- 25 September 2020
- by Andrej Fedek
- Blog
- 0 Comments
Business phone systems give entrepreneurs the chance to communicate and connect with their customers or clients through texts, videos, or calls. It, therefore, offers you great flexibility thanks to the unified communication option. It would be best to determine what system you need based on where you want the equipment hosted.
There are dozens of options in the market today, which makes the selection process a bit challenging. It would be wise first to understand the types of business phone systems to help make an informed decision.
Types Of Phone Systems
The virtual phone system connects clients who call using your business number to your mobile phone. They contain a call forwarding feature that transfers calls while a client tries reaching out to you with the main number. It helps you present your brand’s professional image at all times. However, it isn’t a fully-fledged system, and you get charged for the call based on your home phone network.
A traditional landline system is an analog option that runs via telephone companies. It works with a private branch exchange hardware that creates various extensions. It’s a tested and reliable option, trusted by most companies. However, most phone system providers are drifting away from this option, making it hard to purchase or repair. With time, they might become obsolete. It’s an ideal option for large corporations with an in house team or those without high-speed internet.
Additionally, the VoIP business phone communication system gives your remote workers a chance to access the phone system from their devices. It provides access to call queues, automated attendants, and computer-integration, which allows sending voicemails to email boxes. This option works best for small businesses and call centers that need a sophisticated phone system at a reasonable price. The only drawback is that the system requires an excellent internet connection. According to a case study conducted in a call center company, VoIP technology also strengthens the financial viability of the business for that segment.
If you need total control of the system and access, you may consider the On-premise VoIP system. You house it within your premises, and your IT team is responsible for any upgrade, maintenance, and repairs. It gives you total control of the service, but you may have to incur a significant upfront cost.
On the other hand, for a growing business on a fixed budget that wouldn’t prefer the preceding option, the cloud-based VoIP system will suit you best. You don’t need to worry about hardware or maintenance since the service providers handle all the upgrades. It gives you access to unique features, and you can even configure the system from your computer. Since you don’t have control over the hardware, you have to rely on your service providers in case of any issues.
Why You Need A Phone System For Your Business
You might feel tempted to use your mobile line for business purposes without a phone system, but it may cause some issues. One, it won’t convey a professional image of your company, and it doesn’t provide valuable tools and features like call forwarding, music on hold, and call screening.
Therefore, you can miss out on potential sales or frustrate your clients.
Remember that the success of your business depends on how you present yourself to the customers. It feels great having your clients’ calls answered by an automated attendant. The right software for business calls will help boost customer satisfaction to drive sales, create loyalty, and enhance customer engagement.
The Best Phone Systems For Your Business
The decision on which business phone software and provider best suits your business depends on your needs and resources. Consider reliability depending on where you are or whether you need the system to work all-time in an office or even miles away. Besides, determine affordability. Choose a system with a reasonable upfront cost and sustainable maintenance and monthly fee.
Additionally, consider what extra options your business requires besides the standard features. Remember to check the terms of service covering when you need to renew your contract or what happens when you terminate the service. Considering the above guidelines, here are some advanced business phone tools to use in your business.
Dialpad
It’s a reliable phone system that will give your organization secure and mobile-flexible communication solutions. It has desktop and mobile app versions to use for your convenience. Besides offering video conferencing, messaging, and calling services, it incorporates voice intelligence, which provides real-time advice and post-call notes taking. In addition, the software allows integration with other cloud-based business apps to boost productivity.
Ringblaze
This intuitive business phone tool will help maximize your business success in terms of collaboration for support and sales teams. Your employees can access a shared dashboard to see who answered a specific call, assign a particular role to a team member, and even leave a comment for the person in the next shift. The team can also communicate with the clients in real time as they browse through your page.
Moreover, Ringblaze offers an ability to embed a call widget to make calls free of charge without using a phone, and a reporting system, which may help you analyze the work being done by your team. All the features are available for use on desktops or tablets and no matter where you are.
Ooma
It works best for smaller businesses that wish to keep their monthly expenses low.
The tool provides a great combination of call log and transfers, voicemail, music on hold, and extension to extension calling. Unlike other systems, it provides flexibility in the type of phones it works with, and it’s super easy to set up.
8×8
The tool supports automated attendants, calls transferring, waiting and forwarding, ring groups, caller ID, and online voicemail. Besides, it gives your employees access to the system from outside the office, and offers a video conferencing capability in each license that allows your employees to host meetings with up to 50 attendants. Further, it avails some internal chat features and integrates with other popular programs like office 365.
Conclusion
If you wish to give your customers a great impression of your brand, you may want to invest in a VoIP phone system. According to research seen on HBR, the VoIP system is a reliable, cheap and modern way of communication and every business owner should think about the strategic significance of this system. But note that different businesses don’t benefit from the same system, and so you may need to find out what works best for you. Hopefully, the above guide will get you started.
Andrej Fedek is a digital marketer. He recently started his own blog about digital marketing called InterCool Studio. His passion is to help startups grow and thrive in a competitive environment.
