Every business, regardless of size, needs the ability to communicate internally among employees and externally with clients and suppliers. While email and instant messaging has grown in prominence over the last two decades, there is always going to be the need for a telephone in the office to facilitate a personal connection.
There is a big difference between contacting your local utility provider to install a few handsets, and purchasing a full-featured telephone system. As a small business owner, you watch your budget carefully to ensure the short-term and long-term success of your company. As a result, you may have never considered a robust phone system. However, there are telephone systems for small businesses that allow you to do more with less. Curious about how this works? Read on to learn more and address potential questions and concerns you may have.
What is Your Budget?
Everyone has a budget to live by, and your business is no different. Upgrading to a new small business phone system is challenging if you cannot do so within the confines of your budget limitations. Before proceeding, take time to identify your budget as well as your business's communication needs. Doing so will make it easier to create an effective telephone system that works for your small business budget and needs.
Current Costs Compared to a New System
Before making the switch to a new small business telephone system, take the time to analyze the cost of your current phone services. How much are you paying for equipment? How often do you update that equipment? What, if any, additional fees do you have to pay your carrier for phone lines and other services?
You may find that a new hosted voice service with a consistent monthly investment is more affordable and offers more flexibility than your current phone system does. Marco's Hosted PBX and VoIP telephone systems for small businesses require no capital expenditures, making it easier for your company to upgrade without requiring a significant upfront investment.
What Does Your Ideal Phone System Look Like?
You've set your budget and analyzed the cost of your current system. Now it's time to create a wish list. What features do you want in a new telephone system? Is your current phone system ill-equipped to support teleconferencing? Does it lack a certain professional functionality?
Make a list of the functions that you want your phone system to accomodate, and determine which of those are the most important. When these are identified, a phone system can be better designed to meet your needs - and maybe even offer some of the functions on your wish-list.
As an example, Marco's Hosted Voice Systems provide professional call center functionality for small businesses, with features such as virtual auto attendants, commercials and music for customers on hold and a variety of call-management extras for your employees such as:
- 1-6 digit extension dialing
- 3-way conference calls
- Busy call forwarding
- Caller ID routing
- Find Me digital assistants
- Voicemail to Email
- Voicemail to Text Message
How Many Users Do You Have?
One of the most important factors to consider when looking at a new small business telephone system is the number of users you currently have, as well as the current usage of your system. What do the day-to-day operations around your office look like? How many individuals are using the phones, and what are they using them for?
Hosted voice services make it easier for your company to adopt a new telephone system. Modern features provide your business with enterprise-like capabilities, while an effective, intuitive user interface makes it easy for your employees to adopt a new system.
Additionally, don't forget to consider support. Whether assisting your IT staff or addressing user questions, Marco's Hosted Voice Services have you covered.
What does the Future Hold?
You've undoubtedly considered the future growth of your company. As you do so, it's important to keep your telephone systems in mind. With standard telephone services, new employees require new hardwire connections, more wall jacks and system programming. With a hosted voice system, those are problems of the past.
Whether your business grows, shrinks or fluctuates with peak activity demands, a hosted voice solution is the perfect telephone system for your small business. You get all of the features and benefits discussed above, along with the flexibility to add new lines, eliminate extensions and even use advanced reporting metrics (activity reports, call center reports, call traffic by extension, etc.) to help you track usage and plan for future needs of your business communication. Talk to one of our phone system specialists to find out how implementing a hosted voice solution will benefit your small business.
