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Choosing the Best Office Phone System for Your Business

Communication is the backbone of any small business. The best products and services are of little use to customers if they can’t quickly and easily reach you to find out more about what your company offers. In addition, when customers have questions or concerns, they want to know that assistance is just a phone call away. That’s why choosing the right office phone system for your business is important.
Assess Your Needs
The first step in the decision process is to ask what you want and need from the system. This includes such factors as:

  • essential features
  • cost and budget
  • business growth expectations
  • necessary training
  • and more

You’ll also want to address any concerns you have with current systems. There’s no sense to invest time, money, and energy into technology that doesn’t address pitfalls and shortcomings of existing tools.

Do Your Homework
It’s important to have at least a very basic understanding of what you hope to get out of a dedicated office phone system. This begins with research, which can be as simple as discovering the current options available, and how other companies are using them.

To begin this process, find out more about your current operations, including:

What is your current set up?
Will you be upgrading an existing system or starting from scratch? In the case of upgrade, what are the specific features not currently available that are necessary to keep your business running smoothly?

What is your call volume like?
Knowing how many calls are coming are being made to your business (inbound) and coming from your business (outbound) will help you understand your call volume. This will then help you determine if an in-house, digital set up is better, or if you can explore other options such as Voice-Over Internet Protocol (VoIP).

How Do Your Employees Work?
Are most workers in the office most of the time, or are they often out in the field? Do you have remote workers who rarely or never come into the office? Answering these questions will help you gauge the office phone system you’ll need.

Know the Details
Once you’ve done brief research on your own, it’s time to reach out to qualified and experienced vendors. Again, you should come armed with informed questions such as:

  1. What are the necessary resources to maintain and upgrade?
  2. What is the process to add a new user or location?
  3. What are your maintenance and support services?
  4. Is the system compatible with other business software and technology?
  5. Can the system scale as my business grows?

You will, of course, have your own site-specific questions to ask. The main idea is to begin a dialogue to ensure you’re receiving the very best office phone system to meet your business needs.

Ask the Experts
With more than 30 years of experience serving Central Florida companies, we understand the struggles and triumphs of small business owners. Our friendly and knowledgeable staff is standing by your answer your questions and concerns about your company’s communication needs. Reach out today to begin a conversation on Atlantic Communications Team can partner in your professional success!