Evaluate a UCaaS provider in three passes. First rule out any provider that can't meet a requirement you can't change, such as the countries you need numbers in, the phones you already own or the software your calls have to show up in. Then compare the providers that remain on what they will put in writing about price, term and service. Finish by testing your own call flow on your own equipment, in a trial or pilot if the provider will agree to one before you sign.
\n","summary":"Evaluate a UCaaS provider in three passes: rule out providers that fail a fixed requirement, compare the rest on written price, term and service terms, then test your own call flow on your own equipment before signing.","publishedAt":"2026-09-03T14:28:51.344","verifiedAt":"2026-09-14T00:00:00","editorialStatus":"APPROVED","lastReviewedAt":"2026-10-10T03:55:31.893","nextReviewDueAt":"2026-12-14T00:00:00","templateVersion":"v2","aliases":["How do you compare UCaaS vendors?","What should you look for in a UCaaS provider?","UCaaS vendor evaluation criteria","What questions should you ask a UCaaS provider before signing?","How do you run a UCaaS RFP?","How do you check a UCaaS uptime SLA?"],"confidenceScore":86,"confidenceLabel":"High","canonicalUrl":"https://www.atlantech.net/blog/evaluate-ucaas-providers"},"contributor":{"id":"ec39deab-44fe-48d8-9029-fefe993ab85a","slug":"answer-stack","displayName":"AnswerStack","websiteUrl":null},"contributorOrganizationProfile":null,"contributorPerson":null,"sections":[{"id":"8d70eda1-0273-4fb8-a942-7ee5a50ec8ef","sectionKey":"rule_providers_out_before_you_rank_them","sectionType":"markdown_section","heading":"Rule providers out before you rank them","introMarkdown":"A feature list makes a poor first filter. [UCaaS](https://www.answerstack.io/q/what-is-ucaas), or unified communications as a service, means calling, meetings and messaging from one cloud service, so a list of those features describes the category more than it separates one provider from another. The requirements that separate them are specific to your company, and they tend to have a yes or no answer.\n\nWe'd start with four. The first is geography: whether the provider can supply phone numbers, and move your existing ones, at every location where you have people. The second is hardware. If you own desk phones you intend to keep, the provider either supports those models or it doesn't. The third is any integration you can't work without, such as the CRM or helpdesk where your calls get logged. The fourth is emergency calling. An internet phone can be used away from the office, so the provider needs a way to keep the right address on file for people who work from home or move between sites. We explain that process in [how to register a VoIP phone for 911](https://www.answerstack.io/q/how-do-i-register-a-voip-phone-for-911).\n\nA provider's website will often answer these at the level of a category, and an exclusion needs the specific item. Atlantech Online's pages show how to read one. Its [business phone service page](https://www.atlantech.net/solutions/voice/phone) says the company provides its full set of phone services anywhere in the United States. That tells you the advertised coverage. You still confirm your own office addresses and the numbers you plan to move, and an overseas office remains an open question. The page says you can use your own phones if they interoperate with Atlantech's voice switch, and its FAQ recommends devices from an approved list. Atlantech's [UCaaS page](https://www.atlantech.net/solutions/voice/unified-communications) says the service connects with helpdesk software and sales CRMs, and it mentions Google and Microsoft without listing individual products.\n\nEach of those statements tells you what to send the provider next. You send the model numbers of your desk phones and the name of your CRM, and you ask for a yes or no on each. The phone service page also mentions that international calling is off by default to guard against toll fraud and is switched on by request. A company with customers abroad would want that arranged before its first day on the service.\n\nA provider that fails one of these comes off the list, however good its demo was. The ones that pass are worth comparing in detail.","introHtml":"A feature list makes a poor first filter. UCaaS, or unified communications as a service, means calling, meetings and messaging from one cloud service, so a list of those features describes the category more than it separates one provider from another. The requirements that separate them are specific to your company, and they tend to have a yes or no answer.
\nWe'd start with four. The first is geography: whether the provider can supply phone numbers, and move your existing ones, at every location where you have people. The second is hardware. If you own desk phones you intend to keep, the provider either supports those models or it doesn't. The third is any integration you can't work without, such as the CRM or helpdesk where your calls get logged. The fourth is emergency calling. An internet phone can be used away from the office, so the provider needs a way to keep the right address on file for people who work from home or move between sites. We explain that process in how to register a VoIP phone for 911.
