Is Mobile VoIP Ready For Your Business?
A few weeks ago, I was interviewed for a TechTarget piece on Mobile VoIP.
One of the set’s of questions that I was asked had to deal with the business use case for Mobile VoIP – or more specifically – is Mobile VoIP ready for the small medium business or even the enterprise? Well, the answer to that questions is both yes and no depending on where your business lies on the technology adoption curve.
If you have yet to wrap your head around the wonderful world of fixed line VoIP, then the answer is you’re probably not there yet. If, however, you have already implemented fixed line VoIP throughout your organization and have a NEED for Mobile VoIP calling (for instance international travelers or those who are calling international and are new a WiFi connection frequently) then there is definitely a strong case for exploring Mobile VoIP as it is a natural extension of what you are already doing.
Mobile VoIP, as technology, is still in it’s infancy. Does it work? Yes. But, there are still some kinks and hurdles that a business will face when deploying a Mobile VoIP solution across their organization. To name a few:
- Do the mobile handsets that you use support WiFi?
- Do the mobile handsets that you use support Mobile VoIP providers?
- How do you support the multiple different handsets and multiple calling accounts?
- Are your users comfortable with using the technology?
- What are your users expectations as it relates to call quality and accessibility?
- Does your existing infrastructure integrate with Mobile VoIP services?
- Will services be available and cost effective in the destinations and stations that users will be working in?
Obviously, this is a quick and dirty list – but, it is a great place to start if you are a business and you are thinking about Mobile VoIP. Again, Mobile VoIP is the future, but it isn’t necessarily the present for everyone. The answer to the question of whether or not Mobile VoIP is right for your business is not a straight forward one, however, if you take a hard look at the questions above and spend some time testing the various services, I am fairly confident you will find the right answer.
