What to look for when upgrading your phone system

Business phone systems can be very confusing. There are so many options, acronyms and tech talk out there.

With more than 15 years in the business phone game, I have come up with a simple plan for business owners to follow when facing this challenge.

Start off with an outline of the features and capabilities you and your business require. Consult the different teams, departments and job functions and build a prioritised list of system features in categories.

“Put yourself in the phone call.” Close your eyes and imagine you are a phone call to your business. Try to define how you would like to be treated.

  • Would you like to speak to a real person or press 1 for Sales, 2 for Accounts etc.?
  • How long are you prepared to wait if nobody is available?
  • Would you like to listen to information about the business or would you prefer some nice music while waiting?
  • If no one is available would you like your voicemail to be emailed?

Business phone features have changed a lot over the past few years. With the introduction of Cloud Phone Systems the feature set is huge and can give your business the edge in productivity. Here are some phone solutions that can help streamline your business communication and give your callers a better experience.

  • Work from anywhere, anytime – Enable your staff to work from anywhere with the option of a desk phone or softphone on a PC, Mac, iPhone, iPad or Android device.
  • Call recording – Great for call quality control and compliance for sales and support teams.
  • Multiple Offices, One Phone System – No longer do you need a phone system for each office. A Cloud PBX enables all your sites to be one phone system.

Determining what you need will make your discussions with business phone system providers faster, more productive and ensure a better outcome for your company.