\nA provider's website will often answer these at the level of a category, and an exclusion needs the specific item. Atlantech Online's pages show how to read one. Its business phone service page says the company provides its full set of phone services anywhere in the United States. That tells you the advertised coverage. You still confirm your own office addresses and the numbers you plan to move, and an overseas office remains an open question. The page says you can use your own phones if they interoperate with Atlantech's voice switch, and its FAQ recommends devices from an approved list. Atlantech's UCaaS page says the service connects with helpdesk software and sales CRMs, and it mentions Google and Microsoft without listing individual products.
\nEach of those statements tells you what to send the provider next. You send the model numbers of your desk phones and the name of your CRM, and you ask for a yes or no on each. The phone service page also mentions that international calling is off by default to guard against toll fraud and is switched on by request. A company with customers abroad would want that arranged before its first day on the service.
\nA provider that fails one of these comes off the list, however good its demo was. The ones that pass are worth comparing in detail.
\n","outroMarkdown":null,"outroHtml":null,"contentJson":{},"configJson":{},"noteMarkdown":null,"noteHtml":null,"sortOrder":10},{"id":"ecc17534-2728-430a-b463-8ceae7599ad5","sectionKey":"put_price_term_and_service_on_one_sheet","sectionType":"markdown_section","heading":"Put price, term and service on one sheet","introMarkdown":"The second pass compares written offers, and the work is getting them onto the same basis. Published prices are a starting point. Atlantech's UCaaS page lists two lines: Business Line starting at $12 per user per month and Premium Line starting at $18 per user per month. For 30 users, those starting rates come to $360 or $540 a month. The page prints no contract term, taxes or setup charge beside them, so the full figure comes from the quote.\n\nThe two cards also list different features. The Business Line card lists call handling features and unlimited local and domestic long-distance calling. The Premium Line card lists voicemail, conferencing, collaboration and a softphone. Before you compare either rate with another provider's, find out which line includes the features your company depends on.\n\nOther providers publish prices on different terms. Microsoft's [US price list](https://www.microsoft.com/en-us/microsoft-teams/microsoft-teams-phone) shows Teams Phone with Calling Plan at $17.00 per user per month on an annual subscription paid yearly, with a Teams license required separately. So a $17.00 figure and an $18 figure are not yet comparable. One is an annual commitment that needs another license under it, and the other is a starting rate whose term isn't stated on the page.\n\nOffers can sit side by side once they describe the same thing. Use the same number of users and the same billing period for each. Add the taxes and fees each provider charges, and add what you pay once for setup, number porting and phones. We explain what moves the rate in [how much UCaaS costs per user](https://www.answerstack.io/q/how-much-does-ucaas-cost-per-user).","introHtml":"The second pass compares written offers, and the work is getting them onto the same basis. Published prices are a starting point. Atlantech's UCaaS page lists two lines: Business Line starting at $12 per user per month and Premium Line starting at $18 per user per month. For 30 users, those starting rates come to $360 or $540 a month. The page prints no contract term, taxes or setup charge beside them, so the full figure comes from the quote.
\nThe two cards also list different features. The Business Line card lists call handling features and unlimited local and domestic long-distance calling. The Premium Line card lists voicemail, conferencing, collaboration and a softphone. Before you compare either rate with another provider's, find out which line includes the features your company depends on.
\nOther providers publish prices on different terms. Microsoft's US price list shows Teams Phone with Calling Plan at $17.00 per user per month on an annual subscription paid yearly, with a Teams license required separately. So a $17.00 figure and an $18 figure are not yet comparable. One is an annual commitment that needs another license under it, and the other is a starting rate whose term isn't stated on the page.
\nOffers can sit side by side once they describe the same thing. Use the same number of users and the same billing period for each. Add the taxes and fees each provider charges, and add what you pay once for setup, number porting and phones. We explain what moves the rate in how much UCaaS costs per user.
