How is UCaaS Priced?

Every once in a while I’ll get asked by an end-user customer about how “UCaaS is priced”. I get this question since the end-user sees all kinds of pricing, from under $20/seat to quite a bit over that. It’s really important to understand pricing and what you get with that price, before you pick a vendor.

So, let’s start with that – $20/seat. That means $20 per user per month. And a lot of this kind of pricing comes with 3-year contracts, and over 100 seats. So, when you see pricing under $20 per user per month, you need to understand for how many seats and for the length of time of the contract. And you also need to consider what I’m writing about below. What actually is included in the monthly per user charge?

The second thing to ask is about the desk phones. Are the phones included in the per user pricing or not? They might be part of the per user per month charge, or you might be able to buy the phones outright at a one-time charge, or you might also be able to pay for them per month. And maybe you also want the mobile and/or desktop client. Is that also part of the monthly per user charge as well. Or is that an add-on charge to use the mobile and / or desktop client?

Speaking of voice, are you having to pay for the phone numbers (DIDs)? You need to ask about this as well. Or if you have them already, is there is cost to “port” them to your new UCaaS system?

So, let’s talk about the client. Is it just voice? What about the video part? If video is involved, the UCaaS vendor may be using a 3rd party like Zoom – that likely means yet more additional fees. (Note: Sangoma has its own video meeting service, called Sangoma Meet).

And the client also probably has a collaboration part. The client referenced above may or may not also include collaboration features (ability to instant message and share files and have workstream channels).

I also frequently get asked about maintenance costs. When you buy equipment outright, such as buying a PBX or UC system for your premise, typically you will also have a yearly maintenance charge so you can get software updates, etc. In a cloud system, there should not be a separate maintenance charge. It should be included in the monthly price per user.

There might also be an option for alternative networking. For instance, if your internet connection goes down, do you want the system to be able to switch into a wireless backup? With 4G and 5G, this is possible as well. How much does this cost?

Sangoma offers UCaaS offerings with easy to understand pricing, and a range of feature options as well.

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