Is Vicidial the right choice for me?

[jonnygarcia]

I hate to just ask but this topic is hard to research, specially if youre not the most technical person. I need help getting all my ducks in a row. Soon Ill be looking for someone to help me configure ViciDial and would like to make sure I understand the basics. A few years ago I began configuring a system but never finished (not vicidial). I was able to install incrediblepbx in a virtual server and got a couple of softphones to work with a number I bought from didlogic. A very barebones understanding of a call center. I would like to know if ViciDial is the best solution for me based on my requirements or if I should look elsewhere, I am actually not sure if my needs are basic and can be covered using a less complicated cheaper setup.

To start of the call center is going to be pretty basic. I would like to have 5 users out of the US and Mexico, customers will be out of the same. I am unsure on the expected call volume (we currently have 9 different lines but that’s not necessarily indicative of usage). The main features that attract me is the call recording, IVR and voicemail, scripting, customer surveys, place in line, schedule call backs, skill based routing, listen in monitoring, internal chat, importing call list and creating campaigns, voice campaigns, dropped call list and SMS (in bulk if possible, already have a different program that does bulk). One of the hardest things to understand is cost, as far as I understand the software is free and open source but I will have to host it in my own physical server or rent a server. I will also have to pay for the phone numbers and how many simultaneous lines I require. There is also usage cost usually per minute for all external communications. I have seen pricing for Vicihost but as far as I understand it’s not necessary if you’re hosting your own server.

Is Vicidial the best choice for me?
What configuration cost should I expect?
Usage cost per minute?
Phone number cost monthly?
Server cost monthly?
Do any of my features list require additional cost?
Any additional cost that I have not mentioned?

I apologize in advance if I am not giving some key information that would help answer my questions. I see a lot of people not getting answers because they dont post their specs. I dont have any specs to give since I dont have Vicidial yet.

[thephaseusa]

DID numbers cost $1 or $2 per month apiece, plus usage/per minute cost.
VOIP outbound you just pay for the minutes you use. You can get voip minutes for .005 to .01 per minute. You pay as you go.
All you need is 1 server for your current needs. Vicibox is free. You’ll need high speed internet for your server, but that’s all.

Absolutely 100% go with vicidial. When I started I took one computer I had at home and converted it to a vicidial server, i found a voip provider and away I went. Virtually no start up cost at all.

If you have the money the ideal solution would be using VICIdial hosted servers. http://www.vicidial.com

John M

[jonnygarcia]

Thanks for the reply Thephaseusa!

The cost that youre mentioning is exactly what I had understood. its great that you mentioned using Vicidial hosting services, their pricing is what confused me since it seemed steep, that lead me to belive that I wasnt accounting for a large cost. This is their pricing

Costs:
$1,000 initial server provisioning fee (also covers the 1st month of hosting)**
$500 server provisioning fee for each additional server (covers the 1st month of hosting)**
$400 per server per month hosting fee(after first month) plus cost of minutes**
1.5 cents per minute for outbound calls as well as inbound toll calls**
2.8 cents per minute for inbound toll-free calls**
Minutes are billed as 6 second minimum with 6 second billing increments and are billed on talk time only**
All telco minutes are prepaid
$2.50 a month for each DID (Direct Inward Dial) you require**
Special rates are available for high volume customers

Here is the updated list of questions with the provided so far, unanswered questions are highlighted in blue so its easy to spot by any readers. I also added a few new questions I have. Thanks!

1-Is Vicidial the best choice for me?

Absolutely 100% go with vicidial.



2-What configuration cost should I expect?

3-Usage cost per minute?

You can get voip minutes for .005 to .01 per minute. You pay as you go.


4-Phone number cost monthly?

DID numbers cost $1 or $2 per month apiece.



5-What DID provider would you guys recommend? looking to pay $.005-$.01 per minute and $1-$2 for the number

6-Server cost monthly? (any virtual server recomendations?)

7-Do any of my features list require additional cost?

8-Any additional cost that I have not mentioned?

