How to Choose a Business Telephone System

2.  Do you know how much business relies on
communication these days? It’s literally
100% reliant. Without communications
technology, the business world simply grinds
to a halt. Whether it’s emails, faxes or
anything else – business works by being
connected to others.
 Different businesses have different needs,
there’s going to be a big margin of change
between companies when thinking about the
type of communications technology. Some
companies will need internet access, emails
and maybe an intranet – but some will favour
different technologies.
 Let’s start with the most basic, or classical,
type of communication. Telephones. How do
you choose business telephone systems?

3.  Phone systems, believe it or not, can be extremely
complex. There’s not a chance in hell that you’re
going to get a massive system on a measly budget –
you need to work with what you’ve got. A lot of
businesses are going to have to bring in another
company to install and maintain their system, but this
can be expensive so be sure to shop around.
 It’s important that you consider your budget in the
sense ‘Is it big enough to adequately provide the
telephone systems that you need?’ Without a good
telecommunications system integrator, you might end
up with faults, unreliability and will eventually have to
face an obstacle to doing business. So, analyse what
you want to achieve – and make sure you have a
realistic budget for a system that suits your needs.

4.  There are a few different types of system available to a business. It
makes it all the more important to find out which one will work best
for you.
 Are you looking for security and reliability over speed? Then a
traditional telephone system might be best. This type of system is
known as TDM. Do you need speed and flexibility? Then perhaps a
voice over IP system (VoIP) is better, this allows for your telephone to
be managed as a process on your network.
 The benefit of this type of system is flexibility in
the way you handle calls. Software interfaces
can be applied very easily on a VoIP system –
which will then create a simple method to track
caller information, update customer details and
transfer calls to relevant departments.

5.  One of the biggest things to think about when
deciding how to choose a business telephone
system is unified communications. Known as
UC, it is a method of integrating all of a
businesses communications devices into a
single manageable source that is easily
overlaid with interfaces and software solutions.
 Unified communication integration includes
real time (phone, instant messaging, video
conferencing and cloud computing)
technologies and non-real time (email,
voicemail, SMS and fax) with a unified user
interface providing simple access to all of
these communications tools.
 UC encourages the facilitation of
communication, by making it easy to manage
and simple to use.

6.  Communications technology can be
immensely complex, and it’s likely that a
business will not have the budget to
maintain a full time member of staff to
preserve it when it goes wrong. This is
where managed solutions can be very
handy.
 Of course, you will have to pay for this service – and you may consider it a
luxury – but it can be well worthwhile when you need something fixed
quick. It can also save money in the longer term by avoiding system
crashes and preventing any damage.
 You also are better placed to upgrade and update your telephony
equipment with such an arrangement. It’s easy to think of the managed
service as just for maintenance, but the fact is they will also be able
upgrade your system with minimal hassle using their expertise and a
knowledge of the needs and requirements of your system.

7.  Look At Your Providers Accreditations
 If you think you’ve found the perfect people to install your
business telephone system, then you should probably
look at their list of partners or accreditations. Ask the
providers for any references, they should be willing to say
at least a few people who they have worked with. Keep in
mind that businesses will sometimes not disclose clients
they are currently working with.
 If you’ve got the list of accreditations, you need to have a
look at them and research whether they are successful
as a business. You could even approach them as a
business and ask for a reference.
 Seeing if there are any recognisable brands the provider
has worked with in the past is advantageous too.
Recognisable brands are a mark of quality, and you
should consider this when thinking of about the quality of
your provider.