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. This article explains how to pick the right phone system for your small business.
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:
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:
You might consider these advanced features too:
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.
Before you hire a phone vendor, compare phone systems quotes at a Business Network. For further details read our small business telephone systems advice.
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