This is Part Two of a three-part series on choosing the right business phone system. Read part one.
Understanding business phone system features that will bring value to your business by connecting it to the world is the key to choosing the right business phone system. In Part II of our “Choosing the Right Business Phone System,” series, we discuss some more advanced features available on a business phone system.
When it comes to advanced features on a business phone system, many companies think they should opt out because they believe these features will add significant cost to the total system with an on-going cost over the life of the system. What many don’t realize is that this cost can be offset by enhanced customer service, increased productivity and the additional time saving they bring to an organization.
One of the advanced features offered by many business phone systems is adding in a remote location. With the remote location feature, you can connect to offsite employees or small remote offices by dialing an internal extension. This allows your client to perceive that all employees are located on the same site when they might not.
Another advanced feature is Find Me/Follow Me. This feature allows users to forward their phone on demand to the secretary’s, their home phone, cell phone or any other phone. No matter where you are, customers calling in can find you.
Many organizations are also discovering that computer telephone integration is a must. This advanced feature provides you with the ability for your phone system to interact with your computer system. You can click on a telephone number on your computer screen and the phone system will automatically dial the number. This prevents dialing the wrong number and saves time. Some phone systems also have the capability of passing a caller ID to the computer and displaying the customer’s account on the screen before the employee answers the phone.
As your organization considers its next business phone system, it’s a good idea to be thinking about where you want your phones. The most likely places you’ll want to locate a phone extension are at the receptionist’s desk and in each office. Don’t forget you’ll also need phone extensions for your fax machines, credit card terminals, and data ports. It’s also a good idea to have a phone extension for a conference room, a shop or warehouse floor and in any public areas like waiting rooms, hallways and entrance ways.
Once you’ve decided where you’d like to place your phones and where you’ll need phone extensions, you’ll want to determine how many simultaneous incoming and outgoing phone calls you think the office will have. At any given moment, the sum total of incoming and outgoing calls (simultaneous) is the number of lines or trunks your company needs. Configurations like 3, 8, 12, 16, 24 or 48 lines are quite common. With larger business phone systems there are expansion slots to add more lines later. But it’s important to remember to account for your company’s future growth. A good rule of thumb is to account for 25% growth. Don’t be too conservative. The last thing you want is for callers to get a busy signal if all the lines are being used.
At WheelHouse Solutions, we love to serve our customers. Our primary commitment is to deliver the technology solutions your company needs for success and to help you integrate that technology into your daily operations. We are committed to the long-term success of each and every client. You can count on us to be here for you now and in the future.
When you are ready for a new Phone System, call the telecommunications expert advisors at WheelHouse Solutions. Contact us today at 314-492-2506 and we will perform a comprehensive review of your current telecommunications needs, at no cost to you, and present you with ways to reduce your costs and learn how our expertise in the telecom industry can benefit your organization.