“The massive transition to this cost-effective technology is more than a trend; it’s a glimpse into the future of business telephony. And, it’s a money-making opportunity for VoIP service providers … if they give customers what they want.”

This is an excerpt from a study released earlier this year from WhichVoIP, which questioned business VoIP customers about their needs and expectations from VoIP service providers. As it turns out, (and not so surprisingly), business managers are increasingly ditching traditional landline phones and are embracing VoIP telecommunications systems with open arms. And as VoIP grows, so do the number of carriers and wholesale VoIP providers, which can leave customers lost as to who to turn to for reliable service.

So what were these business VoIP customers looking for in their service provider? A whopping 80 percent noted that the price of the service was considerably important when deciding which VoIP service provider to go with. Additionally, more than 60 percent of those surveyed said that the value-added features and functionalities were appealing when considering adapting VoIP technology into their business purchasing decisions.

Furthermore, almost 60 percent acknowledged the importance of a knowledgeable staff, as well as 30 percent recognizing the importance of simple friendliness in those they are buying from.

One aspect of the wholesale VoIP arena is Direct Inward Dialing (DID) Origination, a service that provides a block of telephone numbers for calling into a company’s private branch exchange (PBX (News - Alert)) system. DID Origination service helps companies offer their customers’ individual phone numbers for each person or workstation without requiring a physical line into the PBX for every possible connection.

Ultimately, DID Origination service can cut costs while allowing calls to go through faster, which leads to increased caller satisfaction, as they feel they are talking to a real person rather than a company.

“Choosing a provider that has the right mix of coverage, price, and quality is a challenge,” says Jason Tapolci, president of VoIP Innovations (News - Alert) in a recent company whitepaper. VoIP Innovations is the industry’s best wholesale VoIP, DID, Origination and SIP termination service provider.

Tapolci suggests that customers consider some critical questions when selecting a DID Origination provider, such as who will be selling their service (whether regionally or nationally), which will help them identify and focus on carriers that fit their strategic coverage area, in addition to determining their customers’ desired DID features.

There are also three types of carriers to choose from – Incumbent Local Exchange Carriers (ILECs), Competitive Local Exchange Carriers (CLECs) and wholesale providers. ILECs are represented by companies such as Verizon (News - Alert) and AT&T, who have national footprints, but also usually have the largest monthly minimum commitments. “If you can swallow the large minimum commitment, these providers will have the most competitive pricing to offer,” Tapolci explains.

Conversely, CLECs offer a “more concentrated footprint,” but if the CLEC doesn’t fit your coverage area, you will need to rely on a second or third carrier to cover your footprint, Tapolci warns.

When turning to a wholesale VoIP provider for DID Origination such as VoIP Innovations, you’ll find a “large, ubiquitous network to resell,” as wholesale VoIP providers combine multiple ILECs, CLECs and wholesale footprints, which offers a unique and convenient mixture of coverage and price for your specific needs. “Wholesale VoIP providers offer the ability to leverage and aggregate dozens of providers together,” Tapolci explains. “Then, these wholesale providers use their large amounts of traffic to negotiate great rates and overcome large commitments from ILECs and CLECs.”

“The challenge for some of these providers is having the infrastructure, systems, and people to manage these upstream carriers. Building a BackOffice and other systems, like VoIP Innovations has done, that provides automation, ease-of-use, and scalability is the formula for success. Those who crack this code will succeed. Those who do not, will not last long in the competitive wholesale VoIP arena,” he concluded.

Do yourself a favor and put your faith in an established wholesale VoIP provider such as VoIP Innovations for your critical wholesale VoIP needs. Not only are they seasoned and skilled players in the wholesale VoIP space, but they are willing, friendly and are competitively priced for your convenience. In other words, VoIP Innovations is the whole package.

To learn more about VoIP Innovations’ offerings, visit www.voipinnovations.com.