Changing phone systems is one of those projects business owners put off for years, then try to finish in a week. As Vice President of Operations at DirecTech Connect, I oversee managed VoIP and telecommunications for small and medium-sized businesses across Tennessee. The switches that go smoothly almost always start with the same six questions.
1. What happens to our phone numbers? Your main number is on your website, your trucks, your Google listing and years of customer contacts. Ask exactly how numbers move (it’s called porting), how long it takes and what keeps calls flowing while it happens.
2. Who do we call when something breaks? “Support” can mean a ticket system in another time zone or a person who knows your account. Ask who answers, how fast, and whether they’ll still answer after the contract is signed.
3. What does it cost after the first year? Introductory pricing is common. Ask for the full monthly cost, including taxes and fees, in year two and year three.
4. Does it work the way our team actually works? Think about people who answer from a cell phone, after-hours calls, ring groups, voicemail to email and text messaging from your business number. Make a short list of how calls really move through your business and confirm each item.
5. Is our internet ready? Internet phone service depends on your internet connection. A quick check of your network before the switch prevents choppy calls after it.
6. What’s the cutover plan? Ask for the day, the time and the steps, and who will be on hand when the new system goes live. A good provider schedules the switch when it will interrupt your customers least.
Get clear answers to these six and the switch becomes a planned project instead of a scramble.
Danielle Lemons is Vice President of Operations at DirecTech Connect, a Nashville provider of business phone systems, managed IT services, websites and digital marketing. More about Danielle.
Also published on Medium.
