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Purchasing a business phone system can be difficult, especially if you are unfamiliar with your current business phone system and with what your available options are. Familiarizing yourself with modern business phone systems can yield big dividends when it comes time to upgrade, expand or replace your current system. You will obviously need to know about the different types of phone systems available for offices and figure out which one you have. The three major types of commercial phone systems on the market today are key systems, Private Branch Exchange (PBX) systems, and KSU-less phones.
Upgrading a business phone system is, whenever possible, a much more cost effective alternative to replacing a business phone system. Replacing a business phone system can be an expensive and time consuming endeavor, to say the least. The biggest obstacle most businesses face when upgrading is that many business phone systems are expandable to a limited degree. Some systems have limitations that will force a business to completely replace their existing equipment.
Business phone systems and the companies who sell them exist in a world all their own. The competition is stiff, with several different retailers and wholesalers carrying the same brands. The competition for used and refurbished business phones and business phone systems is even fiercer, as many companies are searching for equipment that can be used to expand their current system. Often, phone and phone system manufacturers engineer their products so that they aren't universal and will not work with a variety of other products.
Small businesses have special needs, especially in comparison to larger, more established companies. The term "small business" often really refers to "new business", in that many small businesses that have been around for a while are as large as they are likely to ever become simply because of the type of business they are. Some small businesses, however, are destined to become large businesses. These companies in particular need to weigh the considerations of their unique situation when purchasing a business phone system.
Purchasing a business phone system is a bit like gambling in that no one truly knows what the future will hold. Still, there are ways you can ensure that whatever phone system purchases you make will serve you well for years to come.
Buying a business phone system can be an expensive endeavor, especially if you are operating a new business and aren't prepared for the expense. One way to help keep costs low is to purchase a refurbished business phone system. Refurbished systems are can save you a great deal of money, especially if you operate a multiple location business.
Business phone systems can be simple or complex, depending on the number of lines and desk units to be installed. With a little forethought, purchasing a business phone system can allow you to have an expandable platform that is easily capable of handling the growth your company may experience. Many business phone manufacturers make equipment that is only useful within their product line.
As a retailer for commercial phone systems, I am often asked what criteria should be considered when revamping or replacing a business phone system. While there are many individual considerations that are specific to each situation, most of these fall under the umbrella of knowing what you have and what you need, and finding the best price.
Purchasing a business phone system is not an easy endeavor, but with the right mind set and a little knowledge about business telephones, you can find a viable, budget friendly solution to your business' communication needs.
One of the first decisions you will need to make is whether or not to go with a key system or a Private Branch Exchange (PBX) system. Depending on how many individual stations you need and how rapidly you expect your company to grow, one of these two options should fit the bill.
While most commercial phone systems offer standardized features such as voice mail, call forwarding, transferring and hold music, not all are created equal. With three different options for businesses, it's important to understand that the phone system you choose should be reflection of your businesses size and where you expect to be several years down the road. If your company has a very small number of employees, a KSU-less system might be the right choice.
When I was new to the retail end of the telecommunications business, most of my customers expressed the same opinion when it came to programming their phone system. Back then, programming a business phone system was a lot like trash collection...administrators just wanted you to deal with it and involve them as little as possible. My, how the times have changed, and for the better, I'd say.
As a phone system retailer and wholesaler, I am often asked what the cutoff line is for the total number of lines one needs before they should move out of a key system and into a PBX. For the uninitiated, a key system is based off of internal terminal technology, meaning the line routing equipment is contained within the actual phones.
How to buy a business phone system, what pitfalls to avoid, and how to save the most money.
So you've outgrown your current phone system and need to expand. If replacing your current business phone system is not in the operational budget, there are options for upgrading what you already own.
If you own a KSU system, you may find that expanding your handsets is difficult, as these rarely allow more than a handful of phones to operate off the same line. For Key systems and PBX systems (Private Branch Exchange), however, it's normally just a matter of adding more handsets.
Small business can mean a lot of things, but for most companies who fall under that moniker, small business means operating on a stringent budget. Even if the expenses of your business allow for substantial purchasing, no one wants to spend more than necessary and cut into their bottom line. This rule of thumb applies to all level of business purchases, especially business equipment.
Finding the right business phone distributor can be a lot like dating. Inevitably, you will go through your fair share of undesirable suitors before finding the right one. Not only that, the process itself will be well beyond nerve wracking for most. Long after you have decided that one or another retailer or wholesaler is not the one who you should entrust your business to, you will still likely be getting phone calls from them. Still, just like dating, eventually you will find that special someone.
Working in a law office often means long hours and late nights, especially doing probate work. Getting in before seven A.M. and staying until well past business hours, I assumed that I would always be available for whoever might call me. Recently, my office switched our business phone system and I started to notice a drop in the number of calls I was receiving each day.
I recently replaced the business phone systems in the company I own to accommodate the needs of my staff. I wish I could say that it was to accommodate the needs of our customers, but sadly, that isn't the case. You see, our old phone system had many more extensions than we had lines for. It was built with the assumption that inter-office communications would be utilized more than incoming and outgoing calls.
The roving sales reps at my company have something to be happy about. We recently updated our phone system to allow them to use the full resources of our office phone system from their cell phones. All information that they receive at the office is instantly transmitted to their mobile phone no matter where they are. This has greatly simplified their lives in a big way. Our regional reps used to have to check in at the office by phone several times throughout the work day in order to get their messages.
As a salesman, I'm out of the office about forty weeks during an average year. The nature of my business is such that I am not only unable to be contacted at all times, but really wouldn't want to be even if I could. Our office utilizes a remote calling function with our business phone system that allows me to receive all my messages from my desk phone. More importantly, I am able to call one toll free number and place calls from my desk phone as though I were there.
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