Don’t mess it up! If you’ve decided you need a telephone system or an upgrade to your existing one for your business, you need to make sure you make the right decision.
Take your time and look through our top topics to think about when making the correct choice. As with all business plans you need to give yourself as much information as possible to find the right fit for your company, your communication system is no different.
On-site or Hosted Telephone System?
First decision is whether you want a hosted system or if you want to control the whole thing with an on-site server and phone system. The initial outlay for an on-site system is expensive but it can be worth is in the long run.
Hosted VoIP systems are much cheaper, normally a monthly fee, but it will always be there when you need it, with no extra maintenance costs as that should all be included in the price. The real question is how involved do you want to be in the setup and maintenance of a telephone service?
If you’d rather focus on your business, choose a Hosted Service which is what we are going to discuss for the rest of the article.
Physical or Virtual Telephone System?
Do you need a full phone system for the business? If you have a dedicated site, or several, which you work from and you have several phone users you will likely need a full scale system which has the capacity to suit your needs.
If you work on a smaller scale or you and your employees work remotely you may be able to get by on a virtual phone system which connects through mobiles wherever there is an internet connection. This is a great option for small businesses who do not need the hardware of a big office but they can still benefit from the full features of VoIP.
Expanding?
What are your business’ plans for the future? Are you hoping to grow in the near future? Your telecommunications should not be a separate to your business decisions, especially if it is an essential part of your company.
You may have found a great telephone deal now but if you cannot expand your service as business develops you could need to spend again to get the telephone system you need a few years down the line. A SIP trunking telephone system is the best option, if you expect more business success in the near future, as it can easily be changed to include more users and features.
It also have the same advantage if you are downsizing operations. You can remove users as easily as adding them, a great feature for seasonal businesses who take more calls and employ more people during their peak times.
Upgrading to VoIP
It is an easy process to switch from an ISDN line to VoIP though you will want to do more research if this is the case.
Better broadband
To really take advantage of potential VoIP features your broadband should be up to scratch. Not only would we advise having business broadband no matter the the size of your business, we would also suggest that you get the best possible broadband available to you. The faster your connection the better your phone system will perform, you’ll have full functionality and you’ll always be able to take a call from that all important customer.
What Features?
Since your business is all about your customers, when choosing a telephone system you should think about what features will benefit them. The most popular and basic features include call re-routing, call recording and hold music (basic but essential).
The features of VoIP are endless in all truth and finding a system that can be personalised to your specific needs isn’t hard to find. Take to your provider to see what features they can integrate. Think about the problems you currently have with customer calls and see what features VoIP has to help.
What Costs Are Involved?
Of course all business decisions come down to costings. VoIP telephone systems are a great choice for companies big and small as they are a very affordable option that often beats traditional landlines on price.
They can provide savings for business, especially if you choose a hosted VoIP system and with the extra features and quality of them they can provide endless benefits to your company.
Once you’ve decided on the right telephone system for your business and all the features you’d like to see it have, the next question is ‘How to choose the right telephone provider‘.