#1: Hard down for hours because you didn’t Understand the consequences of a “Hot Cut”

On the day of install you are unplugging your old phones… and plugging in the new Hosted VoIP phones… and then Porting your numbers all on the same day!

Ahhhhhhhhhhhhhhh!!!!

This is known as a “Hot Cut” and takes careful planning.

It can leave your business out of phone service for hours, and in some cases days.

You’ll be left thinking,

“Was this really the best way to handle things?”

Did we think this through?

Why are we here?

I thought VoIP technology was supposed to make things easy?

The answer to all these questions is, “Yes, there is a better way.”

#2: Unresponsive Project Managers that leave you sitting wringing your hands.

Okay, you’ve made a decision and signed the order for your new business VoIP service.

Now let the pain begin.

You feel like you are in the Twilight Zone.

Who really is in charge here, because it’s certainly not you.

Everyone at the new phone system company is always busy and their schedule is always full.

“Mr President, none of the operations people have any free time to answer my questions or take care of my issues on the fly.”

“Jim… You’re fired!

“Jane you’re hired!”

Jane is now thinking…

I’m dead to this Business VoIP company.

I think we’re installed, but so many details were missed, and I’m feeling insecure and unresolved about this VoIP thing and I have all these phone issues.

Wait, we’re a year into this VoIP mess?

Who can I escalate these issues to?

I’ve already sent 20 emails and left multiple voicemails.

Oh wait, here’s the customer care number: 1-800-KICK-ROCKS.

#3: No training plan and an untrained staff prior to live date.

Believe it or not, this one happens more often than not.

Companies are going to rush you to install because their quarterly results and reports to investors are based on “billable revenue”.

So… whether you are ready or not they are going to push you through to completion, whether things are truly finished or not.

Your staff is left untrained.

The install process is steaming ahead and you have little control to slow up the process or know what to do to make things happen in an orderly fashion.

Your new phone system is now “Live” and none of your staff understands how to transfer, setup voicemail, access portals, and numerous other things.”

People are calling you asking questions, emailing you, and texted you.

“Sorry John, but I hate the new voip system. I can’t do anything. We are losing sales… missing orders…this was a terrible decision… can we bring the old phone system?”

Ahhhhhhh! What can I do now?

#4: Not testing your call routing prior to cut.

Okay so maybe you survived all the previous nightmares and line of firings.

You were organized.

You had a plan and roadmap.

You were thinking, “I am a VoIP ninja.”

Everyone was trained, you used a detailed cut sheet, and you provided all the correct information…

You’re thinking…

Wow I kicked but, someone should give me one of those plastic diploma frames with a printout inside that says, – VoIP Phone System & Hosted PBX Rollout Master –

But… your arrogant thoughts backfire on you.

The numbers have ported and calls are going into a black hole.

Your cell phone is ringing, you are getting text messages, emails, and people are telling you that calls are going straight to voicemail, getting busy signals, blank air, and some are getting colecovision hold music or odd tones.

What are you going to do now?

That’s right, call the unavailable project manager, who then emails you “I’m busy, open a ticket with support, you have to use customer care now.”

Then what?

That’s right, you’re gonna call 1-800-GO-POUND-SAND.

In the back of your head you hear an eerie… Ha ha ha haaaaaa VoIP is easy, it’s plug and play.

#5: Failing to involve your internal IT staff or an outside IT vendor.

If you are the IT Director then, “PHEW” this one does not apply to you, (one less nightmare).

So you are the procurement director, operations manager, COO, or CFO, “eh?”

It almost goes without saying that involving your network administrator in a VoIP or Cloud Voice transition is a good idea, but you failed to do so, and failed to make sure they were aware of the changes made.

An outsourced tech dude came in and jacked everything up.

He put in new routers, hung them from the wall with zip ties, and daisy chained all kinds of new equipment behind or infront of your firewall (you don’t even know what that means anyways).

VoIP QOS, what’s that?

VLAN what?

So you call 1-800-KICK-ROCKS again and they say, “who’s your IT guy?”

You hang up, hang your head, and call the IT director into your office.

To be honest, he already knows what’s going on and comes in with a request to purchase new equipment because he has to deploy new routers that play well with the new VoIP provider you chose, redesign the network topography, switches, and cabling.

It’s gonna be a few weeks and hopefully only $10,000 – $20,000.

#6: Buying before a VoIP Network Readiness assessment.

For some reason you made a Hosted VoIP purchase decision solely based on pricing.

A slick sales team came in with suits and made an amazing presentation.

They asked you how many employees you have, and did some first grade math on a whiteboard.

They even brought their own dry erase markers.

They talked about VoIP industry awards, Hosted PBX, the Cloud, and got you real hot and bothered.

Then, they did a cost per user analysis and talked about how it was the end of the quarter.

They talked about investors and how the shareholders wanted to see a fast start to the first quarter, or maybe it was to make a push during the end of the second quarter, and that this was your chance to take advantage today with no concerns because they were going to give you a trial period.

That was all fine and good (it actually was all true).

But… But… But, somehow you completely forgot to take into consideration any of the key points we have covered thus far about deploying a Business VoIP phone system.

Some might refer to this method of decision making as “firing before taking aim”.

Your network is actually in horrible shape to handle VoIP calls and you are ill-prepared to make the needed adjustments on the fly.

People are talking about Jitter and Latency; and while your bandwidth is sufficient, your MOS scores and R-Factor values are…well… “Crap!” to put it bluntly.

Now you must wait 120 days for new fiber to be installed or just switch back.

Ha ha haaaaaa, Sweet Dreams.