5 Tips for Selecting a Hosted VoIP Provider
by Joel Maloff, VP of Products, GlobalTouch Telecom.

Selecting a hosted VoIP applications provider is not as simple as it appears. Understanding how your prospective providers compare will help you make an informed and hopefully successful decision. Here are five suggestions. . .

Feature Suite - If you are seeking to offer VoIP services from a hosted applications provider, you have already realized that building such systems yourself or purchasing the systems from others is an expensive proposition. What features and services are important to you? Are you interested in providing consumer VoIP services? Pre-paid and post-paid? IP PBX services? IP Trunking? Do you need assistance in handling Direct Inward Dialing (DID) numbers, E911 and CALEA? Some vendors offer hundreds or even thousands of features. Which ones do you really need and which are you and your customers willing to purchase? Before you start comparing hosted PBX vendors, know what features and services you want. Prepare a list of required and “nice to have” features.

Underlying Technology - Not all VoIP systems are the same. Some offer better voice quality but require greater bandwidth. Others are deigned to offer superior voice quality but consume less bandwidth and therefore are available at lower cost. Some will support video calls whereas others may not. Some may be more secure than others. Ask questions and demand answers from your prospective vendors.

Support Services - What support services can you expect from your provider? Are you expected to provide Tier 1 support with the vendor offering Tier 2 and 3 support? What response times can you expect? What reports will be available to you? These are critical areas in managing and growing your business. Scalability - Can your vendor continue to grow with your needs, both in terms of capacity as well as new features as they emerge? This may be a direct result of the underlying equipment used by the vendor. If it is an open architecture and designed to support emerging standards, you may be better off than a closed proprietary system that may not be interoperable with future developments.

The Real Cost - Make sure you consider not only the set-up and monthly recurring costs but also any additional costs that might arise. These include bandwidth fees, custom development charges, updates or new features, support service “overtime,” and additional personnel that you will need on your staff to coordinate with your vendor. Creating a “pro forma” that looks at all anticipated costs, the timing of these costs, and how they relate to your expected pricing and revenue generation models will help you stay ahead of the challenges.

Using a Hosted VoIP Applications Provider can be an excellent and timely choice. Clearly articulating the details in advance can make the experience all the more rewarding!

GlobalTouch Telecom, Inc. offers a vertically integrated VoIP platform. The company designed and developed every aspect of its technology from the ground up creating a one-stop single vendor VoIP solution. The product thus comprises an all-inclusive, private label (white label) offering for carriers, MSOs, Resellers, PTTs, ILECs, ISPs, CLECs and marketing companies. The platform can be completely customized and rolled out in 60 days or less.