Similar to how a real estate agent’s mantra is “location, location, location,” cloud telephony has a mantra of “network, network, network.” The network determines the underlying success or failure of any application running across the WAN, including voice. When it comes to switching to UCaaS, one thing determines the success or failure of the investment. That is, the user experience is everything. Above all else, communication services must work. We know this. No one should have to tolerate dropped video calls during an important meetings. Your entire system, from conference calls to call center, needs high quality voice service to deliver a superior customer experience. The quality of any unified communication experience is determined by the technology, and the network that backs it. The network of an organization is the unsung hero of technology solutions.

The Network Is the Unsung Hero

Latency and jitter are absolutely non-negotiable in many lines of business. Because of this, performance matters. Networks may seem too behind the scenes to matter, but they determine what happens on the surface. It’s up to the network to provide perfect reliability in order to keep VoIP calls and video high quality. With CallHarbor, we have three redundant locations with diverse networks at each location. This keeps out system up and running, with a service level agreement of 99.99%. We are very open and honest about the reliability of our platform. You can even check out the CallHarbor service status monitor.

When comparing VoIP providers, you’ll see that most give you the same features at similarly reasonable prices. Most UCaaS solutions include voice, video conferencing, video calling, instant messaging, voicemail-to-email, etc. Some feature nuances and advanced requirements may swing your decision making in one direction or another, but for those with basic requirements, many platforms fit the bill. That’s why the network often becomes a central conversation. It’s a very important aspect to look at when comparing platforms.

As you shop around from provider to provider, be sure to ask about their network’s reliability. If they don’t have a good answer for you, or explain that it doesn’t matter to you, this is a bad sign. A good provider with a good reliable network (like CallHarbor!) will always be excited to share the details with you. UCaaS providers like us, who own and operate their own network, and offer SLA-backed connectivity to complement their technology differentiate themselves in the market.