Why Is a Small Business Phone System Provider Important?
Searching for the best small business phone system provider is no easy task. You need quality infrastructure to allow for dependable call reception and routing. A lack of it will cost you sales leads and customer service excellence.
HubSpot recently reported that “Even in today’s digital world, customers often prefer phone support when reaching out to customer service. The immediacy and familiarity of talking on the phone with a real human builds trust between a customer and customer service agent.”
Nowadays, you have numerous telephone system choices. While the legacy setup may be reliable and convenient in some ways, your company may be ready to take the leap to a more updated platform. A comprehensive virtual phone system can offer a full range of business communications capabilities using high-speed internet connections.
Leading small business phone system providers can even include PBX functionalities without the equipment, plus a range of other features specifically designed for companies. These systems let your employees and teams stay connected seamlessly through a variety of powerful tools. Voice Over Internet Protocol (VoIP) is the technology behind such virtual phone systems.
Relying on VoIP for Your Business
With VoIP, your phone system handles and routes calls remotely via the Internet for a small fee. In addition to saving time and money, a virtual business phone system allows you to scale more efficiently, add more functionalities, and implement it in a more customized fashion.
The VoIP system is an excellent choice for all businesses, especially for small companies and entrepreneurs mainly due to its flexibility. Your business can grow easily and instantly by adding new users and features.
Although it works well with other devices, this system has the advantage of being compatible with mobile phones because it utilizes cloud technology. Thus, it’s perfect for businesses with virtual offices, mobile employees, or those looking to keep in constant contact with clients no matter where they are.
Saving money is a top concern for many small business owners. It’s possible to keep costs low while you’re growing if you partner with the right small business phone system provider. Let’s explore some questions to ask your candidates in the process of finding one in the next section.
Related: Why Should I Use an IP Phone for Business?
5 Questions to Ask Your Small Business Phone System Provider
The most effective way to find a solution to your problem is to ask the right questions. This is why this guide will help you identify what to discuss with small business phone system providers to ensure you get the best service for your company.
VoIP phone systems can help you cut down communication costs, give you reliable phone service and make it easier for employees to work remotely. Since VoIP has become such a popular communication method for both businesses and individuals, many service providers have seemingly sprung up overnight.
There may be plenty of providers to choose from, but that doesn’t mean every service is equally as good or might be the right fit for your business. If you want to choose an appropriate phone system for your growing company, make sure you ask these critical questions.
1. Can I Keep My Current Phone Number?
It isn’t uncommon for people to get a new phone number, but getting a new number for your small business can have its unique challenges. If you’re a small business owner, you may already have a few but devoted groups of customers who rely on your brand. Changing a phone number could make it difficult for people to contact you.
When you’re looking for a small business phone system provider, be sure to ask them if you can keep your old number. You may choose to go with a partner who allows you to keep your old number if it means you can avoid confusing customers. Of course, vanity and toll-free phone numbers are a great way to go if you are just starting out or if you want to cement your brand identity.
2. Was the Solution Designed for Customers Like Me?
One-person shops and businesses with small teams have very different needs and concerns than large enterprises. Ideally, you’ll find a provider that built a system with a small business like yours in mind but packed it with the features large enterprises enjoy.
You’ll get the best of both worlds, a simple, reliable, and affordable solution that lets you serve customers and run your business just as efficiently as the big corporations.
3. What Devices Can I Use to Make Calls?
Today’s workforce is agile and mobile, with 83% of employers saying their pandemic shift to remote work has been a success. One of the most significant benefits of a virtual phone system is you can take and make business calls on your mobile phone without using your personal phone number. Separating business calls from private ones is smart. You’ll always know if a call is work-related or not, and you can route your work calls in a surprising number of ways.
But sometimes, having a physical desk phone is also excellent, especially if you make a large number of calls. Be sure to ask any provider on your list whether the system supports physical phones. Even if you don’t need one now, it’s great to have the option as your business grows.
Related: The Top 10 Benefits of an Internet Business Phone System
4. What Support Options Are Available for Your Customers?
You never know when you’re going to need to contact someone for help with your VoIP phone system. You may need to rapidly expand your current phone lines because of a recent boom in business. You may find there’s an issue that’s temporarily affecting your operation.
Regardless of what you need help with, it’s essential to make sure you go with a provider with stellar customer service. Ask if you’ll have access to someone who can help you anytime. See how large their customer service team is and what hours they’re operational. There’s no reason to accept anything less than 24×7 support.
5. Do Any Extra Features Come Bundled With My Service?
Most VoIP providers can do much more than just give you a way to make and receive calls. There are plenty of business owners who switch to VoIP services because of the extra services they offer.
Features such as call routing, hold music, and automated attendants have become standard for most VoIP providers. These practices are excellent for both your brand image and your customer service reputation. You may also consider premium services such as call recording, a live receptionist, and videoconferencing.
Switch to VoIP Today
Finding the right small business phone system provider can be easy when you ask the right questions. Once you focus on essential features, service, and hardware, you can get something to truly suit your needs.
Are you ready to switch to a new phone system today? Do you want to find a provider who can give you the reliable service you need?
Phone.com provides all the features, ease of implementation, and focus on customer service for entrepreneurs and small businesses at a fraction of the cost. We have various, enterprise-grade convenient plans for you to choose from, so it’s easy to get started. Sign up now.