Selecting The Right Business Telephone System For Your Company

Buying the right business phone system can be challenging as you have many decisions to make about features, and must even decide whether you want a traditional or an Internet-based system. There are many vendors on the scene who may represent one or more systems and who are glad to sing the praises of what they offer. To make the best decision based on your business’s needs, educate yourself about the basics of each phone system before selecting one.

Consider Available Features And Whether You Will Use Them

Business phone systems differ from home phone system based on the features they enable. Aside from basic features such as call waiting, voicemail, caller ID, and call forwarding, business systems also need additional capabilities such as conferencing, extension to extension calling, call parking until someone picks up, directory features, and maybe even an automated attendant.

In selecting a business telephone system, it is important to select one that has features that people use or that the company would like to incorporate in its way of doing business. For example, some phones offer videoconferencing, soft phone technology to use the computer, integration with other systems such as customer relationship management (CRM), or unified messaging. Phone systems may have a long laundry list of capabilities beyond what many businesses need, so the best system is one that has the features that your employees will actually use.

While some companies prefer to buy a phone system outright, renting a system is another option that is attractive to a growing company with increasing needs, and to one that does not have the budget allocated to purchase a system outright.

Traditional or VoIP?

In acquiring the system, you also must decide whether you want to buy a more traditional analog system that uses copper lines, or a digital one that uses Voice over IP (VoIP), a cloud-based phone system that uses your existing computer network. While analog systems cost less to buy, they can carry a much higher installation fee and monthly fees for service, plus have pay-per-use long-distance and require a contract with early termination fees. In contrast, a VoIP system has unlimited long-distance, low installation costs, low monthly fees, and no contract. VoIP also offers high-definition call quality and can integrate with mobile phones.

Many companies are hesitant to go with the new technology, fearing that they will have no phone service if the Internet is down. However, most systems have backup that uses POTS (plain old telephone service) to maintain communication; in this way, business telephone systems often integrate analog and digital elements.

Working With A Telecom Vendor

Once you have researched the many options available with modern business phone systems, it is time to talk to a few vendors who can show you specific systems that might work for your business. They can answer all of the specific questions you have about their equipment and how it works, about financing options, and about the service they provide.

Whether you are ready to make a selection or you have questions to better inform your decision, Mid-Cities Data Comm is ready to help you with state-of-the-art phone systems, cabling solutions, service, and support. With offices in Dallas/Fort Worth, San Antonio, and Austin, we serve Texas and the Southwest. Just connect with us on our website or give us a call at (800) 603-2013.