Tips to Choose a Small Business Phone System

Despite the popularity of email, voice communication remains a preferred way of communication to resolve issues faster. There are several types of business communication systems available in the market. Here we have shared tips for choosing the right small business phone system.

Make Staffing Plan

You need to look at your staffing plan and determine how many additional phones you will need in the next 3-5 years. A traditional phone line with a simple PBX system can support 4-5 users. If the number of employees exceeds, you may need to get additional lines and also invest in a bigger PBX system that needs significant capital investment.

A VoIP phone system can be beneficial as you can scale up and down as per your business needs. The setup does not involve much investment in on-premise infrastructure as it is a cloud-based phone service.

Determine Features You Need

Determine the features you need in the small business phone system.

Do you need an auto-attendant? Do you want a conferencing facility? Do you need to call waiting, call queuing, or call recording facility? Is voicemail an essential feature? You need to list down all the features you need and compare different small business phone systems before making a final decision.

It is always a good idea to check before you buy a business phone system as adding these features at a later stage can be an expensive proposition.

Examine Your Geographic Location Needs

Modern businesses have multiple locations of operations and you will need a business phone system that can be used at all locations. This can be a big problem with traditional phone systems which are limited to their place of installations. You would be required a different setup at each location that will prevent centralizing your communication.

On the other hand, a VoIP phone system can be used at every location and your staff at different locations can use a single company account. All you need to do is add users and select the right plan. This will keep all business communication in one place which can be useful for analysis and reference purposes.

Determine the Time Required for the Setup

The timeline is an important factor in a business setup. The business cannot function without a communication system in place. In the case of the traditional phone system, it can take weeks to get the phone system ready to make and receive calls. Traditional phone systems are equipment heavy and the provider is required to schedule and install the PBX system at the customer premises.

On the other hand, the VoIP phone system has a few prerequisites. All you need is a working Internet connection and a VoIP phone and you are good to go. If you plan to shift your new premises after a few years, the VoIP phone system can be easily relocated to a new place with a minimal business interruption.

These are some of the important things you need to consider when choosing a small business phone system.RingLeader.co offers SIP trunking phone service, cloud-based PBX solution, DIDS or toll-free, Internet faxing, disaster recovery for small, medium, enterprise businesses, healthcare, and educational institutes. For more information, visit https://ringleader.co/blog/.

I'm a freelance copywriter and I write on a variety of topics.