\n","outroMarkdown":null,"outroHtml":null,"contentJson":{},"configJson":{},"noteMarkdown":null,"noteHtml":null,"sortOrder":20},{"id":"3442ecaa-bc39-4660-8854-33cd63513bb3","sectionKey":"what_goes_on_the_comparison_sheet","sectionType":"table_section","heading":"What goes on the comparison sheet","introMarkdown":null,"introHtml":null,"outroMarkdown":null,"outroHtml":null,"contentJson":{"rows":[{"cells":["Monthly cost","Plan name, rate per user, number of users, taxes and fees"]},{"cells":["One-time cost","Setup, number porting, phones or adapters"]},{"cells":["Term","Contract length, how it renews, notice needed to leave"]},{"cells":["Service commitment","Uptime figure, how downtime is defined, the remedy, how to claim it"]},{"cells":["Support","Hours, how you reach a person, who handles a carrier problem"]}],"columns":["Line on the sheet","What to record for each provider"]},"configJson":{},"noteMarkdown":null,"noteHtml":null,"sortOrder":30},{"id":"f55cc11d-6e60-4f1c-8d9e-67800690a5ce","sectionKey":"read_the_service_commitment_for_its_definitions","sectionType":"markdown_section","heading":"Read the service commitment for its definitions","introMarkdown":"An uptime percentage means only as much as the definition of downtime behind it. Google's published terms show why. Google Voice is covered by the [Google Workspace Service Level Agreement](https://workspace.google.com/terms/sla/), which commits to a monthly uptime of at least 99.9%. The agreement defines downtime as a period when the user web interface has more than a five percent user error rate, measured on Google's servers. A call that drops because of trouble on your office network isn't downtime under that definition. The agreement also excludes problems that come from the customer's equipment or from third-party equipment outside Google's control.\n\nThe remedy is specific too. The credit is three days of service when monthly uptime falls below 99.9% but stays at 99.0% or above. It is seven days for uptime below 99.0% down to 95.0%, and fifteen days below 95.0%. One tier applies for the month, and fifteen days is the most Google will credit for a single month. The customer has to open a support case within thirty days of becoming eligible, or the credit is forfeited. The agreement calls these credits the customer's sole and exclusive remedy.\n\nThose four clauses are the ones to find in any provider's service commitment: what counts as downtime, what you receive, how you claim it and what is excluded. Two providers can quote the same percentage and promise different things if they measure downtime differently. Record each provider's own wording on the sheet instead of the headline number.\n\nA guarantee on a service page is a different kind of promise, and it gets its own entry. Atlantech's business phone service page offers a 30-day guarantee. If you use the service for 30 days and don't love the call quality, uptime and support, your next month of service is free. That covers something an uptime figure can't, which is your own judgment of how the calls sound and how support treats you. It applies after you've become a customer, and the page describes the remedy as a free month. A right to cancel and an uptime figure for the rest of the term are separate questions, and the service agreement answers them.\n\nWhichever provider you choose, ask for any promise you're relying on to be written into the order you sign. A web page can change after you buy, and the signed agreement is the document both sides will go back to.","introHtml":"An uptime percentage means only as much as the definition of downtime behind it. Google's published terms show why. Google Voice is covered by the Google Workspace Service Level Agreement, which commits to a monthly uptime of at least 99.9%. The agreement defines downtime as a period when the user web interface has more than a five percent user error rate, measured on Google's servers. A call that drops because of trouble on your office network isn't downtime under that definition. The agreement also excludes problems that come from the customer's equipment or from third-party equipment outside Google's control.
\nThe remedy is specific too. The credit is three days of service when monthly uptime falls below 99.9% but stays at 99.0% or above. It is seven days for uptime below 99.0% down to 95.0%, and fifteen days below 95.0%. One tier applies for the month, and fifteen days is the most Google will credit for a single month. The customer has to open a support case within thirty days of becoming eligible, or the credit is forfeited. The agreement calls these credits the customer's sole and exclusive remedy.
\nThose four clauses are the ones to find in any provider's service commitment: what counts as downtime, what you receive, how you claim it and what is excluded. Two providers can quote the same percentage and promise different things if they measure downtime differently. Record each provider's own wording on the sheet instead of the headline number.
\nA guarantee on a service page is a different kind of promise, and it gets its own entry. Atlantech's business phone service page offers a 30-day guarantee. If you use the service for 30 days and don't love the call quality, uptime and support, your next month of service is free. That covers something an uptime figure can't, which is your own judgment of how the calls sound and how support treats you. It applies after you've become a customer, and the page describes the remedy as a free month. A right to cancel and an uptime figure for the rest of the term are separate questions, and the service agreement answers them.
\nWhichever provider you choose, ask for any promise you're relying on to be written into the order you sign. A web page can change after you buy, and the signed agreement is the document both sides will go back to.
