Small Business Phone Systems
ByA telephone system is, arguably, the most important communication tool that you have in your office. It helps your business grow and helps you forge closer links with your clients. When it is time to buy a new system you need to think carefully about the telephone needs of your company. A wrong choice could cost you financially and ruin the good communication you have with your clients. The closer the fit between your company’s telephone needs and the system that you purchase, the more valuable it will be to your company. Consider the questions below before purchasing a system:
- What kind of call volume does your telephone system support now and are you expecting call volume to increase in the future?
- Do you have any equipment or software that needs to be compatible with the new telephone system?
- Are you looking for a phone system that offers some specific functions?
You also need to have a good handle on how many trunks and how many extensions you are going to need to fulfill your current needs as well as your future telephone needs. Trunks are outside lines and extensions are the lines used by modems, fax machines, and, of course, individual handsets. There will always be more trunks than extensions as many extensions can feed through a trunk. However, if you have too many extensions for the trunks to handle, your telephones will constantly be “busy.” This will frustrate clients who will need to constantly call back to get their call through.
In all probability, you are a little unsure as to what kind of system will best suit your company’s needs. You will need to speak to a representative from a telephone company that supplies business telephone services. There are many suppliers in the market since it was liberalized, making your decision as to which company with which to speak a little harder. There are a few things you need to remember before you choose the best company for your needs:
- What are credentials of the company and do they have reputation of providing a good service?
- What does this supplier provide? Will you get a complete package that includes all cabling and hardware?
- What will support and maintenance by the company cost you in the long run?
- Can your new supplier provide training? If so, what is the cost for such training?
Do not hesitate to contact several suppliers when deciding who to sign up with. Ask them to provide demonstrations of their telephone systems and always negotiate on prices. If you are signing up for a long period of time then be sure to thoroughly check through the terms and conditions of the agreement so as to ascertain what your rights are should you feel that the standards of the service have dropped below an acceptable level.
