More than just a box
Why vendor selection matters more than ever in the cloud
For most businesses, making the switch from a traditional, premise-based, PBX phone system to a cloud-based, vendor managed, solution is a sound business move that will bring a host of benefits. However, because the vendor will, by nature of the way managed applications are deployed, become a key partner, it is more important than ever that businesses correctly identify the solution that best suits their needs.
Most traditional PBX deployments involve relationships with multiple vendors. There is likely a distributer who sold and perhaps services the PBX. There is, of course also the PBX manufacturer (for example Cisco or Avaya), and the telco (such as Verizon or AT&T). The upside of this arrangement is that, in most cases, the selection of the phone system manufacture is not critical to success. The PBX system arrives with all of the features it is going to have and will generally preform as expected. Of course the downside is that is something does go wrong or you need the system to adapt to your changing business; there is a lot of opportunity for finger pointing. It can be difficult to determine which of the vendors is responsible for resolving an issue.
When you choose a cloud-based, managed solution, the paradigm is changed. Now one vendor is supplying the entire solution and acting as your company’s communications IT department. This is beneficial because your internal resources become free to focus on more strategic initiatives, you have one vendor to call for help and one invoice. Of course, this can quickly become a negative if you’ve chosen the wrong vendor. In other words, if you are going to put all of your eggs in one basket, get a good basket.
Because of the growing acceptance of cloud computing and the high demand for cloud phone solutions, the list of providers continues to change as new companies join the market and others are acquired by larger firms. This makes it critical that businesses make a very careful vendor selection. In addition to choosing a vendor with great references, it is important to select one with a significant track record, a strong management team and an excellent customer support organization.
We understand the significance of this decision and encourage our clients to learn as much about the vendors they consider as possible. We are transparent about our record for reliability and customer satisfaction and encourage companies to be very wary of vendors that are not.