How to Choose the Best VoIP Support Provider: Local vs Remote Phone System Support
How to Choose the Best VoIP Support Provider: Local vs Remote Phone System Support
Making the right choice for your business communications can save you thousands and prevent costly downtime
Author: Albert Steed
Company: TrueIPSolutions
When your business phone system goes down at 2 PM on a Tuesday, who do you call? If you’re like most business owners, you want to talk to someone who understands your problem, speaks your language, and can fix it fast.
The choice between local and outsourced phone system support isn’t just about cost, it’s about keeping your business running when it matters most.
How to Choose a Local vs. Outsourced Phone System Support Provider
The Reality of Phone System Emergencies
Picture this: Lightning strikes your building, and suddenly your entire phone system is dead. Your customers can’t reach you, your employees can’t make calls, and every minute of downtime costs you money. This exact scenario happened to a dental office we worked with—their 10-phone Panasonic system went completely dark, forcing them to buy a single phone line from the store just to handle basic calls.
Within two days, we had ported their numbers and implemented a complete hosted VoIP solution. But here’s the key: they could reach us immediately, talk to a real person who understood their urgency, and get a solution implemented by technicians who could be on-site when needed.
What to Look for in Phone Support
Local Support Advantages:
- Immediate Response : When you call for support, you’re talking to people in your time zone who understand your business hours
- On-Site Service : Local providers can physically come to your location when remote troubleshooting isn’t enough
- Cultural Understanding : No language barriers or cultural misunderstandings that can complicate technical support
- Accountability : Local businesses depend on their reputation in the community
Red Flags with Outsourced Support:
- Long hold times during your business hours
- Language barriers that complicate technical explanations
- Inability to provide on-site service when needed
- Generic solutions that don’t account for your specific business needs
The True IP Solutions Approach
At True IP Solutions, we take a different approach to support. When you call us, the only accent you might hear is a little North Carolina country accent, because we never outsource support overseas. Our technicians are staffed 24/7, and our clients even have our personal cell phone numbers for true emergencies.
We believe that when you shake someone’s hand and tell them you’re going to do something, you should be able to trust that it gets done. That’s not just good business, it’s how we were raised.
How to Choose the Right VoIP Provider
Ask These Critical Questions:
- Where is your support team located? You want to know if you’ll be talking to local technicians or overseas call centers.
- What’s your response time for emergencies? Some providers offer same-day emergency implementations.
- Do you provide on-site service? Not everything can be fixed remotely, especially during initial installations.
- What’s included in your pricing? Look for transparent, per-user pricing without hidden fees for features or usage.
Can you provide local references? A good local provider should have multiple references in your area.
The Feature Parity Reality:
Here’s something most providers won’t tell you: there’s a lot of parity in VoIP feature sets these days. The real differentiator is how they support you and implement your system. Anyone can offer auto-attendants and call forwarding, but can they be there at 2 AM when your system goes down?
What is POTS Replacement and How to Upgrade Your Legacy Systems
The POTS Crisis No One Saw Coming
POTS stands for “Plain Old Telephone Service”—those copper phone lines that have been the backbone of business communications for decades. But here’s what’s happening that most business owners don’t know: POTS is being systematically discontinued, and the price increases are shocking.
We had a county government client paying $75 per month for a POTS line. They received an email about a price increase and figured it might go up 20%—maybe to $100. The next bill was $2,000 for the same service.
What Systems Are at Risk?
If your business has any of these systems, you likely depend on POTS lines:
- Fire alarm systems
- Security systems
- Elevator emergency phones
- Refrigeration monitoring systems
- Panic buttons
- Fax machines
When POTS service becomes unavailable or prohibitively expensive, these critical systems stop working.
How to Replace Old Phone Lines
The POTS Replacement Solution:
Modern POTS replacement systems allow you to keep your existing equipment while upgrading the connection method. Instead of copper lines from the phone company, you get a small device that connects to your internet and provides the same type of connection your legacy systems expect.
Key Requirements for Compliance:
- Backup battery power for emergency situations
- Backup internet connection for redundancy
- Monitoring capabilities to ensure the system stays online
- Professional installation to ensure proper integration
Legacy System Upgrades: A Step-by-Step Approach
Step 1: Assessment
Identify all systems in your building that use POTS lines. This includes obvious ones like phones, but also hidden connections to security systems, elevators, and monitoring equipment.
Step 2: Prioritization
Start with life-safety systems like fire alarms and security systems. These can’t afford any downtime during the transition.
Step 3: Implementation
A professional POTS replacement system can often be installed without rewiring. You simply disconnect the old copper lines and connect them to the new device.
Step 4: Testing
Every connected system needs to be tested to ensure it works properly with the new connection method.
The Business Impact
Beyond avoiding massive price increases, POTS replacement offers additional benefits:
- Improved reliability with modern internet-based connections
- Better monitoring and reporting capabilities
- Future-proofing your systems against further POTS discontinuation
- Potential integration with modern VoIP and security systems
Making the Right Choice for Your Business
Why Local Expertise Matters
At True IP Solutions, we’ve been serving businesses across North Carolina, South Carolina, Virginia, Tennessee, Georgia, and Florida for over a decade. We understand the unique challenges businesses face in our region, from hurricane preparedness to rural connectivity issues.
Our “Triple Play” approach combines hosted VoIP, security and access control, and paging solutions because we’ve learned that businesses need integrated solutions, not just individual products.
Real-World Success Stories
The School System Implementation:
We’ve implemented systems ranging from single-user setups to an 11,000-phone, 125-location school system. The key isn’t just the technology—it’s understanding that a school system has different needs than a medical office or manufacturing facility.
The COVID Response:
During the pandemic, we helped multiple county governments set up COVID hotlines when their existing phone systems couldn’t handle the call volume. We didn’t charge for these emergency implementations because we knew our communities needed help.
The Hurricane Preparedness Solution:
Instead of maintaining expensive backup offices, our clients now get “go bags” with headsets and laptops. If a hurricane threatens, employees can work from anywhere with an internet connection—whether that’s a hotel room or a family member’s house in another state.
Getting Started
If you’re dealing with rising phone costs, unreliable support, or aging systems that need replacement, the solution starts with a conversation. We offer free consultations to assess your current setup and explain your options without any sales pressure.
Contact True IP Solutions:
- Website : trueipsolutions.com
- Phone : 855-878-TIPS (8477)
- Email : sales@trueipsolutions.com
We serve businesses of all sizes, from single-user setups to large government installations. Whether you need emergency POTS replacement, a complete VoIP implementation, or integrated security solutions, we’re here to help you make the right choice for your business.
True IP Solutions has been providing innovative communication and security solutions for over 20 years. We simplify technology so you can focus on your business. Contact us today for a free consultation about your phone system and communication needs.