[thephaseusa]

With VICIdial hosting you are not just getting hosted servers. You can rent hosted servers, and configure them yourself, and that will cost less. But with VICIdial hosting the servers already have the latest Vicibox installed and configured, and the vicidial team will help you set everything up specifically for your needs. And you can be absolutely sure you are in compliance and have reliable servers that you don’t have to worry about.

Again, if you don’t have servers now, and if you can afford it, go with vicidial hosted servers.

If you decide to use your own servers this forum will be here to help you when and if you need help. But of course we recommend that you rtfm first)))

As for voip providers the more minutes you promise them the lower price they will give you.

JM

[jonnygarcia]

With VICIdial hosting you are not just getting hosted servers. You can rent hosted servers, and configure them yourself, and that will cost less. But with VICIdial hosting the servers already have the latest Vicibox installed and configured, and the vicidial team will help you set everything up specifically for your needs. And you can be absolutely sure you are in compliance and have reliable servers that you don’t have to worry about.

Again, if you don’t have servers now, and if you can afford it, go with vicidial hosted servers.

If you decide to use your own servers this forum will be here to help you when and if you need help. But of course we recommend that you rtfm first)))

As for voip providers the more minutes you promise them the lower price they will give you.

JM

would you recommend paying the $400 a month with ViciHost (I assume that's what you were referring to) ? first year it will cost $4500 not including usage and $3900 after. It does include setup, and you mentioned compliance. First time I have heard about compliance besides not calling cellphones if the call is automated and I'm not even sure anyone follows that as I receive calls all the time.

How much would you pay for someone to set everything up for you. I can probably take care of some setup like the IVR, customer surveys, voice campaigns ect but would need help setting up the server, adding all the right security and adding all carriers etc.

[thephaseusa]

Yes i recommend paying the 400/month or 4000/year for vicihost. VICIdial is the premier dialing solution/predictive dialer on the planet and no one knows it better than the vicidial guys themselves.

Why dont you start out by installing vicibox on one computer, or by looking at the demo at http://www.vicidial.org/demo.php

Have you used linux or Unix before?

You can call or text me at 1-423-302-0580.

[jonnygarcia]

Right now I cant justify the cost but thanks for the info. I thought it was pricey but I can see it being more than worth it once we need a lot of seats.
I didn't know there was downloadable demo, thanks!
I have not used Unix, I have used Linux.

Do you have any alternative to vicihost that you would recommend? I was just thinking on going to upwork and hire a freelancer to configure it for me but Im having a hard time figuring out what would be a fair price so I can avoid paying too little and getting someone who is less knowledgeable. Im trying to find the sweetspot in price so I can get the best setup for the money.

[thephaseusa]

Yes if vicihost is a little pricey for you contact
williamconley William Conley from this list.
There is no one better for what you need.
http://www.poundteam.com/

[williamconley]

would you recommend paying the $400 a month with ViciHost (I assume that's what you were referring to) ? first year it will cost $4500 not including usage and $3900 after. It does include setup, and you mentioned compliance.

Do not overlook Server Hardware Maintenance and Vicidial Software maintenance and configuration (outside the Web Interface). These are not "oh, they're easy nobody has a problem with any of that, it's practically free!" concepts. It's not a small thing to know your hardware and Vicidial server software (everything necessary for Vicidial to run without crashing) is handled by ... 'The Vicidial Group', the single most qualified organization to do so. Don't discount that.

Once you've properly filed that information: The question is whether you're prepared to take on those tasks yourself. Even if you host at a major colo, hardware issues still happen. Reinstallation after a HD fail is not a minor thing.

No: I don't work for The Vicidial Group, nor have I ever been paid by them in any way. But I know their reputation, and honestly it's better than ours! lol.

[mflorell]

I do work for the VICIdial Group

We know that VICIhost is not the right fit for everyone, but we can provide support for VICIdial users on any platform, even if they don't use our hosting service. Of course, our hosted clients do take priority over any premise clients we have.

As for our hosted service, it does include a few extras at no additional cost:
- Encrypted Custom fields
- Optional nightly Cellphone filtering of your lists
- Dedicated custom-built physical hardware for each client
- Free upgrades when new features are released
- Per-server consulting time included each month(and 5 hours at startup)
- No long-term contracts, add or remove capacity as needed month-to-month