IT Departments are understandably very particular about what does or doesn’t get access to their network and the introduction of a VoIP system is going to be a major change. Let’s have a look at overcoming IT’s objections to VoIP.
VoIP Changed Telecommunications Forever
In the olden days, there would be a telephone communications supplier that looked after phone lines and equipment.
You just got a BT engineer to install lines, the supplier gave you handsets and was responsible for pretty much everything else.
Apart from paying the bill of course.
These days, with VoIP using the internet for calls and data, this means that almost always falls under the remit of the IT Department and their infrastructure.
Why Would The IT Dept Have Objections?
Anything that involves a third-party having access to their network is going to mean there is a risk.
For understandable reasons, they will have security policies and procedures to ensure that the network and infrastructure are not breached or hacked.
Many will have found out the hard way, that what seems like a simple request from a user can cause so many problems.
This is why, for example, you will find that larger companies have free guest or customer Wi-Fi and staff have separate Wi-Fi.
It also means that as they have responsibility for VoIP, they will have to install any hardware and handsets.
VoIP Resellers And The IT Department
As a VoIP reseller, you will need to have a good working relationship with a company’s IT Department.
If they trust you and think you know what you are talking about the process of installing VoIP systems should be straight forward.
If, however, they can’t get answers to any questions they may have or are less than confident in your knowledge, then this could make the project an uphill struggle.
One way you can get off to a good start is to make contact with them as early in the process as possible.
As soon as your client shows an interest and you set up a meeting, there should be a representative who has responsibility for IT.
Now, depending on the size and type of company it may not be an IT Manager because the don’t have an IT Department.
But there should be someone within the company or an outside company if they have outsourced it, that you can contact.
If there’s one thing that is guaranteed to annoy an IT Department, it’s when they get told at about big changes to their network with absolutely no consultation with them until the very last minute.
VoIP Is Easy To Install And Flexible
There are two words that will make everyone’s life easier during a telecommunications install or upgrade, ‘auto-provisioning’.
As we mentioned before, the actual handsets are now the responsibly of the IT Department, which means more work for their staff.
One objection to VoIP or any large-scale network change is that it means their resources are stretched.
With auto-provisioning, this cuts down the amount of work required drastically.
Basically, a server from the VoIP provider is programmed with the relevant information for every phone handset.
When a handset is plugged into the network it automatically contacts the server and receives the correct configuration.
So, there is no need for members of staff to have to manually program each VoIP handset.
Also, it’s important to remember that many VoIP systems can operate with existing telephony equipment so it may not even be necessary to deploy new equipment.
A hosted VoIP service can take care of most day to day VoIP issues and any troubleshooting off-site.
Which is one less thing for the IT Department to worry about.
Consult, Don’t Dictate
It’s vital to understand that you will be working with the IT Department, they don’t work for you and you aren’t going to try and take over.
By consulting with your IT contacts throughout the process of moving over to VoIP, they will hopefully feel valued and their input is appreciated.
They are most likely going to be fans of VoIP anyway, but like anyone else, if a third party comes along wanting to make changes, they are going to have some questions at the very least!
One last point to make is that if you have a good working relationship with them throughout the process then they are likely to give you a positive review or testimonial.
Which means more clients for you!
Get In Touch
If you have any further questions that you think you would like help answering or would like to find out more about our VoIP systems or the VIP VoIP reseller propositions, then please do not hesitate to get in touch.
Our team of experts will be more than happy to have a chat with you.
You can telephone us on 03300881182, email sales@vipvoip.co.uk or use our online contact form located here.