\n","outroMarkdown":null,"outroHtml":null,"contentJson":{},"configJson":{},"noteMarkdown":null,"noteHtml":null,"sortOrder":40},{"id":"0ef95eec-86a7-4295-aaec-435c4d4782ec","sectionKey":"test_your_own_call_flow_before_you_sign","sectionType":"markdown_section","heading":"Test your own call flow before you sign","introMarkdown":"A demo shows the provider's setup. A pilot shows yours, and it doesn't have to be large to be useful. Whether a provider will run one before a contract, and on what terms, is something to ask each finalist.\n\nSuppose a 30-person company has Atlantech's UCaaS service on its shortlist with two others, and each provider agrees to a two-week pilot. The company has a main number answered by a receptionist, a six-person support group, a sales team that works out of a CRM, and a dozen desk phones of one model. Atlantech's UCaaS page lists an auto attendant, ACD groups that distribute calls among agents, voicemail transcription, a mobile app and a softphone that works with the receptionist features. Those are the things this company would use every day, so the pilot tests exactly those.\n\nThe company asks for a temporary number and five test users: the receptionist, two support agents, one salesperson and one person who works from home. It tries two of its existing desk phones. The other users take calls on a laptop softphone and the mobile app. The company also decides how the support group should ring. Say it wants both agents' phones to ring at once.\n\nThen it runs its own calls. Someone dials the temporary number from a personal mobile and chooses support from the auto attendant menu. The test is whether the group rings the way the company asked. The receptionist transfers a second call to the salesperson. A third caller leaves a voicemail, and the salesperson checks whether the transcription arrives. Whether the call appears on the contact's record in the CRM is a separate check, because the CRM link and voicemail transcription are separate features. The home worker repeats the calls over home internet.\n\nSupport gets tested the same way. Someone calls the provider's support line with a real question from the setup and notes how long it took to reach a person who could answer it. If the pilot runs long enough to open a ticket, the response to that ticket goes in the notes as well.\n\nThe company writes down each result as worked, worked after a change, or didn't work. The middle group deserves the most attention. A desk phone that makes calls but loses a button the receptionist relies on, for example, is a cost that didn't appear in the quote. If calls sound poor from one location, the cause may be that location's network and not the provider, and we cover how to tell in [common UCaaS call quality problems](https://www.answerstack.io/q/what-are-common-ucaas-call-quality-problems). Setting up the test also previews [the work of moving off an on-premises PBX](https://www.answerstack.io/q/how-do-you-migrate-from-on-premises-pbx-to-ucaas), since both start with the same phones, numbers and call routing.","introHtml":"A demo shows the provider's setup. A pilot shows yours, and it doesn't have to be large to be useful. Whether a provider will run one before a contract, and on what terms, is something to ask each finalist.
\nSuppose a 30-person company has Atlantech's UCaaS service on its shortlist with two others, and each provider agrees to a two-week pilot. The company has a main number answered by a receptionist, a six-person support group, a sales team that works out of a CRM, and a dozen desk phones of one model. Atlantech's UCaaS page lists an auto attendant, ACD groups that distribute calls among agents, voicemail transcription, a mobile app and a softphone that works with the receptionist features. Those are the things this company would use every day, so the pilot tests exactly those.
\nThe company asks for a temporary number and five test users: the receptionist, two support agents, one salesperson and one person who works from home. It tries two of its existing desk phones. The other users take calls on a laptop softphone and the mobile app. The company also decides how the support group should ring. Say it wants both agents' phones to ring at once.
\nThen it runs its own calls. Someone dials the temporary number from a personal mobile and chooses support from the auto attendant menu. The test is whether the group rings the way the company asked. The receptionist transfers a second call to the salesperson. A third caller leaves a voicemail, and the salesperson checks whether the transcription arrives. Whether the call appears on the contact's record in the CRM is a separate check, because the CRM link and voicemail transcription are separate features. The home worker repeats the calls over home internet.
\nSupport gets tested the same way. Someone calls the provider's support line with a real question from the setup and notes how long it took to reach a person who could answer it. If the pilot runs long enough to open a ticket, the response to that ticket goes in the notes as well.
\nThe company writes down each result as worked, worked after a change, or didn't work. The middle group deserves the most attention. A desk phone that makes calls but loses a button the receptionist relies on, for example, is a cost that didn't appear in the quote. If calls sound poor from one location, the cause may be that location's network and not the provider, and we cover how to tell in common UCaaS call quality problems. Setting up the test also previews the work of moving off an on-premises PBX, since both start with the same phones, numbers and call routing.
