Office phone systems play a very important role in most businesses, a role that is often just taken for granted until the system breaks down or you experience a system failure and have to replace it. When you suddenly lose your main source of communication because you have an old phone system and can’t connect between your customers, your employees and your suppliers you’re in serious trouble that can adversely affect profitability and production.
Consider these top things while purchasing a phone system for your office;
Price
Price is always a major consideration and with office phone systems if can vary widely depending of the functions and type of system you choose.
Work out a budget with these things in mind:
· How may phone sets will you require in the office?
· Do you expect your system and usage will need to expand as your business grows?
· How many of your employees need phone access
· Do you need landline and mobile phones?
· What is the cost of installing each phone system?
· What current costs have you incurred with leases and service contracts or repairs?
When you know how many phone sets, you’ll need and how much you have been paying for your old system, it makes it easier to work out a budget for your new phone system.
Different systems have different ongoing charges some are all inclusive being solely on the net, while others include trunk and toll charges. Leasing from an IT provider and paying a set fee can be easier to budget for and give you greater flexibility than buying a system outright.
You Usage
When you have decided on a workable budget, then you need to assess just each team member of your staff really needs from their phone. Many office phone system providers will work with you to help you create an office phone system that suits all your needs and provides the functions you require at the best possible price.
Flexibility
Do you need extra services such as:
· Conference calls and other calling features?
· Do you expect to need to increase the numbers of lines in or out of the office?
· Do you want the option of cloud storage?
· Will your employees be able to use their own phones on the system, anywhere? This is an important feature now we have all felt the inconvenience of the Coronavirus
Getting a system that allows you to add or remove features at a realistic cost is important as it’s hard to predict what you will need in the future
Consider how others want to connect with you
An important aspect of your phone system is the positive experience of those people who want to contact you. By having an office phone system that is user friendly to vastly improve customer relations. Consider for your incoming calls, the caller hearing:
· A dial by name, number or department directory
· Call waiting message with estimate time
· Redirectory message
· Instant call rerouting
· Answering service
Usually, your phone system is the first interaction you have with a new customer or client so it’s vital that this experience is as stress free and inviting as possible. Consider the different office phone system functions your business needs to help streamline your customer services.
