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A cloud based business phone system is a communication network that manages calls, routing, and advanced features (like auto-attendants and VoIP) for professional operations.
The decision to upgrade the old and outdated private branch exchange or PBX to a cloud based business phone system is a critical step in business growth for small businesses. A cloud based business phone system offers many benefits and advanced features like an automated phone answering system for small business to significant reduction in operational cost savings.
Although moving to a hosted PBX phone system is an incredible upgrade, it does not restrict the process to IT department only but also is a complete makeover for the channels of communication.
Table of Contents
The Reality of a Failed Business Phone System Migration
The decision to change your business communication to a cloud based business phone system is a bold move in itself. But taking it forward hastily often leads the management to overlook the critical foundation steps. A failed business phone system migration can swiftly erode all the expected outcomes.
If it happens, the short term effect will be like a poorly executed switch can lead to prolonged downtime, resulting in missed calls, frustrated clients, and lost sales. While in the long term, employees are left with a confusing, half-implemented new phone system, leading to employee frustration and potential customer churn due to poor call quality.
Bonvoice specializes in guiding small and medium-sized businesses to migrate from traditional PBX phone systems for small business to reliable VoIP business phone systems for small business. These mistakes are the predictable, high-impact pitfalls we help companies avoid every day with our expertise.
The Mistakes you cannot afford to make
For a seamless VoIP migration, avoiding these major mistakes are necessary:
- Skipping a thorough needs assessment
Every start up business owner or a person who is new to the field makes the mistake of choosing the cheapest per-user price or a list of features that boasts many. They fail to understand how the communication process works in their workplace. They focus on the basic general features and forget to analyse their specific needs. For example: if a small business uses a traditional phone system they really need to analyse the customer churn and adapt a cloud telephony system to never miss a call. The lack of oversight is also a key mistake. The plan you choose according to your current needs might not be suitable when you have to upscale. So, before you select the best phone system for small business, you must define your Communication structure by mapping out every user and call flow. You need to:
- Map the user types: what communication system does your team rely on? What features do they need additionally?
- Future proofing: choose a system that is easily scalable according to your expansion or growth necessities.
2. Underestimating Network and Hardware Requirements
A VoIP business phone system heavily relies on your internet connection. Thinking that your current internet facility is adequate to fulfill the needs of this service might become the biggest cause for poor call quality. VoIP requires a consistent bandwidth to ensure good clarity in calls otherwise the sounds might feel choppy or disturbed. So you need to ensure that your system is connected to a Power over Ethernet (PoE) switch in order to connect the new desk phones.
To ensure clear voice clarity, first of all conduct a network audit:
- Run a dedicated test to measure the key metrics that destroy voice quality like latency and jitter.
- Infrastructure upgrade needs to be conducted. Also configure your router to use QoS (Quality of Service) settings to prioritize voice data over email, file transfers, or web browsing.
3. Ignoring the number porting process
The transfer of your main business phone service for a small business number is a highly regulated process. Mismanaging the porting numbers phase is the number one reason for unexpected downtime. If you shift your office to some other place also you don’t have to worry about telecom providers or a number change. Because a toll free number is actually tied to your business and not to any specific toll free number service provider. This helps to establish trustworthiness and reduces operational difficulties.
In India, a toll free number is yours as long as you pay for it. Also TRAI regulations ensure that the number is portable. Also if you choose to switch the toll free number provider, the new service provider should ensure the seamless portability. So, regardless of the vendor, the number is protected and safely transferred like a valuable asset.
4. Neglecting User Training and Change Management
Even the best office phone systems for small businesses will fail if the team using it is not properly trained. The technical transition is only a part of the process; success lies in how the team adapts to it. Each and every staff in the office need specific training according to their job roles rather than giving general awareness. You need to:
- Appoint at least one person from each team to deeply study the new cloud based business phone system.
- Ensure your staff knows how to manage the auto attendant phone system and call queues, while sales learns to use the mobile softphone effectively, thereby ensuring their role based knowledge.
5. Selecting a reputable service provider
With the checklist in mind, you need to select the right service provider who fits all your business requirements. Bonvoice is a cloud telephony service provider who ticks all the boxes in your checklist. But at the same time you need to ensure the service whichever business phone system provider you select provides:
- Reliability
- Pricing
- Scalability
- Customer support
Conclusion
Migrating to a cloud based business phone system is a game changer for your business growth. It is an investment you can make in the efficiency and modern communication field. By diligently avoiding these five costly VoIP migration mistakes, you establish the authoritativeness and expertise necessary for a flawless transition.
Ready to implement the best phone system for small business without the headache and fear of downtime? Don’t leave your transition to chance. Visit Bonvoice website and book a demo with us!
Frequently asked questions
1.What is the biggest mistake businesses make when moving to a new phone system?
Every office should conduct a detailed need assessment before choosing a provider.
2.What is the difference between a PBX and a VoIP system?
A PBX is an on-site hardware system or what is called the traditional phone system, while a VoIP system or voice over internet protocol is hosted online and uses the internet for calls.
3.Do I need special phones for a cloud PBX system?
Yes, you generally need dedicated VoIP phones, which often require high speed internet for power and connectivity.
4.Can I keep my old business phone service number?
In India, a toll free number is yours as long as you pay for it. Also TRAI regulations ensure that the number is portable.