| Business Phone Systems: Choosing the Right One |
| by Gabby Hyman, writer |
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| With so many different telephone systems and features available for today's business owners, it's easy to get sidetracked--if not completely paralyzed--trying to determine which business phone system is the right one for your business. |
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Governing factors in the selection process include:
- Level of service you want to provide your employees and customers
- The initial cost of hardware and the on-going operating costs
- A phone system that is compatible with your plans for future growth
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| If your business has already grown beyond a single, small office with only a few employees, chances are the standard POTS (plain old telephone service) phone system has already grow tiresome. Modern, efficient business phone system options beyond POTS include key phone systems, PBX (private branch exchange) systems, VOIP (voice over Internet protocol), and other CTI (computer telephony integration) solutions. |
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Breaking Down Today's Business Phone System Options
While many business owners consider key phone systems primitive compared to emerging VOIP telephony, a key phone system may be just right for a small company. The key phone system has recognizable multiple buttons on the phone set, which allow multiple incoming and outgoing call lines, with the switching equipment managed by the telephone company. A PBX phone system, on the other hand, has an internal switcher that allows employees and customers to navigate from line to line. |
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| For medium and larger businesses, the trend today is moving away from PBX and other internal switching equipment toward VOIP business phone systems and other Internet telephony systems that allow rapid expansion of services between internal computers, telephones, and networks as well as connecting mobile users within and outside the company offices. |
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Features, Functions, and Business Phones for the Office
While business owners are typically looking for short-term solutions to current needs, the rapid advancement of telephony, as well as Internet ordering and commerce, has opened the field exponentially for long-term needs. If you're looking at a PBX business phone system, it's important to scope your current need for extensions and your future need for expansion based on what you'll spend on additional PBX ports, cards, and cabinets. |
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| Are you looking for a basic system or a feature-rich system that allows conferencing, auto attendants, forwarding, directory services, displays, call forwarding, and voicemail? Ask yourself if the system you're considering is still cost effective if you have to install additional wiring, buy hardware, and hire support personnel. |
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| CTI provides advanced options that connect your customer and internal-serving computer systems with your telephone to increase call volume, route calls to improve response time, and track orders and communications. If your company is expanding and requires mobility, VOIP may be the practical answer. Your business phone system goes wherever you or your employees travel, and your calls are always charged as local calls. |
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| Today's business phone system sales agents and telephony providers typically offer bundled packages that are boilerplate solutions for businesses based on size, functionality, and scale. One size may not always fit all but you can generally find a customized plan that fits you to a tee. Help yourself out by evaluating your budget and needs before you make that first call. |
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About the Author
Gabby Hyman has created online strategies and written content for Fortune 500 companies including eToys, GoTo.com, Siebel Systems, Microsoft Encarta, Avaya, and Nissan UK.
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