Below are a series of questions that are often overlooked. We suggest you ask these questions, when seeking comparative quotations.
- What costs are there beyond setup and equipment? Does the price include training and installation?
- Is the system scalable? Are all required licences included?
- Are all requested phones, headsets, fax termination devices included?
- Who installs the equipment, how experienced are they, when will it take place, how long will it take and how is it managed?
- Are extra cards, licences or add-ons needed for the required functionality?
- Is all required hardware purpose built for IP telephony is the purchase on non-dedicated Windows servers and associated licences required for any of the requested functionality?
- Do both the IP PBX system and phones use an industry-standard protocol such as SIP?
- Are your call tariffs clearly detailed?
- Can the system manage inbound and outbound faxes?
- Can MAC’s (moves, adds, changes, deletes) be simply and easily performed by in-house personnel?
- What is your contract termination policy? What penalties exist for early termination?
- How does the system handle remote / mobile personnel?
- How often are upgrades required? How much will they cost?
- How is service level agreed? What are the SLA details, particularly for fault response and fix? Are there any additional costs involved?
- What about failover? How it is catered for and is it automatic and seamless?
- Will the LAN in is current architecture support VoIP?
- Is it possible to expand the feature set at a later date? What will the cost be?
- Can reference sites and testimonials be produced?
- What is the strategy regarding VoIP security, both LAN and WAN?
- Will internet telephone calls touch the public internet?
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