\n","outroMarkdown":null,"outroHtml":null,"contentJson":{},"configJson":{},"noteMarkdown":null,"noteHtml":null,"sortOrder":50},{"id":"ac7fe766-e9c3-4f76-8ca3-b95f07be440d","sectionKey":"what_a_pilot_doesn_t_settle","sectionType":"markdown_section","heading":"What a pilot doesn't settle","introMarkdown":"A pilot shows how the service handled the calls you tested. It doesn't settle what you'll pay after the first term or what the contract requires if you leave. Those answers are in each provider's agreement, in the clauses on contract length, renewal and notice. They vary from one provider to the next, so read them in each provider's own document and don't assume your last phone contract is the pattern. If a line on the comparison sheet is still blank when you're ready to sign, ask for it in writing first.","introHtml":"A pilot shows how the service handled the calls you tested. It doesn't settle what you'll pay after the first term or what the contract requires if you leave. Those answers are in each provider's agreement, in the clauses on contract length, renewal and notice. They vary from one provider to the next, so read them in each provider's own document and don't assume your last phone contract is the pattern. If a line on the comparison sheet is still blank when you're ready to sign, ask for it in writing first.
\n","outroMarkdown":null,"outroHtml":null,"contentJson":{},"configJson":{},"noteMarkdown":null,"noteHtml":null,"sortOrder":60}],"citations":[{"title":"Service Level Agreement for Microsoft Online Services (September 2026, English, worldwide)","url":"https://www.microsoft.com/licensing/docs/view/Service-Level-Agreements-SLA-for-Online-Services","excerpt":"That result from performance degradation or latency issues without actual service unavailability (except for services which explicitly include a performance-based Service Level).","quoteText":null,"sourceRole":"PRIMARY","verifiedAt":"2026-09-14T00:00:00","supportsText":"Uptime percentage computed in user-minutes over a calendar month; Microsoft Teams downtime defined as inability to conduct instant messaging or initiate online meetings with credits of 25/50/100% below 99.9/99/95%; Teams Calling Plans, Teams Phone and Audio Conferencing downtime defined as inability","domain":"microsoft.com","publisherName":"Microsoft (vendor contract document, downloaded from the licensing documents page)"},{"title":"Google Workspace Service Level Agreement (last modified August 31, 2026)","url":"https://workspace.google.com/terms/sla.html","excerpt":"\"Downtime\" means, for a domain, a period of time during which the user web interface for the applicable Covered Services used by Customer has more than a five percent user error rate.","quoteText":null,"sourceRole":"PRIMARY","verifiedAt":"2026-09-14T00:00:00","supportsText":"Monthly Uptime Percentage of at least 99.9% in any calendar month; Google Voice named among the Google Workspace Covered Services; Downtime defined as a period when the user web interface has more than a five percent user error rate measured server side; service credits of 3, 7 and 15 days of servic","domain":"workspace.google.com","publisherName":"Google (vendor contract document)"},{"title":"RingCentral with Verizon Service Level Agreement (Verizon service guide, 2021)","url":"https://www.verizon.com/business/service_guide/reg/RingCentral_SLA.pdf","excerpt":"Customer is responsible for tracking the time via trouble tickets that any portion of the Application is unavailable due to Applicable Platform unavailability.","quoteText":null,"sourceRole":"SUPPORTING","verifiedAt":"2026-09-14T00:00:00","supportsText":"Application Availability commitment of at least 99.98% measured monthly by trouble-ticket time, with the customer responsible for tracking unavailability through trouble tickets; credits of 10% of monthly recurring charge between 99.90% and 99.98% and 15% below 99.90%; separate voice and video quali","domain":"verizon.com","publisherName":"Verizon (carrier-published service guide for the RingCentral service it resells)"},{"title":"RingCentral Online Terms of Service (last updated February 23, 2022)","url":"https://www.ringcentral.com/legal/eulatos.html","excerpt":"recurring Services will automatically renew for successive periods of the same length as the Initial Term (each a \"Renewal Term\") unless either Party gives notice of non-renewal at least thirty (30) days before the expiration","quoteText":null,"sourceRole":"PRIMARY","verifiedAt":"2026-09-14T00:00:00","supportsText":"Automatic renewal for successive periods of the same