The decision to invest in a strategic phone system is a sound one. A purpose-built business phone system is much more secure than an ad hoc solution where team members must use their cell phones.
You will also get much better performance out of an enterprise system. That includes basics like call clarity as well as uptime and resiliency in the event of a network outage. On the other hand, a failure in your cell phone network is entirely out of your hands.
But there’s another part of the equation: Your phone system’s service team.
You wouldn’t let just anyone service your computers. It’s the same for your phone.
When selecting a vendor, look for these traits:
1. Proven Experience In Phone System Installation And Maintenance
A modern phone system uses many of the same physical and technical resources as your internet connection. It must be planned out, developed, and deployed with just as much strategy and care.
Some companies treat business phone systems as an add-on service that requires no extra work or expertise. Be wary of this and look for a company that truly understands phones.
You can get insight into a firm’s level of knowledge by speaking in-depth to a representative about your needs and their options. There should always be several systems available.
If a company only sells one phone system, it’s a sign they will see it as the answer every time.
2. Ability To Optimize Your Phone With Your Network Technology
Your phone system and your other technology can be optimized to work together in many ways. For example, a voice over IP (VoIP) system uses the Internet as a call’s transmission medium.
Many phone systems have the capability to communicate across the wireless network, extending the features of your team’s personal phones or even using them for backup capacity.
Phone installation should go beyond hardware to ensure all these software interfaces are set up correctly. There should also be sufficient time to test them while the vendor is on site.
3. An Eye On Phone System Security
In general, phone systems have fewer points of fault than computers when it comes to system security. As they develop more wireless and Web-enabled features, though, the risk increases.
System security can be reinforced in many ways. Today’s top phone systems include a role-based user interface system which ensures each phone is used only for its intended purposes.
Your vendor should be prepared to conduct a security briefing and provide documentation for any security issues that might be long-term concerns, as well as ways to deal with them.
4. Effective System Onboarding
Some of the most sophisticated business phone systems have their own automatic onboarding protocols. These walk users through a variety of useful features based on their defined system role.
In some cases, this is enough. However, knowledge is the cornerstone of system adoption. Two or three days of direct training can be the key to ensuring your team members use phone features regularly.
To learn more about enterprise phone systems, contact ACT.