How to Find a Reliable VoIP Service Provider

It's not easy to find a VoIP provider that's reliable. Part of the reason why firms face so many problems is because the VoIP industry isn't standardized and so there's no basis on which to compare a VoIP service to another. Meaning you can't tell if one service is better than the other simply because of a difference in the way they charge you for new users or the price of say, adding new conference rooms.

But there are some things you must realize a VoIP provider is not, and that's what we look at in this article.

Telephone Number Portability

Most businesses using VoIP start out with a regular PSTN phone system. Over the years, businesses build a client base which relies on the telephone number that the PSTN service provides them with. More importantly, that number belongs to you. Meaning that when you switch telephone providers, you can move your number around and thus maintain your clients without any disruption in service.

However, when you shift to a VoIP service you must keep in mind that if you get a new number from the provider you can't change VoIP services without also changing your number. This looks as if it's a setback for VoIP, but in reality there's an easy workaround. VoIP providers aren't authorized to sell you PSTN numbers so they buy the numbers from the telcos and simply lease them out to you. That is the reason why you can't take you VoIP number with you.

You can however, transfer your PSTN number to your VoIP service provider and this can be done very easily. You maintain your portability for a small fee. One of the tests of whether a provider is reliable or not is whether they mention this potential lock in well in advance for you to make an informed decision.

Partial VoIP and Complete VoIP

You must also take care that your service provider doesn't use VoIP partially. Some providers will require you to make a regular PSTN call to their service centers which will then connect you to your destination over VoIP. This isn't true VoIP and will require you to maintain your ordinary phone service as well. If you're paying for a VoIP service, stay free of this.

There are other ways you can tell a reliable VoIP service provider from one who is not, and we'll be covering them in future articles. Stay tuned!

Bhagwad is an expert consultant for Hosted VoIP PBX. He also specializes in Business VoIP phone reviews.