Phone bills can be confusing.
Unless you work in telecommunications, understanding phones and different types of phone services can be extremely difficult. What type of phone should you choose? Are there different types of services? Who is the best provider? The questions could go on for days.
Regardless of your phone provider, there are 5 common things that you should know for sure about your phone service.
What are these charges?
If you haven’t read your phone bill lately, don’t feel alone. Many business leaders don’t understand all of the cryptic codes that are on their phone bill. Instead of waiting on hold with someone to explain the charges, it’s easier just to pay the bill and move along.
The problem is, you could be overpaying for your services. If you can’t read the charges or don’t understand them, ask. Many times your managed services provider can read over it and work to ensure the charges you are paying is the amount you should pay.
Are these VoIP lines?
VoIP or voice over IP phone lines are feature rich lines that come at a fraction of the cost of traditional lines. However, many people don’t know there’s a difference in the types of lines. In fact, there are types of phone lines that are regulated by the public utilities commission.
If you are spending more than $200/month for phone services, the likelihood of you having regulated phone lines is high. It’s worth asking if you have VoIP lines and if there are any ways you can save money. If you’re still confused after talking to your provider, your managed services provider can help it all make sense. Many times, managed services providers have an easy to use business phone system that is more cost effective and feature rich than businesses currently have.
What features can I use?
Just like other types of technology, business phone lines have improved dramatically over the past 5-10 years. Features that you had to pay additional fees to get in previous years come as a standard package in today’s world. Most of the time, business leaders set up their phone system and then don’t think to go back and ask what’s new.
So here’s your encouragement. Ask what’s new. If you call and aren’t sure what those features are or how they would impact your business, your managed services provider can help you figure it out. Many times phones can integrate with business application and make things much easier for your team.
Do you have a mobility app?
One of the newest features with business phone systems is the ability to use your business phone via a smart device like a cell phone or tablet. The technology also exists with some phone providers to send and receive text messages from your business phone lines. Many businesses have these types of features available, and just don’t know it.
If you have VoIP phone lines, the probability is high that you have some type of mobility features you didn’t know about.
When does my contract end?
If you aren’t aware of a contract, it’s important to find out if you have one and to actually read through the contract to find out the terms. It’s not uncommon for a business to decide to move to newer or different phone services and then find out they are under some type of contract. There’s not a lot of things more frustrating than this type of scenario.
If you are under contract, there’s no need to fret. Many times there’s a way out. Be sure to get a copy of your contract and read through it. If you need help reading through it or getting out of the agreement, let your managed services provider know. Additionally, before diving into any other contracts, be sure to read through them and understand what you are agreeing to. Things to search for are term of the agreement, fees to break the term, and service level agreements.
A solid understanding of what you have will help you understand how to maximize your monthly investment. This holds true with business phone systems and other technology in the workplace like firewalls, servers, computers, applications and more.
If your organization needs IT support, we’d love to help. It’s easy to contact us.
Who is IT Enabled?
IT Enabled is a managed IT service provider. We help organizations with 5-500 employees tackle technology issues by providing comprehensive IT including network and tech support, such as computer, laptop and server support, cybersecurity, disaster recovery options and business phone systems. Our business is keeping you focused on your business.