3 Reasons Why DIY VoIP is a Bad Idea for Your Business

Sometimes, there are clear advantages to taking the DIY route. For example, if you learn how to change your car’s air filter — which takes about 60 seconds — you can save hundreds of dollars over the life of your vehicle; plus you will feel like a car mechanic guru (even if you are definitely not!), which is always a nice bonus.

However, there are other situations where taking the DIY route is not just risky, but it is counterproductive — because it is only a matter of time (and money!) before you call in the professionals to do the job right. And on the business landscape, one clear illustration of this warning is tied to a VoIP phone system. Here are 3 key reasons why DIY VoIP is a bad option for your business: 

1. You will not have a managed router — but you will need one. 

If you take the DIY route, you are completely on your own when — not if — your router needs to be configured and optimized. What’s more, this configuration/optimization requirement is not a one-time event. It is an ongoing process that is supposed to align with the changing needs of your business. However, without the expertise to handle this commitment, you will invariably be out of sync.

2. You will have no access to expertise — unless you are willing to pay an excessive fee. 

If you go the DIY route, you will receive some (very) basic product documentation and perhaps some superficial FAQs or videos. None of these so-called resources will help you when you run into a problem that may or may not be related to the system itself. For example, you may have an employee who wants to customize a feature, or you may need to make changes to accommodate shifting needs. Yes, you can buy a maintenance package that gives you this expertise, but the excessive amount you pay will far outweigh the limited savings you generated by taking the DIY route in the first place.

3. You will not get full value from your investment from day one. 

A major component of a fully-optimized VoIP phone system is ensuring that your existing internet infrastructure is sufficient in terms of speed, performance reliability and quality (note: these are not synonyms — each factor is distinct and has its own tests and metrics). Without expertise, it is a foregone conclusion that you will not optimize all of these areas prior to implementation (and you can forget about those free advertising-supported online speed-tester tools, which are so unreliable, that they are better described as toys). The end result is that you will get less than you are paying for from day one. How is that a sound, strategic investment?  

The Bottom Line

Again, sometimes DIY makes a great deal of sense and can lead to major savings in money, time and stress — plus as noted, you can feel like a DIY rock star! However, when it comes to a VoIP phone system, DIY is simply a bad idea. Instead of getting ahead, you will fall behind — and will definitely need to call in experts sooner than you realize (trust us on this, we get several calls a week from DIYers who are sending out an SOS).

To learn more and get the expert help you want, need and deserve — including if you have gone down the DIY path and need to safely and cost-effectively optimize your system without disrupting your current operations — then contact the Votacall team today. Your consultation with us is free.

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