Things to know when buying an enterprise phone system

 

Phone systems are extremely important to any business, whether small or large. However, when we talk about implementing the right enterprise phone system for our office, we often come across various questions and confusions which makes the decision-making process harder. There are hundreds of local and international players that provide a virtual phone system.

Before we jump into the topic directly, let’s get answers to a few of the questions that will help us understand the nature of these services.

What is a virtual phone system?

In simple words, it is a phone system that works on the internet without having to require a specific set of hardware. It is called VoIP technology. It converts the analog signals to digital and sends the voice over the internet. Having said that, a virtual phone system mostly is used directly on a computer or mobile device but at the same time, it can be connected to hard phones that support VoIP.

What is an enterprise phone system?

It is a pretty generic term used to refer to the large business setups that use a virtual phone number to make and receive phone calls in their contact centers. Holistically known as the enterprise phone system.

What type of numbers available with VoIP?

With VoIP, you can get all kinds of numbers such as local, national, mobile, toll-free and vanity number. Among these categories of numbers, the local and vanity phone number is quite popular. You can instantly procure the US virtual number or Canadian virtual number of your choice from the large pool of choices.

Why is implementing the right enterprise phone system crucial?

When we talk about reducing cost and time-saving tips.. Phone systems become really important. It helps in reducing the service and gets customer acquisition costs down by a minimum of 40%.

Now that we know the know-how of an enterprise phone system, let’s deep dive into the chronicles that you need to keep in mind when choosing the right enterprise phone system.

 

6 Major Things to Keep in Mind When Choosing an Enterprise Phone System:

 

Onsite Vs Offsite

 

Large businesses need a large infrastructure to manage their phone systems onsite. This leads to additional hiring, hardware costs, and regular maintenance. On the other side, there are VoIP companies that are fully capable of managing the entire infrastructure by themselves and serve as a service provider for the business. It is always recommended to go with the offsite hosted solution when it comes to enterprise phone system deployment.

 

Unlimited extensions

 

It is pretty obvious to have hundreds and thousands of workforce in large organizations. Therefore, the VoIP provider must be capable of providing unlimited extensions. These extensions will work as a network of communication not only within the company but also for the customers. Having short extensions makes it really easy for employees to remember it and dial it very quickly. This is a must-have feature in an enterprise phone system.

 

Uptime Vs Downtime

 

If your system is down for even a minute it may lead to heavy losses for the business. While selecting the right enterprise phone system, you must ask and check for full disclosure on downtime and uptime. Ideally, the uptime should be 99.92%. At the same time, consider inquiring about backup plans in case of downtime or power failure. You definitely don’t want your customers to wait in queue for hours without any support.

 

Implementation cost

 

There are companies in the industry that charge heavily for the implementation of services in the name of providing professional services like training and implementation. There may be some charge but it should not be really ridiculous then the budget decided. You must take the full break of the invoicing for implementation and understand how you are being billed for implementation costs.

 

Number availability

 

When it comes to a large volume of calls and customer base- You must assume that you will require a high volume of disposable virtual phone numbers. These phone numbers are the identity for the end-users to get connected to the business. You must make sure with your enterprise phone system provider to provide your choice of numbers available and also demand more numbers as and when needed.

 

Dedicated support

 

Sales is a one-time activity but service is a continuous process that defines the true brand value of any business. If you are providing a good amount of business to the service provider, you must ask for a dedicated support manager that will directly work with your team to resolve the issues in time. The dedicated support staff can be a lifesaver and increases the response time by almost 80%.

Above are some of the things but not limited to that you should keep in mind while choosing an enterprise phone system for your business.