Business Phone Service in Columbus, OH

How to Choose The Best Business VoIP Service Provider in Columbus, OH

Shopping for VoIP service in Columbus, OH may seem daunting with so many service providers competing for your business; however, this can be advantageous to you if you follow a few basic guidelines when searching for a plan. Establish what you require for your telephone system such as the number of lines you need and what features you want before even looking at providers. Set your budget and also consider how your business may grow in the coming years.

Once you have established what you need, begin your research on Columbus, OH business VoIP providers. Read real user reviews and make sure that the company has a positive history with other customers in your area. Since your telephone service is vital to the success of your business, make sure that the provider you choose has been proven to be reliable.

Many providers will offer attractive pricing for new customers. You should examine these promotions but remember that some plans may begin with an introductory price that will increase after a few months. Never settle on a phone provider based on price alone. Research the company's reputation before initiating service or entering a contract. With the amount of information available to you on phone providers, there is no reason to jeopardize the image of your business with a poor quality phone system.

What is Traditional Business Phone Service in Columbus, OH?

A traditional phone service, calls are transferred over a public switched telephone network or PSTN system. The PSTN is available all over the country and is a network of phone lines, satellites, cables, and mobile networks. At over 100 years old, PSTN is the oldest type of phone network.

This large and old infrastructure is expensive to support. This is why using traditional phones is so much more expensive than VoIP in Columbus, OH. The network requires regular maintenance and is analog, meaning it is inefficient when it comes to transferring long distance messages.

The reasons long distance transmissions take so long is that they make several stops along the way. These stops occur at various locations owned by different phone companies. Although some of the equipment at these locations digitizes the information so it can be sent faster, the final stretch to the central switch is still analog, making the overall transmission time longer than what you'd get with VoIP.

PBX and Analog Phone Systems in Columbus, OH

Almost all local businesses make use of a PBX (private branch exchange), which directs any incoming calls at their Columbus, OH office. The PBX makes it possible for businesses to use different call features, including caller ID, multiple lines, live seminars, call waiting, voice messaging, etc.

An analog phone system PBX is found either at the customer's facility or on a hosted server. But no matter which method you choose, analog PBXs all have one significant downside: high costs. Putting together a whole company phone system with a PBX calls for a number of different kinds of machines to be obtained, an investment that will set you back at least $1,000 and quite possibly more - and naturally that figure doesn't include installment, setup, and routine maintenance. So you have the choice of getting an on-site technician to take care of it all for you or hiring a third party and that could easily cost over a hundred bucks per hour.

If you do decide to manage your Columbus, OH organization's communications with an analog PBX, you should consider that changing or upgrading it is often complicated and definitely not cheap. Several PBX providers allot each client a restricted number of outside lines. In these cases, if your corporation ever expands and you have a need for more lines, you'll have to buy more machines in order to support this expansion.

The same as other kinds of digital hardware, PBX systems are vulnerable to malfunctions and other issues. You might find it necessary to spend money on expensive repairs and new hardware whenever a problem arises with your PBX. Plus, the unit is sure to become outmoded and will require replacement from time to time.