After shortlisting VoIP vendors 40+ times for enterprise clients, I created a standardised template. It eliminates bias, ensures fair comparison, and takes 2 hours to complete for 3 vendors.
The Template
Section 1: Cost (25 points)
Criteria
Max Points
How to Score
Per-user all-in price
10
Lowest = 10, each 10% more = -2
Contract flexibility
5
Month-to-month = 5, annual = 3, multi-year = 1
Hidden fees test
5
No extras = 5, 1-2 extras = 3, 3+ extras = 0
Price lock guarantee
5
36-month lock = 5, 12-month = 3, none = 0
Section 2: Quality (25 points)
Criteria
Max Points
How to Score
Call quality (20 test calls)
10
Avg MOS 4.0+ = 10, 3.5-4.0 = 5, below 3.5 = 0
Mobile app reliability
10
95%+ notifications = 10, 90-95% = 5, below 90% = 0
Measured uptime (12 months)
5
99.99%+ = 5, 99.9% = 3, below 99.9% = 0
Section 3: Support (20 points)
Criteria
Max Points
How to Score
Response time (3 test calls)
10
Under 5 min = 10, 5-15 min = 5, over 15 = 0
Answer quality
5
Technical answer = 5, scripted = 3, wrong = 0
Dedicated account manager
5
Yes = 5, No = 0
Section 4: Features (15 points)
Criteria
Max Points
How to Score
CRM integration (native)
5
Your CRM natively supported = 5, via Zapier = 2, none = 0
Recording included
5
Included = 5, add-on = 2, not available = 0
Admin portal usability
5
Office manager test: 4/4 tasks = 5, 3/4 = 3, below = 0
Section 5: Risk (15 points)
Criteria
Max Points
How to Score
UK data residency
5
Confirmed UK = 5, EU = 3, US/unknown = 0
Exit ease (port-out process)
5
Clear, < 7 days = 5, vague = 2, hostile = 0
Company stability
5
Profitable, growing = 5, funded = 3, unknown = 0
Scoring
Score
Recommendation
80-100
Strong candidate — proceed to contract
60-79
Acceptable — negotiate improvements in weak areas
40-59
Weak — significant gaps, consider alternatives
Below 40
Reject — too many risks
How DialPhone Scores (Self-Assessment)
Section
Score
Notes
Cost
23/25
£24 all-in, month-to-month, 36-month price lock
Quality
23/25
MOS 4.3, 97% mobile app, 99.991% uptime
Support
18/20
3-min response, technical answers, dedicated AM
Features
14/15
Native SF/HubSpot/Zoho, recording included
Risk
14/15
UK data, 5-day port-out, profitable
Total 92/100
We publish this self-assessment because we want you to score us against competitors using the same template. If someone scores higher, choose them.
DialPhone — 30-day free trial. Score us yourself.
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