Effective communication in business is crucial to having good relationships with customers, associates and partners. A well organized and intelligently used phone system can help a business serve its customers more efficiently, and share ideas and information with associates and partners effectively.
Before purchasing a phone system for your business, you should think about why you need a phone system and what you can expect from it. Consider the following questions:
* Do your employees need separate extensions?
* Will your employees benefit from voicemail?
* Will your people work from remote locations?
* How many employees do you have now?
* How many employees will you add in the near future?
Survey the market for the various types of phone systems, latest features and technology. Appreciating the usability of the features will help you in selecting a phone system that will benefit your business in the long run.
Analog versus digital phone systems
Analog phones transfer sound through continuous waves. These signals are easily disturbed by external interference such as noise and weather conditions, which is why sound is sometimes fuzzy in analog phones. Digital phones digitize the signal into binary units that are recombined at the other end. This makes the quality of sound much better in digital phone systems.
Digital phone systems are more easily customized than analog phones. Customization of software is easier and cheaper than hardware. Digital phones can be reprogrammed easily whereas analog phone systems can be reprogrammed only by the manufacturer or an expert in analog phone technology.
Digital phone systems are costlier than analog phone systems. The initial setup, programming and maintenance of the digital phone system can only be done by trained technicians.
Popular phone systems for small businesses
PBX: PBX (Private Branch Exchange) systems facilitate internal and external calls. These phone systems were very expensive initially, but technology has made them cheaper and accessible to smaller businesses now.
VoIP: Evolving technology and the internet makes VoIP an affordable and convenient option for small businesses. Its shortcoming is its total dependence on the Internet. If there is an internet outage, the phone system also gets disconnected.
Hybrid PBX: Hybrid PBX phone systems combine VoIP and PBX systems, making it a viable option. Businesses can cut down costs by using the VoIP systems, and fall back on the PBX system when there is a network outage.
Desirable features in a business phone system
Some standard features of a phone system that are very useful and can improve your business productivity radically:
* Call forwarding: forwards calls to an alternate number
* Call waiting: allows suspension of the current call to attend the incoming call
* Speakerphone: allows multiple people to interact through a speaker and microphone
* Auto attendant: queries callers and connects them to the required extension without involving an operator
* Remote voicemail access: to keep track of voicemail messages from anywhere
* Speed dialing: to connect to important contacts quickly
* Faxing capabilities: to enable fax
You might consider these advanced features too:
* Email notification on receiving voicemail
* Saving conversations on a hard drive
* Recording conversations and attach them to emails
Ask other businesses about their experience with the phone systems installed at their offices, and the features they found beneficial. Users can give a truer version of the performance and advantages of phone systems than vendors. Your business will benefit by increasing productivity and saving costs by using a phone system appropriately.
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