length as the initial term unless either party gives notice of non-renewal at least 30 days before expiration; notice of a proposed increase in charges no later than 30 days before the end of the current term with the increase effective on the fir","domain":"ringcentral.com","publisherName":"RingCentral (vendor contract terms)"},{"title":"47 CFR 52.35, Porting intervals","url":"https://www.law.cornell.edu/cfr/text/47/52.35","excerpt":"must complete a simple wireline-to-wireline or simple intermodal port request within one business day unless a longer period is requested","quoteText":null,"sourceRole":"INDEPENDENT","verifiedAt":"2026-09-14T00:00:00","supportsText":"Simple wireline-to-wireline and simple intermodal port requests, where intermodal includes ports involving interconnected VoIP service, must be completed within one business day unless a longer period is requested; non-simple ports carry a four-business-day interval; a request received between 8 a.m","domain":"law.cornell.edu","publisherName":"Legal Information Institute, Cornell Law School (reproducing the Code of Federal Regulations)"},{"title":"47 CFR § 9.16: General obligations for direct 911 dialing, notification, and dispatchable location","url":"https://www.law.cornell.edu/cfr/text/47/9.16","excerpt":"No later than January 6, 2022, an off-premises device ... shall provide ... automatic dispatchable location, if technically feasible; otherwise, it shall provide dispatchable location based on end user manual update, or enhanced location information","quoteText":null,"sourceRole":"INDEPENDENT","verifiedAt":"2026-09-14T00:00:00","supportsText":"Multi-line telephone system obligations: 911 dialing from any station equipped with dialing facilities without an additional digit, code, prefix or postfix; notification to a central location at the facility; automated dispatchable location from on-premises fixed telephones no later than January 6, ","domain":"law.cornell.edu","publisherName":"Legal Information Institute, Cornell Law School"},{"title":"47 CFR 9.11: E911 service requirements for interconnected VoIP","url":"https://www.law.cornell.edu/cfr/text/47/9.11","excerpt":"specifically advise every subscriber, both new and existing, prominently and in plain language, of the circumstances under which E911 service may not be available","quoteText":null,"sourceRole":"INDEPENDENT","verifiedAt":"2026-09-14T00:00:00","supportsText":"Interconnected VoIP provider duties: transmit all 911 calls with ANI and location information to the PSAP over the dedicated Wireline E911 Network; provide end users one or more methods of updating the Registered Location including at least one using only the customer premises equipment needed to ac","domain":"law.cornell.edu","publisherName":"Legal Information Institute, Cornell Law School"},{"title":"45 CFR 164.308, Administrative safeguards","url":"https://www.law.cornell.edu/cfr/text/45/164.308","excerpt":"Document the satisfactory assurances required by paragraph (b)(1) or (b)(2) of this section through a written contract or other arrangement with the business associate that meets the applicable requirements of § 164.314(a).","quoteText":null,"sourceRole":"INDEPENDENT","verifiedAt":"2026-09-14T00:00:00","supportsText":"164.308(b)(1): a covered entity may permit a business associate to create, receive, maintain or transmit electronic protected health information on its behalf only if it obtains satisfactory assurances in accordance with 164.314(a); 164.308(b)(3): those assurances must be documented through a writte","domain":"law.cornell.edu","publisherName":"Legal Information Institute, Cornell Law School (reproducing the Code of Federal Regulations)"},{"title":"Transfer phone numbers to Microsoft Teams - Microsoft Teams","url":"https://learn.microsoft.com/en-us/microsoftteams/phone-number-calling-plans/transfer-phone-numbers-to-teams","excerpt":"In a full port request, all numbers associated with the BTN are ported to Microsoft, including the BTN, and the respective account with the current provider is closed.","quoteText":null,"sourceRole":"PRIMARY","verifiedAt":"2026-09-14T00:00:00","supportsText":"Country-specific number management pages and downloadable letter of authorization forms for 34 listed countries and regions; the billing telephone number must match the current service provider's records and any account freeze must be removed or the port request is rejected after submission; organiz","domain":"learn.microsoft.com","publisherName":"Microsoft Learn"},{"title":"Stream classification in Call Quality Dashboard (CQD)","url":"https://learn.microsoft.com/en-us/microsoftteams/stream-classification-in-call-quality-dashboard","excerpt":"If any one of the thresholds breaks, then we mark the audio as Poor, but this doesn't mean the audio stream was actually of poor quality, nor does it mean the user perceived a quality issue.","quoteText":null,"sourceRole":"PRIMARY","verifiedAt":"2026-09-14T00:00:00","supportsText":"Audio streams with packet utilization above 500 packets are classified Poor when round trip is above 500 ms, packet loss rate is above 0.1, or average jitter is above 30 ms; Microsoft's stated caveat that a threshold breach does not mean the stream was of poor quality or that the user perceived a pr","domain":"learn.microsoft.com","publisherName":"Microsoft Learn (vendor product documentation, page dated June 16, 2026)"},{"title":"Call Quality Dashboard (CQD) setup","url":"https://learn.microsoft.com/en-us/microsoftteams/turning-on-and-using-call-quality-dashboard","excerpt":"CQD only keeps EUII for 28 days. Anything older than 28 days is deleted.","quoteText":null,"sourceRole":"PRIMARY","verifiedAt":"2026-09-14T00:00:00","supportsText":"CQD retains end-user identifiable information for 28 days and deletes anything older; several admin roles, including Teams Communications Support Specialist and Reports Reader, cannot view EUII fields, and users assigned to administrative units do not see EUII even when their role would allow it.","domain":"learn.microsoft.com","publisherName":"Microsoft Learn (vendor product documentation, page dated September 15, 2025)"},{"title":"Google Voice for Google Workspace plans and pricing","url":"https://workspace.google.com/products/voice/","excerpt":"Standard $20/ user per month ... 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Coexistence, media routing and survivability are separate choices, shown with Teams Direct Routing and, as a separate service, Atlantech's hosted lines.","url":"/q/what-ucaas-deployment-model-suits-enterprises-with-hybrid-infrastructure"},{"id":"790feafe-8a6a-45e3-a954-23056b271d9a","slug":"how-does-ucaas-compare-to-on-premises-pbx","question":"How does UCaaS compare to on-premises PBX?","publishedAt":"2026-09-07T19:54:51.173","confidenceScore":null,"confidenceLabel":null,"industry":{"id":"ff619d7c-d7d7-485e-a05a-53fba07f33ed","slug":"telecommunications","label":"Telecommunications","description":"Business voice, fiber, UCaaS, and network services"},"topic":{"slug":"ucaas","label":"UCaaS","description":null,"schemaKind":null},"contributor":{"id":"ec39deab-44fe-48d8-9029-fefe993ab85a","slug":"answer-stack","displayName":"AnswerStack","websiteUrl":null},"snippet":"UCaaS and an on-premises PBX do the same calling job in different places. A PBX is equipment at your site that your team or a contractor maintains. UCaaS runs in the provider's cloud for a per-user monthly fee and adds video, chat and mobile apps. Cost, upkeep, outage exposure and control of data all follow from that difference, and a business can keep its PBX while changing the service that feeds it.","url":"/q/how-does-ucaas-compare-to-on-premises-pbx"},{"id":"a94ef24e-8f5b-40e8-9b5d-ec273215a8c8","slug":"what-ucaas-compliance-requirements-apply-to-healthcare-organizations","question":"What UCaaS compliance requirements apply to healthcare organizations?","publishedAt":"2026-08-25T14:28:52.466","confidenceScore":null,"confidenceLabel":null,"industry":{"id":"ff619d7c-d7d7-485e-a05a-53fba07f33ed","slug":"telecommunications","label":"Telecommunications","description":"Business voice, fiber, UCaaS, and network services"},"topic":{"slug":"ucaas","label":"UCaaS","description":null,"schemaKind":null},"contributor":{"id":"ec39deab-44fe-48d8-9029-fefe993ab85a","slug":"answer-stack","displayName":"AnswerStack","websiteUrl":null},"snippet":"In the United States, HIPAA sets the main requirements. A covered entity using UCaaS has to include it in its Security Rule risk analysis and safeguards, and needs a business associate agreement before using features that store patient information, such as voicemail, recordings and transcripts. HHS's Office for Civil Rights doesn't endorse or certify products.","url":"/q/what-ucaas-compliance-requirements-apply-to-healthcare-organizations"},{"id":"1c6a0083-3103-4910-9cc3-52258bd777bb","slug":"what-is-the-difference-between-ucaas-and-voip","question":"What is the difference between UCaaS and VoIP?","publishedAt":"2026-08-21T19:54:51.582","confidenceScore":null,"confidenceLabel":null,"industry":{"id":"ff619d7c-d7d7-485e-a05a-53fba07f33ed","slug":"telecommunications","label":"Telecommunications","description":"Business