Small Business VoIP PBX Systems – What You Should Know About Choosing One For Your Business
Getting a small business VoIP system for your business is a wise move. Traditional small-business phone systems are costly and take time installing and maintaining elaborate and redundant equipment in place. But small-business VoIP services are mostly cloud-based. They’re hosted on the internet, so there’s no need to worry about wiring up complicated telecommunications equipment.
And when it comes to features, small business VoIP pbx systems can offer everything your larger counterparts can offer. That means you’ll get more options, more call options, and even the ability to integrate your VoIP account into your existing email system or CRM (customer relationship management) software. It’s a win/win situation all around for small businesses. It’s just a matter of finding the right vendor to help you make that transition.
The first step toward availing of this “emergency phone service” is to find a provider who offers hosted IP fax services. There are two main options here. You can find a vendor who offers hosted VOIP pbx telephone systems as part of a bundled deal. This includes installation, phone equipment, and a plan for how long you’ll be able to use it. If you don’t have this included, then you have the option of purchasing all this separately over time, like many small businesses do.
Or you can select a smaller set of telephone services that include a low-cost VoIP phone system, complete with basic features such as voicemail and caller ID, for a low monthly fee. A few of these companies include Vonage with its Internet Phone service. You might also check into Global Spectrum or RingCentral. These companies offer hosting small business voip pbx services as well as traditional telephone lines.
With a hosted IP pbx system, you get dedicated lines that are managed by the vendor. The system is maintained by a professional staff, so it’s easy to get things working as soon as you install the system. You don’t have to worry about maintaining hardware or dealing with phone connections. It’s all managed by the people at your fingertips. For small business voip pbx systems, this is one of the biggest benefits.
There are other perks to hosted IP pbx systems. Since all the work is done on a remote server, you don’t need to have an IT department on your payroll. On the other hand, many businesses choose to go the on-premise route because it allows them more flexibility, especially in terms of upgrades. Switching to a hosted PBX means you can easily upgrade or rollback your system as needed.
A lot of small businesses like to use their own phones for internal calls. While this option does have its advantages, it also has its disadvantages. In order to use a standard phone system for an office, you need to purchase phones that are compatible. IP fax solutions on the other hand work just like standard phones except for the fact that they are transmitted over the Internet. This means any phones you have at home are really just VoIP phones.
Small businesses can take full advantage of this technology simply by installing IP phone system with an IP PBX and switching their phone lines over to the new IP phone system. Switching only takes minutes. There’s no hardware to buy or maintain so there’s no reason not to go this route if you’re considering savings. And as long as you’re going to be using an IP phone system, then it makes perfect sense to go this route for your business.
Some things to keep in mind about the small-business VoIP solution that utilizes IP phones is that there will likely be times when your company will experience problems with the service. This is especially true of any problems with the back-end by equipment. While problems aren’t common, they do happen. When this happens, you will have to contact your ISP and get them to troubleshoot your connection. In the vast majority of cases, the problem will be easily fixed and your business should be back up and running in no time.
A final thing to think about with small businesses that opt to go with VoIP is that most phone side service providers charge a high price. This can often lead people to just stay with analog phones rather than going over to the IP side. They don’t realize that the quality of the sound is much better on the IP side and that the monthly rates are lower. It doesn’t take long before people start to realize how much money they save each year, not to mention how much less they have to spend on their phone bills. In fact, the money that they save can often be enough to completely offset the increased cost of the VoIP service.
In summary, when it comes to choosing a small business VoIP PBX solution, it is best to choose a company that has experience with both the phone system and the IP phones. There is no point in taking the risk of entrusting your phone system to someone that doesn’t have experience with it. You need to make sure that the service provider you select is able to handle both the phone system and the IP communications that are going to be flowing through it. A VoIP solution that doesn’t have this capability won’t be able to handle your needs. Choose your provider wisely and you’ll find yourself much happier with your phone system in the end.
