VoIP phone systems are the most practical and cost-effective investments for large offices - any office that has over 25 users on and off-site. Below is a brief guide to help determine the selection of VoIP phone systems for large businesses - five items to consider prior to making a purchase.

On or Off-Premises?

The first item to consider is where the VoIP phone systems will be located for large businesses - should they be hosted or on-site? Hosted VoIP phone systems are hosted by the company's Internet Service Provider (ISP), and are dependent upon external forces for quality control and maintenance (more on that below). On-site VoIP is hosted 'in-house' - meaning that the locus of control is placed on the business. Quality and maintenance control can be important for large businesses - so those with over 25 employees (including contractors and consultants) may wish to invest in VoIP services on their own premises.

Consider Employee Needs

Ask employees what would make life easier for their calling and communication needs - and get a general picture of how the employees wish to use the system. The sales team may wish to have FMFM (Find-Me-Follow-Me) capabilities for communicating on the road, while customer service and support may wish to have advanced conferencing capabilities when working with customers and other departments. Generate a list of wants and needs in order to be prepared to pick the best features VoIP phone systems can offer.

Consider Integration of Systems

Enterprise Resource Management, Business Continuity Planning, and Customer Relationship Management are three areas where VoIP can successfully integrate systems in order to increase efficiency and cost-savings. Decide ahead of time how they should be integrated with VoIP in order to get the most accurate quotes and pricing in order to make a final decision.

Who will do the maintenance?

This ties in directly with deciding whether or not the VoIP service should be on or off-site - because maintenance and repair costs with an outside source can be more expensive than having an on-site employee regularly paid to keep the service in place and at top-quality.

ThinkCompatibility

Compatibility ties into integration of business systems - by knowing ahead of time what functions will need to be integrated into the VoIP phone system, the company will be prepared to detail the needs to the vendor, thereby getting the most accurate quote the first time, and no surprises.

When choosing VoIP phone systems for large offices, it's important to keep these five items in mind prior to selection. While the systems may be similar, they do not all carry the features and services a large business will need. Planning prior to purchasing can make the investment into a VoIP system well worth the time spent in future cost-savings.