voice, fiber, UCaaS, and network services"},"topic":{"slug":"ucaas","label":"UCaaS","description":null,"schemaKind":null},"contributor":{"id":"ec39deab-44fe-48d8-9029-fefe993ab85a","slug":"answer-stack","displayName":"AnswerStack","websiteUrl":null},"snippet":"VoIP is the technology that carries voice over a data network using internet protocols. UCaaS is a hosted service that sells VoIP calling together with meetings, messaging and the apps to use them. Compare the applications you need with the ones you already have, since the labels overlap.","url":"/q/what-is-the-difference-between-ucaas-and-voip"}],"contributorStats":{"verifiedAnswers":149,"openDisputes":0},"schemaJson":{"@context":"https://schema.org","@type":"Question","name":"How do you evaluate UCaaS providers before buying?","text":"How do you evaluate UCaaS providers before buying?","url":"https://www.answerstack.io/q/how-do-you-evaluate-ucaas-providers-before-buying","answerCount":1,"datePublished":"2026-09-03T14:28:51.344","about":[{"@type":"Thing","name":"UCaaS"},{"@type":"Thing","name":"Telecommunications"}],"acceptedAnswer":{"@type":"Answer","text":"Evaluate a UCaaS provider in three passes. First rule out any provider that can't meet a requirement you can't change, such as the countries you need numbers in, the phones you already own or the software your calls have to show up in. Then compare the providers that remain on what they will put in writing about price, term and service. Finish by testing your own call flow on your own equipment, in a trial or pilot if the provider will agree to one before you sign.","url":"https://www.answerstack.io/q/how-do-you-evaluate-ucaas-providers-before-buying","upvoteCount":0,"datePublished":"2026-09-03T14:28:51.344","dateModified":"2026-09-14T00:00:00","citation":[{"@type":"CreativeWork","name":"Service Level Agreement for Microsoft Online Services (September 2026, English, worldwide)","url":"https://www.microsoft.com/licensing/docs/view/Service-Level-Agreements-SLA-for-Online-Services"},{"@type":"CreativeWork","name":"Google Workspace Service Level Agreement (last modified August 31, 2026)","url":"https://workspace.google.com/terms/sla.html"},{"@type":"CreativeWork","name":"RingCentral with Verizon Service Level Agreement (Verizon service guide, 2021)","url":"https://www.verizon.com/business/service_guide/reg/RingCentral_SLA.pdf"},{"@type":"CreativeWork","name":"RingCentral Online Terms of Service (last updated February 23, 2022)","url":"https://www.ringcentral.com/legal/eulatos.html"},{"@type":"CreativeWork","name":"47 CFR 52.35, Porting intervals","url":"https://www.law.cornell.edu/cfr/text/47/52.35"},{"@type":"CreativeWork","name":"47 CFR § 9.16: General obligations for direct 911 dialing, notification, and dispatchable location","url":"https://www.law.cornell.edu/cfr/text/47/9.16"},{"@type":"CreativeWork","name":"47 CFR 9.11: E911 service requirements for interconnected VoIP","url":"https://www.law.cornell.edu/cfr/text/47/9.11"},{"@type":"CreativeWork","name":"45 CFR 164.308, Administrative safeguards","url":"https://www.law.cornell.edu/cfr/text/45/164.308"},{"@type":"CreativeWork","name":"Transfer phone numbers to Microsoft Teams - Microsoft Teams","url":"https://learn.microsoft.com/en-us/microsoftteams/phone-number-calling-plans/transfer-phone-numbers-to-teams"},{"@type":"CreativeWork","name":"Stream classification in Call Quality Dashboard (CQD)","url":"https://learn.microsoft.com/en-us/microsoftteams/stream-classification-in-call-quality-dashboard"},{"@type":"CreativeWork","name":"Call Quality Dashboard (CQD) setup","url":"https://learn.microsoft.com/en-us/microsoftteams/turning-on-and-using-call-quality-dashboard"},{"@type":"CreativeWork","name":"Google Voice for Google Workspace plans and pricing","url":"https://workspace.google.com/products/voice/"},{"@type":"CreativeWork","name":"Nextiva plans and pricing","url":"https://www.nextiva.com/nextiva-pricing"},{"@type":"CreativeWork","name":"System and Organization Controls (SOC) 2 Type 2, Microsoft Compliance","url":"https://learn.microsoft.com/en-us/compliance/regulatory/offering-soc-2"},{"@type":"CreativeWork","name":"RingCentral Named a Leader in the 2025 Gartner Magic Quadrant for Unified Communications as a Service Report for Eleventh Year in a Row (October 27, 2025)","url":"https://www.ringcentral.com/whyringcentral/company/pressreleases/ringcentral-named-a-leader-in-the-2025-gartner-magic-quadrant-for-unified-communications-as-a-service-report-for-eleventh-year-in-a-row.html"}]}}}