What’s the most critical aspect of running a company? Of course, you need to develop a concrete sales process to acquire and retain customers. Also, you have to outline a strong marketing strategy to build brand awareness and reputation. Here are 4 Key Considerations for Choosing the Right Business Phone System.
However, all your marketing and sales efforts would prove to be futile in the absence of uninterrupted communication. To begin with, you must find ways to foster internal communication so that your employees can collaborate with each other. It’ll help avoid any gaps and misunderstandings that could lead to loss of clients and revenue. 4 Key Considerations for Choosing the Right Business Phone System.
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The Need for Business Phone Systems
Despite the rise of various communication channels, including email, social media, and instant messaging, phone systems continue to play a key role in business communication. This is because nothing can replace the convenience and flexibility of voice communication. It’s more reliable and often helps you convey key information in less time.
It’s also essential because you must ensure flawless communication between your customers and employees. Although modern customers are tech-savvy and prefer to conduct their own research before connecting on a call with sales executives, phone communication is still indispensable.
It helps instill trust and confidence in your existing and potential customers. Whether you want to follow up with active leads or let employees coordinate with each other – you need a reliable and cost-effective business telephone system. It’ll also play a crucial role in helping you provide top-notch customer support.
But when it comes to choosing a business phone system, the broad spectrum of options available in the market will leave you spoilt for choice. From traditional landline networks to hosted VoIP systems – you’ll come across a wide variety of business phone systems.
It is, however, crucial to select one that’s the right fit for your needs. Various factors, including your business goals, company size, and work culture, will influence the type of phone system you should use for your business.
In this blog, we’ve outlined a few important factors you should consider while looking for a business phone system. Let’s take a look.
1. Budget
First things first – business telephone systems are available across various price points. So, instead of wondering how much it’s going to cost, you should find one that fits your budget. So, it’s important to evaluate your needs and define a realistic budget before you start looking for the ideal phone system.
The most crucial parameters you should keep in mind while setting your budget include:
- The number of phone lines you’re going to need upfront
- The number of additional phone lines you might need in the next 5 years
- The cost of installing new hardware and drawing lease agreements
- The number of employees who work remotely
Additionally, you should also consider whether you need sophisticated features, such as voicemail-to-email and video conferencing. You should also leave enough wiggle room in your budget for maintenance and repair costs.
Keep in mind that you might need to purchase and install additional hardware as your business expands and you recruit more employees. Also, you might have to pay an annual subscription fee to your service provider.
2. Essential Features
Next, it’s time to identify the must-have features for your business phone system. Most vendors will provide you with standard features, such as call logging, call forwarding, caller ID, speed dialing, call transfer, extensions, etc.
However, depending on your business goals, you may also need additional features, including custom greetings, conferencing, and hands-free options. Additionally, you might want to integrate the system with your CRM and marketing automation platforms to improve the quality of customer service.
It’s recommended that you compile a list of the top reasons you need a phone system. Do you want to restrict its use to internal communication purposes? Or do you want to utilize it to improve customer support? Your answers to these questions will determine the essential features you should watch out for while weighing various options.
For instance, if you want to let some of your employees work from home, it might be wiser to use a cloud-based VoIP Phone system that can be accessed from anywhere. On the other hand, if you want more reliability during a crisis, a PBX system would be a safer bet.
3. Scalability
This is one of the factors that most business owners end up overlooking while choosing a phone system. It’s crucial because the needs of your business are going to evolve with time. For instance, you might have to downsize your company in the future due to budget cuts.
On the brighter side, your business could expand, compelling you to hire new employees and onboard more customers. In either case, make sure the phone system you select can handle the changing needs of your business without escalating costs.
4. Quality of Support
Installing a sophisticated phone system wouldn’t be of much use if your phone lines don’t work. Even if the system falters for a few hours, it could adversely impact customer success and revenue.
That’s why it is essential to choose a vendor who provides round-the-clock tech support. Check the vendor’s website for client stories and evaluate their online reviews to find out whether they’re going to handhold you through any technical snags and glitches. 4 Key Considerations for Choosing the Right Business Phone System.
What strategy have you used to find the perfect phone system for your office? Share your recommendations in the comments section below.
