ASCII Success Summit: Choosing The Right VoIP Provider

By John Oncea, Editor

Knowing what to look for when choosing a VoIP provider to bring to the table with your customers is something Roland Technology Group President and CEO Tim Conkle knows something about. So much so, it was the subject of Three Pitfalls Of Partnering With The Wrong VoIP Provider, his talk on the second day of The ASCII Success Summit — Rhode Island held October 13 — 14 at the Hyatt Regency Newport.

Focused on the probability you have already locked arms with some VoIP provider, Conkle pointed out key factors to consider ensuring you bring the right company and offering to the table. The most important takeaway: choose a provider who does not sell direct, has no contracts, and replaces hardware for free.

The benefit of choosing a provider doesn’t sell direct is you won’t be undercut. Contracts are a bad idea because they put you in a position of having to ask your client to buy out a contract when things inevitably go wrong — or worse yet, you have to buy out the contract to keep the client. Hardware is a catch-22 because, when it is provided for free, you have to sign a contract.

Other things to look for when choosing a VoIP partner are a free demo account, managed hardware, training and support (including VoIP certification and certified partners who can sell with no contracts), and financial incentives including evergreen commission.

 The ASCII Success Summit — Rhode Island is being held October 13 — 14 at the Hyatt Regency Newport. It is the final of nine solution provider-focused conferences ASCII hosted in North America in 2016. For more information on ASCII, go to www.BSMinfo.com/go/InsideASCII.