Imagine your life without a mobile phone for one day. Pretty scary, right? Now, think of a business without a phone system in place. It’s even more dangerous. It would be safe to say that the right phone for the business can be a lifesaver. It doesn’t matter if you are just starting out or you already have a well-established business. You got to have a phone system which will help your prospects and customers to reach you directly without having to go through traditional means.
Can you name any business or businessman that operates without a phone system? It’s very unlikely to happen. That is because the right phone system for your business has greater significance than any other mode of communication. There are hundreds of companies that provide phone systems. There are different niche based on the size of the customer or the requirements.
You can get a phone line directly from any telecom provider or get a SIM card for that matter. However, as the business grows, it needs more flexibility in terms of expansion and scalability. And that is where the virtual phone number comes into the picture. It is very easy and convenient to set up a virtual phone system in comparison to a PSTN line.
In this article, we will go over 5 factors that you must keep in mind while choosing the right phone system for your business from a small to midsize business perspective.
Basic and important features- You must ensure that there are at least basic features available in your business phone system. Some of the features that you should look for are- Welcome greeting, IVR (Interactive Voice Response), Voicemail Message, Call recording, Call transfer and most important is that you need call forwarding. To top up this list, you must also look for customized call hold music. This is where you can brand your company. These features are very basic but that you should look for.
Technology- It may be a little difficult to understand the tech side of a telephony system however, in a nutshell, your phone system should be not be limited to internet calls only. In the case of an internet outage, your VoIP will not function hence, you should check for technology in the system that will allow you to at least place calls without the internet. Talkroute provides you the capability and technology to do so. You should also check for an uptime guarantee. Typically in good IT infrastructure, the promise is about 99% to 99.92% uptime.
Number availability- It is important that you get a local phone number that is easy to remember and belongs to your area with your area code. Local numbers inject the trust and confidence in your local clientele. Moreover, you should be able to procure a US phone number and Canada phone number on the go. In fact, if you are a well-established business, you should also look for vanity numbers or toll-free numbers as well. Though almost all the telecom companies provide unlimited incoming and outgoing calls on our cellphones still toll-free number acts as a catalyst in consumer behavior. It is more provoking and convincing.
Call charges- You will find plenty of VoIP providers that provide free calls and others that charge very high. You must be aware of the marketing gimmicks from these companies and read through the terms and conditions carefully. You will certainly find a catch. For example, it is practically impossible for anyone to provide unlimited free calling. This is a fact, therefore, good companies will always have a fair usage criterion that you must respect and understand thoroughly before making a decision. After all, it’s a need for a professional phone system that will drive your business communication.
Web app and mobile apps- Traditional desk phones are beautiful expensive items sitting at our desks but it has certain limitations. The common one is that you cannot carry it with you. Therefore, while selecting the phone system for your business, you must try and take a demo to see if the phone system directly works on the chrome browser and also on Android and iOS apps. This enhances the efforts of the workforce and responds faster. Apps are more convenient as you can carry them with you even if you are not at a desk. It provides you the capability to call and respond anytime you want.
Above are some of the factors that you should certainly keep in mind while choosing the right business phone system for your organization. Like it is mentioned above, you will find a ton of telephony providers that are ready to offer you services at a certain cost but it is important that you first figure out your requirements and then compare it with the provider’s offerings. This will make your decision making much easier.
Stephanie
Stephanie is the Marketing Director at Talkroute and has been featured in Forbes, Inc, and Entrepreneur as a leading authority on business and telecommunications.
Stephanie is also the chief editor and contributing author for the Talkroute blog helping more than 100k entrepreneurs to start, run, and grow their businesses.