Choosing The Right Telephone System For Your Business

Communication has evolved to become one of the most significant avenues for a business. Whether it is a small scale startup or a large corporation, picking the right business telephone systems is now more important than ever. Especially with the bulk of products with a truckload of configuration, there is a need to recognise a method of selection.

Demand of your workforce

With the presence of IP networks, you have to begin with the demand of your work force. If you have a skilled labour force that is spread over multiple hierarchies, then you are looking at a media rich telephone system which can be hooked up with media conferencing tools.

The more developed or latest technology you use, the more vital it is that your staff be trained beforehand. Also note that it does not necessarily mean that you have to opt for a large scale, custom configurable system when your business or workforce does not require it.

Business Needs and Optionals Features

The advantage of business telephone systems is that they are pretty diverse, so it is possible to choose something that matches your business needs. For instance, if you are running a small store, a conventional POTS setup would suffice for you. As the level of sophistication, staff, and office demand grows over time, you can look at more options such as PBX, VoIP and virtual PBX networks.

After deciding with the basic infrastructure (kind of system) that you would need, the next step is to proceed towards the features. First, there are the generic features such as multiple extensions, remote voicemail pickup, route-to-fax capacity, call forwarding, and similar options. Then there are more advanced features such as auto attendant, conferencing, call hunt, etc.

Apart from the scale of business you do, the kind of it matters more. If you are running a sales oriented business where client outreach and communication is ubiquitous, a sophisticated system would be viable for you even if you run a small enterprise.

Type of Service

As mentioned earlier, there are different type of services such as VoIP, PBX, Virtual PBX and open source VoIP. You need to be aware of their functionalities when choosing a telephone system. Any telephone system is backed by its service, which you have to decide based upon the finance, scope, type and nature of your business.

• VoIP

Voice over Internet Protocol should be considered by those that are running small office businesses or are sole proprietors. The only important point of consideration here is the network bandwidth, which should be of high quality.

Open source VoIP is a latest development and uses latest technology. These are money saving options and offer cutting edge communication for your small scale business. It is recommended for an IT trained staff.

• PBX

The private branch exchange is a sophisticated system involving onsite switching equipment to route calls among the employees and outside lines. These systems are a necessity for large business and may be opted by medium enterprises. The benefits of this system are that it can also add advanced features such as auto-attendant.

Using these parameters and information on services, you can make a cost effective decision on the right telephone system for your business.