Small Business Telephone Systems and Their Components
The technological evolution of small business telephone systems has come of age. The major difference between traditional office phone systems and those in the new millennium is that many are digital rather than analog. In simple terms, digital phone systems are basically telephone systems with digital features rather than analog features. This is the major advantage with digital over analog.
Let’s take a look at some of the major players in the market. There are mainly two types of small business telephone systems, key telephone systems and voice over internet protocol (VoIP) systems. In a nutshell, both key telephone and VoIP telephone systems are based on dedicated network lines. This means that each line is dedicated to use by a single entity. There may be several internal lines but only one main network.
VoIP phones are also called IP phones. They are actually a phone system with internet protocols added. They work on top of a conventional telephone network just like any normal phone solution. A suitable solution with VoIP systems requires a high speed internet connection.
There are various solutions available for small business telephone systems today. You have to look out for a good and suitable solution from a reputed vendor. The best phone solution will surely be one which provides you with all the features and benefits without affecting your budget too heavily. Make sure that you buy VoIP or VoLTE phones from a reputed vendor to get the best solution possible. An on-site system is also extremely helpful for small business firms since it gives them the freedom to use the telephone system even while they are on location. It will also give them a better vantage point of the entire organization.
Today there are several VoIP service providers in the market. You need to do a bit of research before you zero in on a particular provider. The best way to find out the right service provider is to ask for references provided by existing clients. These references can either come from existing customers or can also be written by marketing professionals associated with the service providers. It would be a good choice to check out reviews posted on the net by customers to verify the reputation of a particular vendor.
There are many reasons why small businesses are now opting for VoIP telephone systems. The foremost reason is undoubtedly the rising cost of fixed line and landline telephony. Since the introduction of VoIP providers, small businesses have been able to cut down their fixed-line expenses and this has helped them boost their profit margins. Moreover, there is no requirement for them to maintain a dedicated IT department for maintaining the network. This is because they can simply integrate the systems within their existing infrastructure and implement it within a short span of time.
The best small business telephone systems should have excellent features such as call handling, call forwarding, call waiting, and call resuming. A good call handling feature will enable the caller to handle calls with high levels of customer service. A good call forwarding feature will ensure that calls are answered promptly and automatically. Call resuming is another important feature that ensures that the person who is on the other end of the line is not disconnected when a call is answered. This feature ensures that the customer service agent does not have to interrupt the call to give instructions to the agent on how to handle the call.
There are some small business telephone systems that allow a PC-based interface with the phone system. This is called a PBX and is becoming extremely popular among small businesses today. A PBX phone system has the features that are similar to a landline phone system. However, when calls come in, the PBX connects the calls to the appropriate company representative. In addition, this feature also allows the customer service agent to forward calls to a specific alternate number, if the original number is unavailable or does not work after the initial connection.