Business Phone Systems: Buyer's Guide

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Buying the correct business telephone system is very important, as that system will be an integral part of your business, helping you to grow and develop closer links with your clients. The wrong system however, will at best be too expensive and in the worst case can cripple your business by stifling your means of communication and alienating your clients. Choosing the right phone system then, will be one of the most important decisions you make for your business. This guide aims to give an overview of the main systems and features currently available on the market, so as to help you in making that decision the right one.

Assessing your needs

Understanding your needs is the most important part of choosing the right telephone system, as the closer your chosen telephone system comes to meeting your specific requirements, the greater the value it will add to your business. Consider these points before you choose:

• What call volume will your telephone system have to deal with now and is that volume likely to grow?
• Do you have any current equipment or client management software that needs to be compatible with the new telephone system?
• What special functions would you like your telephone system to perform?

You may not know the answer to all these questions yet but hopefully by the end of this guide you will know a little more about what’s on the market and what would be right for you.

De-mystifying the jargon

The world of business phone systems can be an endlessly confusing jumble of jargon and abbreviations. So if like most people, you don’t know your VOIP from your PBX then the following list of terms may be helpful:

KSU

The abbreviation KSU stands for key system unit. KSU type phone systems have a central hub (the key system unit itself) which allows some features which normal phones cannot offer, such as internal calling. This type of telephone system works most efficiently in systems with up to 50 users.

KSU-Less

As suggested, this is a system that offers similar features as a full KSU system, without a lot of the expensive technology. However although KSU-Less systems are very cheap and simple to set-up, they are really only suited to small systems with less than 10 users.

PBX

PBX stands for private branch exchange, a term that comes from the era of the centralised switchboard operator. Although what it initially described has now become obsolete, the term still refers to a telephone system which automatically selects an available outside line for the user, unlike KSU type systems, where the user manually selects the line for an outgoing call. Traditionally, PBX’s have been regarded as very expensive and only suitable for large companies, capable of significant investment in their telephone system. Advances in technology however, have now made possible virtual PBX’s, most commonly using broadband internet to carry the data. This development has reduced costs and brought the advantages of this type of telephone system to small and medium sized businesses.

VOIP or IP

VOIP stands for voice over internet protocol and the later term IP or IP telephony just stands for internet protocol. This means that the call data is carried over the internet rather than over traditional telephone lines, as discussed above. This system has the benefit of reducing the cost of phone use, as data and voice calls can be carried by the same network. In some cases where networks have spare capacity, the additional costs associated with IP telephone systems can be very low indeed. IP telephone systems are now by far the most popular option for majority of businesses, as the adaptability of the systems, their relatively low running costs and their ability to integrate easily with client management software are great benefits over traditional phone systems.

IVR

IVR stands for interactive voice response. This is the technology that allows clients to interact with your telephone system by entering information vocally. This technology is becoming ever more popular as it can vastly reduce the cost of service or sale requests. It can also be used to help guide clients to the most suitable department or operator.

Size Matters

Especially with traditional telephone systems, it is important to estimate how many lines or trunks and how many extensions you need, so as the phone system you eventually purchase is suited to the volume of calls you are likely to make. Trunks are outside lines and extensions are the individual handsets, modems or fax machines. As such, the number of extensions will always be greater than the number of trunks and as calls are made the telephone system you have in place will allocate an outside line for that call. If the ratio of extensions to trunks is too high, you are likely to encounter problems as callers have to wait for a free outside line and clients will find your phones to be constantly busy. Likewise, if the ratio is too low your system will have vast amounts of costly spare capacity not being utilised. However, bear in mind that some spare capacity is necessary as your requirements are likely to grow with your business and therefore it is essential that the system you implement is capable of dealing with your future demands.

Choosing a supplier

Since the market was liberalised the number of UK business telephone suppliers has grown dramatically, meaning that the number of options can seem daunting. However, try to bear in mind these points when considering a potential supplier:

• Will the supplier provide a complete package including cabling and hardware?
• What are the support and maintenance costs?
• Will they provide training for your new system, if so, at what cost?
• Is it a well established company and if not, what are their credentials?

And finally

After having decided what you think the right telephone system is for your business, don’t be afraid to engage with a number of suppliers. It is not uncommon for companies to provide demonstrations of their phone systems and the features they offer or to negotiate on prices. By talking to them directly you are also better placed to evaluate what their ongoing support will be like, whilst they may also be able to suggest options or features which you had not yet considered. If you would like to be contacted by 6 approved business telephone suppliers, just fill in the simple enquiry form above.