Choosing the right Business Phone System
While it is exceptional for small businesses and start-ups to have a dedicated business phone system, it is expedient to ensure that your business phone system matches your business needs. If you are to further improve your business and thrive this year and beyond, you need to ensure that you pick the system that best fits your needs.
Phone calls are still the preferred communication channel for customers after they have purchased something from a company, which makes a business phone system principal.
According to ringcentral.com, Thirty-six percent of respondents in the 2020 Customer Communications Review over the age of 56 rank phone calls as the top preferred communication channel, while it comes in at a close second (30%) to email (31%) for respondents aged 40-55. Even for the 18-39 demographic, the phone is a very close third at 22%:
Want to choose the right business phone system? Ask yourself these important questions :
- Do you need a full phone system with physical desk telephones, or would your business do better with a virtual phone system dependent on mobile devices?
- Would you rather use a Voice over Internet Protocol (VoIP) system that allows customers to reach you no matter where you are, or would you rather use the traditional landline telephone system that only allows customers within a particular region to reach you?
- If you opt for VoIP, would you prefer to house the system at specific premises designated by your business or would you rather have it hosted cloud-based by the service provider you choose?
Below is a detailed synopsis of different business phone systems to point you in the right direction while choosing a solution that perfectly suits your business
Virtual Phone Systems
A virtual phone system allows those who call your main business phone number to get connected to your employees who work remotely on their mobile or home phones. Systems like this function as an extensive call-forwarding solution that allows incoming calls to be transferred to your employees’ home or cell phones instead of receiving calls at a desk when a customer calls your main business phone number. Such systems typically include a diverse range of features such as auto attendant services, call screening, toll-free numbers, voicemail, online faxing, and call forwarding. It is suited for sole proprietorships and small businesses with remote workers.
Traditional Landline Systems
In this case, landlines are traditional phone systems that are usually supported by local or regional phone service providers. They are non-digital systems that are operated using the copper wiring of the telephone company offering the service. To successfully run a landline
