So, your business has researched and identified the key must-have features you need from a new hosted cloud phone system, such as voicemail-to-email, live call transfer, mobile calling, auto attendant, custom hold music — and the list goes on.
In addition, your employees are buzzing about getting a great new phone system that will make their jobs easier and more effective. Even the folks who aren’t all that thrilled about any kind of new technology are getting excited.
On top of all this, you have crunched the numbers — a few times — and verified that switching to a hosted cloud phone system will save you thousands of dollars each year, plus give you the freedom and flexibility to scale and grow.
And so, you’re all set to sign on the dotted line and make your glorious new hosted cloud phone system dreams come true. Except…there’s one more phase, and it’s the MOST important of all. You also need to ensure that your hosted cloud phone system vendor is going to make your experience rewarding instead of regrettable.
To that end, here are 5 critically important — and tough — questions that you must ask a potential hosted cloud vendor before you sign on the dotted line:
1. Do you specialize in installing and supporting hosted cloud phone systems?
Choosing a vendor that “dabbles” in hosted cloud phone systems while they focus on other business lines, is like going to a doctor that can’t see you in the afternoon because he’s busy in his part-time job as an Uber driver. Make sure that you choose a specialist that lives and breathes hosted cloud phone systems 24/7.
2. Do you offer comprehensive post-sales support?
Every hosted cloud phone system vendor claims to offer post-sales support. But that doesn’t mean that all support is the same! There is superficial — as in useless — support, and then there is comprehensive 24/7 support. Your business absolutely needs the latter, because it’s just a matter of time before you’ll have a question, want to make a change, or need some strategic advice.
3. Have you been doing this for several years?
There is no substitute for experience. If a potential hosted cloud vendor hasn’t been in the industry for at least 10 years, then it means there are scenarios that they haven’t faced and learned from. Unfortunately, you will pay for their lack of knowledge and experience — not them. Save yourself the cost and frustration by choosing a vendor that has decades of experience.
4. What do your customers say about you?
When you ask a hosted cloud phone system vendor for customer feedback, they should jump at the chance to point you to testimonials on their website, and also invite you to personally contact a customer to have a private — and brutally honest — conversation about their experience.
If you get any hesitation or pushback from a vendor (e.g. “well, we haven’t put our testimonials on our website yet…”) then run — don’t walk — away. You’ll be glad that you did!
5. Will you visit us on-site?
Last but certainly not least: while you can get many of your questions answered by speaking with a professional and experienced hosted cloud phone system vendor, this is not an e-commerce transaction. You aren’t buying a sweater from Amazon that hopefully fits, but if not then you can simply return it. You’re buying a comprehensive telecommunications system — which means it better fit or else!
As such, any hosted cloud phone system vendor that is worthy of your business should be happy to send their team to visit you, so they can speak to different members of your team (e.g. IT professionals typically have different questions/needs than end-users), and analyze your data network infrastructure so that it will be able to support your new phone system when it is deployed.
The Carolina Digital Phone Advantage
If you’re looking for a hosted cloud phone system vendor that checks all of the boxes above then we invite you to contact Carolina Digital Phone, because:
- We are a recognized hosted cloud phone system specialist. We don’t dabble in other business lines, because doing so is not in our customers’ best interest — or frankly, in ours.
- We offer comprehensive 24/7 post-sales support. We’re there when our customers need us, without fail.
- We have 20 years of in-depth experience. We have seen every scenario and issue there is!
- We are thrilled to show you our testimonials, and connect you with our customers if you wish to speak (or email) with them directly.
- We will gladly send our team on-site to answer your questions and analyze your infrastructure. Just tell us when you need us there and we’ll make it happen.