As your business grows, the need for a virtual phone system increases. Phone systems are a huge leap above your cell phone communication, email, and messaging apps.
As a business owner, you probably have dozens of business calls every day. Now consider the different departments of your business, you could be looking at hundreds of calls each day. From customer service calls, telemarketing to coordinating with team members, you’ll need office telephone systems to handle all this.
When it comes to choosing a telephone system, you have many options. However, before rushing to get a telephone system, there are a couple of factors you should put into consideration.
In this piece, we’ll highlight seven key factors to consider when choosing a telephone system. Hopefully, you can then decide which telephone system is best suited for your company.
Importance of Telephone Systems for Businesses
A secure and dedicated voice communication system is critical to the success of any company, big or small. A dedicated phone system could give your company that competitive edge. Here are a couple of reasons why phone systems are important for businesses.
A report concluded that 65% of customers prefer voice communication over other communication channels to businesses.
Cost Reduction
Communication costs can go through the roof, especially for small businesses. One simple phone system that integrates all phones in your company could significantly lower communication costs.
A telephone system also makes it easier to identify any problematic call patterns that are costing you money. A phone system also simplifies the billing process and eliminates the need for a lot of telephone invoices.
Resource Sharing
With a telephone system, you get to share telephone resources. For instance, you can transfer calls to each other, which alone makes company operations smoother. It sure beats running around with a phone to get it to another employer on the other end of the building.
Easily Adapts to Expansion
You can scale up your phone systems accordingly when your company grows. You can start with a small telephone system as you get your company off the ground. Later on, you can upgrade to plans and features that will match your company’s needs as it grows.
Seven Factors You Should Consider When Choosing an Office Telephone Systems
Choosing to get a telephone system is one of the best decisions you could ever make for your business. Deciding on getting a telephone system is the easy part. Deciding on which telephone system to install is where the real headache is.
Here are some factors you should consider when choosing an office telephone system:
1. Security
Phone systems should be secure to avert any cases of fraud. When it comes to security, your company’s internal resources also play a critical part in the overall security of your phone system.
Your office setup should be able to stay away from phishing, malware, and fraud. You can liaise with security experts to find out how you can make your telephone system secure.
2. Cost
The cost of the system will be a major factor in deciding the telephone system. You need to find the perfect balance between reliable and affordable before choosing a phone system. Cheap is not always good, so never skimp too much on your company’s phone system.
VoIP is a great option for start-up companies without any telephone system in place. Generally, the cost of running and installing a VoIP system is cheaper than landlines.
3. Integration and Collaboration
With collaboration, think of conference calling or video conferencing. You should consider how collaborative the system is.
4. Mobility
You should choose a phone system that will allow for flexibility in your communication. Your phone system shouldn’t bind communication through the phone to the office only.
Smart companies settle for phone systems that will allow for mobility. This mobility means you can communicate even when off-site, on a business trip, or anywhere away from the office.
Modern phone systems have mobile apps that allow for communication even when out of the office using your business phone number.
5. Reliability
Reliability is at the core of any good office telephone system. How reliable your phone system will determine its effectiveness in facilitating company operations.
The phone system provider should guarantee the consistent and reliable running of the phone system. Remember, any failure of the system disrupts company continuity. You could lose a lot of money should the system fail even for a couple of hours.
Check with the service provider to ensure there is sufficient backup and fast response to any mishaps with the system.
6. Features
VoIP phone systems are packed with tons of extra features. Unfortunately, the same cannot be said about landline systems. Landlines are a bit old-fashioned and have failed to keep pace with the technological advancements.
Some features of VoIP are integration with video conferencing, email, caller ID, and automated attendants. If you want to take advantage of these extra features, then consider settling for a VoIP system.
7. Scalability of the Phone System
As your company grows, so should your phone system to adapt to the change. Be it expansion or downsizing. The phone system should match your company’s ever-changing requirements.
The phone system should be easily scalable to meet company needs. The expansion of the phone system shouldn’t be too costly to make the expansion unfeasible. Therefore, consider the scalability of the phone system before installing one.
Reconfiguring the systems should be seamless and shouldn’t disrupt the day-to-day company operations.
Do Your Homework Before Settling on a Phone System
Always do your research before settling on an office phone system. There are plenty of office telephone systems providers to choose from. Explore all your options before you finally chose one.
Remember to prioritize reliability over cost. For those extra perks, settle for VoIP, but for call clarity and reliability landline is what you want for your company.
For the best VoIP phone systems, contact us today, and we’ll set you up with a phone system for your company.