Level365: Seamless Unified Communications & Collaboration Solutions

Welcome to the Comprehensive Buying Guide for Level365. In an era where business agility is defined by communication, choosing the right Unified Communications as a Service (UCaaS) provider is a critical strategic decision. Level365 positions itself as a premium provider of cloud-based voice, video, and collaboration tools tailored specifically for the mid-market.

This guide is designed to provide IT leaders and business executives with a transparent, detailed evaluation of Level365’s offerings. You will learn about their core UCaaS capabilities, the technical prerequisites for a successful deployment, and how their 'white-glove' service model differentiates them from 'self-service' giants. Whether you are looking to replace a legacy on-premise PBX or unify a fragmented remote workforce, this guide will help you determine if Level365 is the right partner for your digital transformation journey.

• Unified Communications (UCaaS): A single platform for voice, video conferencing, and instant messaging. This eliminates app fatigue and ensures a consistent user experience across the Level365 Web App, Mobile App, and Desktop App.
• Advanced Analytics & Reporting: Real-time dashboards and historical reporting provide visibility into call volumes, peak times, and user performance. This is essential for data-driven staffing and operational decisions.
• Managed Services & White-Glove Support: Unlike many 'plug-and-play' providers, Level365 provides managed implementation, meaning they handle the heavy lifting of configuration, porting, and setup.
• Contact Center Features: Includes sophisticated ACD (Automatic Call Distribution), call queuing, supervisor monitoring (barge/whisper), and call recording for compliance and training.
• Mobility & Flexibility: Features like 'Find Me/Follow Me' and seamless call switching between devices ensure that employees remain reachable regardless of their physical location.
• Business SMS/MMS: Enables employees to send and receive professional text messages using their business phone numbers, keeping personal and professional communications separate.

• Healthcare: A multi-clinic practice uses Level365 to route patient calls to the correct office based on time of day, while ensuring all communications remain HIPAA-compliant.
• Legal Services: A law firm utilizes the mobile app and CRM integration to track billable time spent on calls and ensure attorneys are reachable while at the courthouse.
• Education: A K-12 school district implements Level365 to unify communications across multiple campuses, using the paging and emergency notification features for student safety.
• Professional Services: A consulting agency replaces their old PBX with Level365 to allow their remote workforce to use 'one number' for voice, SMS, and video, improving the professional image of the firm.

Level365 typically operates on a per-user, per-month subscription model.

• Main Cost Drivers: The primary drivers are the number of users, the specific feature tier (e.g., Standard vs. Professional vs. Enterprise), and any add-on modules like advanced Contact Center features or Call Recording storage.
• Tiers:
  • Standard: Essential voice and basic UC features.
  • Professional: Includes mobile apps, SMS, and CRM integrations.
  • Enterprise: Adds advanced analytics, video conferencing, and higher-level support.
• Additional Costs: Consider one-time implementation fees, hardware costs (purchase or monthly lease), and international calling rates outside of standard packages.
• Contract Terms: Discounts are often available for multi-year commitments compared to month-to-month billing.

• Internet Connectivity: High-speed internet with low latency (ping < 100ms) and low jitter. A dedicated voice VLAN is highly recommended.
• Power over Ethernet (PoE): PoE switches are required to power desk phones without individual wall adapters.
• Router/Firewall: Must support SIP ALG (usually disabled) and have specific ports open for signaling and media traffic.
• Hardware Compatibility: While Level365 supports many SIP-compliant phones, they primarily recommend Yealink and Poly hardware for full feature parity.
• Browser Support: The latest versions of Chrome, Firefox, Edge, or Safari for the web-based management portal and softphone.
• Mobile OS: iOS (current and previous version) and Android (current and previous version) for the mobile application.

• Stakeholder Buy-in: Engagement from IT (for network readiness), HR (for remote work policies), and Department Heads (for workflow mapping).
• Network Assessment: A thorough audit of local area networks (LAN) and internet bandwidth to ensure Voice over IP (VoIP) traffic is prioritized.
• Internal Training Lead: Identification of a 'champion' within the organization to lead internal adoption and act as the first line of support for basic user questions.
• Defined Call Flow Requirements: A clear understanding of how calls currently route through the business and how that should be optimized in a cloud environment.
• Device Strategy: Decision on whether to purchase new hardware, lease hardware, or move to a 'softphone-only' model.

A typical Level365 implementation spans 4 to 8 weeks:

• Phase 1: Discovery (Week 1): Requirements gathering, site surveys, and network readiness assessment.
• Phase 2: Configuration (Weeks 2-3): Building the call flows, auto-attendants, and user profiles in the Level365 environment.
• Phase 3: Hardware & Testing (Weeks 3-4): Shipping of pre-configured desk phones (if applicable) and 'sandbox' testing of the system.
• Phase 4: Training (Week 5): Admin and end-user training sessions (on-site or remote).
• Phase 5: Porting & Go-Live (Weeks 6-8): Transitioning existing phone numbers to the new platform and final cutover support. Note: Carrier porting timelines are the primary factor affecting this phase.

Level365 prides itself on a 'Service First' mentality:

• Support Tiers: All customers typically receive US-based technical support. Premium tiers may include dedicated account management.
• Onboarding: A dedicated project manager is assigned to every new implementation to oversee the transition.
• Training: On-demand webinars, a comprehensive knowledge base, and live training sessions for both administrators and end-users.
• Response Times: Standard SLAs guarantee high uptime (99.999%) and prioritized response times for critical issues.
• Professional Services: Available for complex custom integrations, site-wide network optimizations, or specialized training needs.

Level365 offers a robust suite of integrations designed to keep communications within existing workflows:

• CRM Integrations: Native connectors for Salesforce, Microsoft Dynamics, HubSpot, and Zoho, enabling screen pops and automatic call logging.
• Productivity Suites: Deep integration with Microsoft Teams (Direct Routing) and Google Workspace for synced contacts and presence.
• API Access: RESTful APIs are available for custom integrations with proprietary business applications.
• Webhooks: Support for real-time notifications to third-party apps like Slack or specialized industry software.
• Browser Extensions: Click-to-dial functionality for Chrome and Edge to streamline outbound calling from any webpage.

• Data Encryption: All voice traffic and data at rest are encrypted using industry-standard protocols (TLS/SRTP).
• Compliance: Level365 environments are designed to support HIPAA and SOC 2 compliance, making them suitable for healthcare and financial services.
• Physical Security: Services are hosted in geographically redundant, Tier-III data centers with 24/7 monitoring and physical access controls.
• Access Management: Support for Single Sign-On (SSO) and Multi-Factor Authentication (MFA) to prevent unauthorized access to the communication portal.
• Disaster Recovery: Built-in geo-redundancy ensures that if one data center fails, traffic is automatically rerouted to a secondary location without service interruption.