How Many Employees Do You Have?
How many employees will be using the new system? You want something that can handle everyone. While it’s unlikely that every employee in the building will be on the phones at the same time it’s certainly possible. It’s better to prepare for the most demanding scenarios. Even if it doesn’t happen it gives you plenty of headroom.
Don’t just consider current employees in this calculation either. You need to account for future growth. It’s always easier to make room for growth now than it is to expand on short notice. Planning on expanding or adding a new hire soon? Make sure that the phone system you upgrade to will be able to support that.
Where Are Your Calls Coming From?
How many calls do you typically receive? Are they external calls or will most calls coming from in the organization? How often do you need to make external calls? Do you have a receptionist that can handle your typical call volume? These are all questions that you should be asking yourself when choosing a new office phone system. This helps you narrow down the list of features that you need and makes the final decision that much easier.
VoIP Or Landline?
One of the biggest decisions you’ll have to make is whether you choose a landline or VoIP office phone system. The advantages of going VoIP over landline are:
- Increased scalability
- Less hardware to install/maintain
- Access to more advanced features
- Lower cost
Although many would argue that VoIP is the future, that doesn’t mean landline doesn’t have a place. For small businesses that don’t have many employees and don’t need to make many calls landline is still perfectly functional.
How Much Information Do You Need About Your Calls?
Sometimes, it’s helpful to store information about calls. Information such as where the calls originated from and how long they lasted. This is typically referred to as call analytics. It can be used for training purposes — ensuring employees are following proper procedures during calls — or to improve your marketing by finding out what is driving most of your phone traffic and whether these calls are converting.
There’s really no single “correct” office phone system. There’s only the one that’s a good fit for your needs. And realistically, there are probably several that broadly meet your needs. In scenarios like this, it helps to have someone with expertise who can discern the minor details that separate phone systems and ensure that you end up with the best possible fit for your business. Please, contact us today at Atlantic Communications Team today for more information.