Across the country, a growing number of businesses of all shapes and sizes are switching from a traditional landline phone system, to an advanced hosted VoIP phone system.
If your business is looking to reap the game-changing advantages of a hosted VoIP system – including dramatic cost savings, unified communications, business continuity, total mobility, seamless scalability, continuous innovation, and 24/7 expert support – then below are 10 tips to ensure that your deployment will be smooth and streamlined:
- Identify a champion at the C-level who will ensure that deployment stays on the executive agenda and radar screen.
- Identify a coordinator at the management or supervisory level who will provide communication and administrative support the aforementioned C-level champion (note: in some smaller businesses it may not be necessary to identify a separate coordinator).
- Create a robust deployment plan that covers all required elements, including requirements, scheduling, testing and contingencies.
- Work with four key stakeholder groups to identify needs, set expectations, and plan rollout details: executives, employees, managers, and IT staff (note: with hosted VoIP, IT staff are not required to provide any technical or user support; however, it is prudent that they be consulted and involved in deployment planning to ensure that integration with other systems is handled appropriately).
- Provide orientation ahead of the deployment so that employees can “hit the ground running”, and also so that they are excited and looking forward to this positive change. It is important for employees to know why and how the hosted VoIP phone system will enhance their day-to-day work experience. Naturally, there will be some post-deployment training as well. However, it is wise to lay the groundwork before deployment.
- Identify team-level champions (a.k.a. “early adopters”) who will serve as an ad hoc advisory committee to provide initial feedback and recommendations. Often, these discussions will be less about fundamental issues, and more about how to take full advantage of the system (hosted VoIP systems offer many more features than traditional phone systems, such as voicemail to email, video conferencing, ACD, and so on).
- Test the VoIP phone system to ensure that everything is optimized, both in terms of the system itself, as well as integration with other solutions in the environment (e.g. CRM, calendar apps, etc.).
- Implement the deployment as per the plan, starting (if possible) with one group or location, and then moving forward in stages.
- Provide employees with ongoing training and support, including access to resources (e.g. user manuals, online help, etc.). Lean on your team-level champions to provide coaching for employees that are less technically proficient (note: hosted VoIP phone systems are very user-friendly, but some employees may nevertheless feel anxious simply because a change is taking place).
- Work with your hosted VoIP Solutions Provider throughout all of the above. You should expect your Solutions Provider to provide you with both direction and resources.
Learn More
To learn more about deploying a hosted VoIP phone system in your business – and how the Votacall team will make your experience easier than you can imagine – contact us today. Your consultation with us is free.
To help ensure you choose the best partner for your hosted VoIP phone system, download our FREE eBook now:
Across the country, a growing number of businesses of all shapes and sizes are switching from a traditional landline phone system, to an advanced hosted VoIP phone system.
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