A company’s telephone system is its link to suppliers, customers and the entire world. This system is one of the simplest ways to communicate within a business and beyond. Choosing the right business telephone system is a crucial decision that can have operational and financial repercussions if the wrong choice is made. Choosing the right business telephones in Calgary means doing some research. Do not just settle for the first phone system you get. Remember, not all telephone systems available on the market will be suitable for your business. Here is a guide on how to choose the best business telephone system.
Make the Staffing Plan
The first thing to do is to take a look at your business plan and decide the number of staff members that will require a telephone 3 or 4 years from now. A straightforward two-line business telephone bought at any electronic store is suitable for 4 to 5 staff members, but if you are planning to hire more staff, that is not a viable solution. Think about the future of your business when making your choice.
Decide On Important Features
Will your business have callers use an auto-attendant or will you have a receptionist reach them? Do you require call forwarding or conference calling? Is voice mail necessary? Before buying a phone system for your business, list down all your important features and use this list when comparing telephone systems.
Examine the Geographic Locations of Your Business
Multiple locations will need a phone solution that is different from the one needed to operate in just a single office. Many telephone systems require a piece of costly hardware in every physical location. If the locations are different in size, you might need to buy a different type of system for every office.
Choose Your Telecommunications Technology
PBX (Private Branch Exchange) systems place the telephone technology primarily on a hardware piece that accepts the telephone lines from the telephone utility. Whenever a caller dials your number, the PBX system directs the call to the right individual or department. VoIP (Voice over Internet Protocol) telephones do not use a central piece of equipment or telephone lines. Every handset is basically a small computer that plugs into an Internet connection.
Private Branch Exchange systems can be costly, and are often difficult to program. However, they scale well, since additional handsets are cheap. VoIP telephone systems are easy to use and they can be spread across many locations. However, every handset is costly, making them an expensive option in larger offices. Location planning and long-term staffing is necessary to compare these two business telephones in Calgary, and decide on the one that best suits your company.
Test Before Buying
Testing your options before making a purchase is important to determine how easy they are to program. Check how simple it is to remove ex-employees from the system, add new lines and program new features. Many telephone systems are notoriously difficult to program. This forces companies to pay service technicians to program quite typical requests. Choose business telephones in Calgary that are user-friendly in order to cut ongoing service costs.