reliable and cost-effective solution for their communication needs.

However, with so many VOIP providers on the market, it can be challenging to determine which one is the best fit for your business. One way to differentiate between VOIP providers is by examining the factors that set them apart from one another. In this article, we'll explore some of the key factors that VOIP companies use to differentiate themselves, so you can make an informed decision when selecting a VOIP provider for your business.

Service Reliability

The most critical aspect of a VoIP service is its reliability. Service Reliability encompasses network quality, voice quality, and application uptime. While there's a 50/50 relationship between the local network and the provider's network in terms of reliability, it's crucial to ensure that the provider's network is rock solid. To determine this, it's essential to examine their infrastructure documentation.

Questions to ask include:

• Do they own their own servers and hardware inside the data centers, or are they white labelling another solution?

• Will they provide audit reports such as SOC2 Type 2 Report?

• Do they offer an SLA, and how many times have they experienced downtime in the past year?

• What is their process in case of an outage?

While you can expect good uptimes for services offered by companies that service thousands of customers, sites like downdetector.com can provide insight into a service providers history that they may not share with you.

Another resource you can reference, is the ‘uptime page’ that most VoIP providers have on their website. This will show you their documented incidents, outages, and maintenance schedule. By referencing this insight, you can make a better decision on their overall service quality and reliability.

It's important to note that all providers can experience occasional incidents and outages that are sometimes beyond their control. While such occurrences are rare, it's crucial to assess their dependability and customer response. Doing your own research on third party sites and speaking to customers are all key factors to determining reliability.

Support Model

In the world of VoIP service, support is a critical component that cannot be overlooked. This is because the responsibility of making moves, adds, and changes in the system usually falls on the admin or end user after the account is set up initially. As such, customers will depend on the provider's support team for any questions they have and to help manage their account for the duration of the service.

Different organizations handle support differently, catering to customers of varying sizes and types. It's crucial to find a provider that can offer high-quality support tailored to your particular business segment. This is why one provider is not be the best fit for every customer - just because they handle enterprise deployments well, they may not do the same for their small business customers. Similarly, a provider that offers personalized service to small business customers may not be equipped to provide differentiated support for enterprise customers, resulting in a misalignment.

Questions to Ask:

• What are the ways that support can be reached? (Phone, Email, WebChat, SMS)

• Where are the agents in the support department based? (On Shore or Off Shore)

• What is the highest support tier available to a customer like me? (Tier 1, Tier 2, Tier 3)

• Will I have a designated account manager that I can communicate with directly? (Ask to meet them)

It is important to keep in mind that some VoIP providers may charge professional service fees for setup or support, while others may not. Additionally, certain providers may have cutoff tiers that determine the level of support and account management you receive based on the amount you pay. It is crucial to understand these cutoffs to avoid missing out on crucial support due to a small difference in payment.

The level of support your organization receives can have a significant impact, and it is essential to choose the model that best suits your needs.

Technology

VOIP companies differentiate themselves from each other by the front-end technology and applications that end users interact with, which are proprietary and designed by the companies themselves.

These solutions, from the softphone application to the administration portal and video conferencing software, may achieve the same functions, but they each have their own unique features and advantages.

Questions to ask about Technology:

• Which plan are the desired features included with?

• Are there any limitations with the desired features ?

• Can you provide a live demonstration of the desired features?

While it's not necessary to compare every single solution on the market, looking at a few providers that compete in the same vertical can reveal valuable difference in execution.

For example, unique app features that aren't available elsewhere can make your team's life easier. Some providers incorporate fax and email into their softphones, while others offer conversation transcription and AI insights.

While advanced capabilities may be impressive, it’s also important to consider what the actual end user experience looks like. The marketing description of the software can differ from the actual product. It’s important to look at product reviews in places where users are most likely to leave feedback, such as the app stores.

Depending on your desired features and use cases, there may be only a few providers that can deliver the most well-rounded experience.

