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Best and Worst Practices of A VoIP Project
All Articles, KRP Communications
February 23rd, 2010 / All Articles, KRP CommunicationsBy Keith Macdonald
For most organizations, the face of your company to your customers is your telecommunications system. A major part of telecommunications is voice-based communications such as phone service. Increasingly, however, businesses are using web-based communications like email and live chat to connect with their customers. Most have already made the move to Voice over IP (VoIP) communications to facilitate both voice and email.
At first glance, moving to VoIP and then staying there seems easy. Many businesses have experienced cost savings over traditional phone service with their moves to VoIP — and they have gained the flexibility of running both voice and data over their computer networks. But moving to VoIP and getting the most out of your communications assets involve systematic planning for the future while phone and email communications continue to represent your organization well in the present.
HERE ARE FIVE BEST PRACTICES:
| 1. | Solve business problems with technology Always match your VoIP technology to your business needs (not vice versa). Technology is an enabler. You optimize your technology investment when you fully understand your business and how the new technology is going to help you reach your business goals. Most companies find that a well-planned VoIP solution will enhance customer contact and give the business plenty of room to expand the technology as the business grows. As you plan and evaluate technology, be sure to select a VoIP solution that has enough features in the beginning–but that also allows you to easily add enhanced features when you need to in the future. |
| 2. | Have a thorough Selection process Be thorough in your vendor evaluation and selection process when you are looking for a VoIP business partner. Choosing an inexperienced vendor to reduce your initial dollar investment will only cost your business more money in the long run. Choose a solid vendor and check references. |
| 3. | Define your needs and perform a Network Analysis Once you choose the technology and the vendor, define your needs and separate the “nice-to-haves” from the “need-to-haves.” Your needs analysis will properly set the expectations with your vendor, and align everyone for success. You should also include a Voice Readiness Assessment for your network. It is important to know how your network is going to be impacted by voice traffic–now, and in the future. |
| 4. | Formalize the process and acceptance criteria Once your needs are fully documented, your vendor will prepare an in-depth scope of work (SoW). The SoW should include a synopsis of the business goals, and a detailed description of the implementation. Implementation elements that should be listed and described in the SoW are: the project management process, the change order process, a detailed project plan including both your and the vendor’s responsibilities, and a training schedule. Successful VoIP deployments are only accomplished when a strong vendor-customer partnership is established. The SoW helps facilitate this. The SoW should contain a test plan. This plan must be co-authored by you and your vendor to ensure that the technology is installed correctly, and that all the business goals are achieved. Failure to properly test your solution is a formula for failure. At KRP, we implement a two stage testing process: the first is prior to cut-over, and then a second is post cutover. |
| 5. | Make sure your VoIP business partner has a well-defined SLA Choose a vendor with a well-defined Service Level Agreement (SLA). The SLA should define the entire support process, and properly set expectations for the vendor and for your staff. To support this SLA, try to find a vendor who has the ability to proactively monitor your VoIP solution. This helps prevent minor issues from becoming major issues and negatively impacting your business. |
FOUR PRACTICES TO AVOID
| 1. | Inadequate planning Failing to devote adequate planning time to your VoIP implementation can put your project at risk. When business and performance requirements are defined upfront and adhered to during implementation, your project’s likelihood of success is greater. |
| 2. | Don’t forget about other forms of communications from your customers Do not choose a VoIP solution that restricts your mode of communication to only voice services, without being able to enable more advanced services such as e-mail, text-chat and call-back requests. |
| 3. | Don’t undervalue experience Don’t trade vendor experience for perceived savings on upfront costs. Implementing voice and integrating voice with data on your network can be tricky. Remember–you get what you pay for! If you opt to go with a system integrator and subsequently outsource maintenance of your VoIP system, choose a vendor that is trustworthy and that comes with a solid track record. The vendor should have a well-defined support methodology, should offer an SLA that sets expectations, and should use a proactive monitoring system to catch issues before they become service-affecting. Although VoIP is no longer a new technology or buzzword for many companies, the added complexity of implementing and managing both voice and data to expected user service levels is still a challenge that many organizations are wrestling with. Having a set of best practices in place–and knowing where the pitfalls are — are two ways to ensure success with your VoIP projects. |
| 4. | Don’t underestimate your QoS needs Bandwidth is important, but it’s not the only thing. Quality of Service (QoS) depends on how well you allocate bandwidth between voice and data applications, and not by bandwidth alone. Voice users are also very accustomed to exceptional quality and reliability, and impairments like latency, jitter, packet loss, and echo will not be acceptable. Ultimately, both user and IT satisfaction depends on the network’s ability to support high-quality VoIP calls at all times, in addition to optimal configuration of various hardware and software parameters. |
Copyright © Transworld Data, 2010
Keith Macdonald is CEO and President of KRP Communications (www.krpcomm.com)
(877-775-6620), a VoIP communications solutions provider that designs, delivers and services intuitive, open standards-based telecommunications solutions that enhance corporate relationships by leveraging superior converged technologies.