When properly implemented, Hosted VoIP can offer your clients access to features, flexibility, and options that would otherwise be cost-prohibitive and out of reach. VoIP is more than just a replacement for landline phones, it is a complete revolution in business communications, allowing businesses to streamline and improve processes, improve customer service while slashing costs.

But like any technology, it requires proper planning from a partner with a substantial level of expertise in order to be successful. Here are six ways to ensure you have the right partner to add value for your customers:

  1. Understand Needs

Every customer utilizes technology differently. Understanding their goals, friction points, and processes are key to knowing which partner can bring the correct tools to bear. Do they need complex call routing? Are employees working remotely? Is there business prone to numerous changes? There are many factors that you, as their MSP, may not even know to ask. Is your partner prepared to dig in and make sure every facet of the business is being addressed?

  1. Assess the Network

Without a stable and properly maintained network, the likelihood of a successful VoIP deployment is low. VoIP, due to the nature of the traffic, will quickly expose problems; problems you may not have even been aware of. Additionally, is the internet connectivity stable enough to support VoIP? Contrary to popular belief, bandwidth is not typically the culprit when issues arise with VoIP. More often it is a lack of stability that gets unveiled. Make sure your partner is ready and willing to help identify, diagnose, and resolve these issues, otherwise you are the one left holding the bag.

  1. Key Communication Tools

More and more businesses are relying on texting, voicemail transcription, and remote worker tools to function. Are these features available with your partner? And if so, what are the additional costs?

  1. Customer Training

Different customers require different levels of training and guidance with any new technology and VoIP is no different. Who is responsible for providing that training and transition assistance? Is it you? Is it a self-help portal? Make sure you understand who is going to provide that support and what method is used to make it worthwhile.

  1. Continual Support

Things break. People have questions. Changes occur. These are all basic tenets of technology and one of the most successful MSPs understand. How the response to customer needs is what sets them apart and allows them to show the true value of the service they provide. Again, this same principle applies to VoIP. Make sure your support processes and principles align with your partner. Are they going to treat your customer as you would?

  1. Owning the Transition

It is important that once a project has started that it’s shepherded and managed to completion. With VoIP, there are numerous moving pieces, from ordering to provisioning, from porting to installation, from introduction to onboarding, a failure in any of these steps can lead to a disaster. Is your partner going to be with you, from start to finish, through the entire process, with clear lines of communications and responsibility?

Loop was built from the ground up, with our roots as an MSP, to address each one of these challenges. Hosted VoIP is an amazing technology to bring to your customer base, but without proper guidance and management, it can quickly turn your entire relationship negative. Give us a call and let us discuss how we can make sure that does not happen and prove that real support and partnerships in telecom do exist.