Integrations

Integrations can play a key role in helping businesses streamline their operations, increase efficiency, and improve productivity. VOIP providers that offer integrations with popular software applications can provide added value for businesses. The key is finding the best integration partner for your current software stack, as not all integrations are created equal.

For example Salesforce and HubSpot both have marketplace partners who have created deeply embedded apps that give users much more functionality within the application itself. In addition, an integration with Microsoft Teams is a major consideration for businesses who use that platform when choosing a VOIP provider.

While Microsoft does offer its own phone system, there are significant advantages to integrating with a dedicated phone provider instead of relying on Microsoft's product. The main advantage lies in the support and ease of use offered by a dedicated provider, which can make a night and day difference in the user experience. While Microsoft is a relatively new player in the VOIP space, its tools have not yet caught up to the industry standard. In many cases, Microsoft prefers to outsource support to partners rather than offering direct support to its customers. This can create challenges for businesses looking for prompt and effective support when issues arise.

By contrast, dedicated VOIP providers typically offer robust customer support teams that are trained to troubleshoot issues quickly and effectively. These providers are focused solely on delivering high-quality voice communication services, and they have built their systems from the ground up with this goal in mind. This can result in a more reliable and user-friendly experience for businesses that rely on VOIP for their day-to-day operations.

It's also worth considering any additional fees or charges associated with these integrations, as some carry custom development costs, or like in the case of Microsoft Teams, there are costs on both sides of the integration.

Lastly, It's important to note that not all VOIP providers offer the same integrations. Before selecting a provider, be sure to check which integrations they offer, whether they are compatible with the software applications you currently use, and what to what degree of integration do they provide.

Mobile/Desktop vs. Web-Based Platforms

Modern business communication requires robust and flexible communication tools that can adapt to the ever-changing business landscape. While mobile and desktop-based apps have become the norm, not all VOIP providers offer web-based platforms. However, web-based applications can offer significant advantages for certain types of businesses.

Web-based platforms can be easily deployed and managed because they don't need to be installed and updated on individual computer hardware. This ease of access allows users to access the application from any computer simply by accessing a webpage. This makes it easier for businesses to scale and manage their communication systems, as it reduces the need for complex software installations and updates.

As more and more providers move towards web-based models for modern applications, it becomes increasingly important for businesses to evaluate whether these platforms align with their needs. In particular, web-based platforms can be beneficial for businesses that rely heavily on virtual desktop infrastructure (VDI) environments. By providing a platform that can be accessed through a web browser, these businesses can ensure that their communication tools are always available to employees, no matter where they are.

In addition to these benefits, web-based platforms are also typically more accessible and easier to use for employees who are not familiar with complex software installations. This can be especially important for businesses with distributed or remote teams, where the use of web-based applications can make it easier to communicate and collaborate effectively.

In summary, while mobile and desktop-based apps are now commonplace in modern business communication, web-based platforms can offer significant advantages for certain types of businesses. By evaluating the needs of the business and carefully considering the advantages and disadvantages of web-based platforms, businesses can select the VOIP provider that best suits their unique needs and requirements.

Conclusions

In conclusion, standing out in the crowded VOIP market requires more than just a competitive pricing model or a long list of features. Companies that can effectively differentiate themselves from the competition are those that can offer unique value propositions that resonate with their target customers. This might involve integrating with key business tools and platforms, providing exceptional customer support and service, or offering flexible and scalable solutions that can adapt to changing business needs.

At the heart of this differentiation is the ability to truly understand the needs and pain points of target customers, and to tailor solutions that address these issues in a meaningful way. This requires a deep understanding of the VOIP market, as well as a willingness to invest in the research, development, and implementation of new technologies and features that can help businesses stay ahead of the curve.

Ultimately, the VOIP market is constantly evolving, and companies that can differentiate themselves effectively are those that will be able to stay ahead of the competition and thrive in this fast-paced environment. By focusing on key areas of differentiation and continually investing in new technologies and solutions, VOIP providers can establish themselves as leaders in the industry and provide real value to their customers. At My Telecom Broker, we provide this exact service, so if you're looking for a new provider, please visit our website for a free assessment.