Is My Business Phone System Compatible?
June 16, 2014
Category: Hosted PBX, Phone Systems
Interoperability is vital to your companies ability to work, especially in a world where every company is using a different VoIP provider and hosted PBX system. Before you choose the hosted PBX system for your company, it is important to make sure that your VoIP system is going to be able to work in the situations that you need it to – whether that is voice, internet, or video capabilities.
As with all computer based programs, VoIP – PBX programs naturally need to evolve and change. While it is frequently less common than with many home-related computer programs, VoIP vendors do occasionally need to release software updates, feature updates and enhancements. Often these patches are simple matters that streamline issues, but occasionally they are necessary changes. Either way, in the issue of compatibility is is vital to make sure that your system is up to date or you may find that your system is unable to configure with other, updates systems. Most hosted PBX providers will automatically release these changes, updating their system and running testing so that you don’t have to.
Naturally, with all of those tests, it is important to maintain clear criteria of exactly what a successful test run looks like. Not only should a service test make sure that your voice features are going to run smoothly, but also all the other features that are necessary to your business, whether that is video, voice mail, automated receptionist, or other hosted PBX services. Most VoIP providers have a number of different ways to implement each system, and making sure that they work together is going to be important in ensuring that you company continues to enjoy the service that you expect. A test plan can help to make it clear exactly what results need to be seen in a test of the system.
The results of that test should be clearly visible not just in the resulting service, but also in clear documentation of the process. That means that the company that is hosting your hosted PBX system should clearly be able to see what limitations and issues were found. That means that they will know what to expect when you call them with issues or concerns. One of the advantages of having the test results documented lies in screenshots called configurations that show what your hosted PBX service looks like during testing. This will make it easier for you to be able to understand what the screen should look like both before you implement it or when you have questions.
All of this means that a good hosted PBX provider will easily be able to offer you a clear understanding of their procedures in each of these situations. Make sure that your provider is keeping interoperability in mind so that you are better able to communicate with the other businesses and clients in your day to day business.
