5 Things to Remember When Buying An Office Phone System

No one uses the phone anymore, right?

With people canceling landline service for mobile phones and using live chat for customer service, you might think your office phone is obsolete, right?

Think again.

The office phone is still the best way for your customers and partners to reach you. But it’s not enough to simply have a phone system. You need the right system.

In this article, we’ll look at what you need to remember when buying a phone system that works for you.

Scalability is Key

A stupid question: you want your company to grow, right?

You’re going to need a phone system that can grow with your company.

If you purchase a system that lacks scalability, then you would need to buy a completely new system when you outgrow its capabilities.

Save yourself the headache (and the money) and buy a phone system that is easy to expand.

All About Those Features

Not every office phone system is built the same.

Some systems offer a number of features like an automated call menu, touchscreen, and AI-transcribed voicemail. Others are glorified payphones.

Your office might not have much use for the flashiest new features, but it’s important that you don’t limit yourself.

For example, if your phone system offers easy call forwarding to mobile devices, your staff will have more freedom to work remotely.

But every business is different. What does your company need?

Before you spend money on a new phone, make sure that the system fits your company’s needs.

Usability

You know what’s almost as important as a phone system’s features?

The usability of those features.

If your phone is so complicated that your receptionist can’t figure out how to transfer calls, then it doesn’t matter how many lines you can add.

The ideal office phone needs to be user-friendly. Don’t get stuck with a system that will require hours of training before your staff can figure out how to set a voicemail greeting.

Make sure you get a phone system that makes it easy to perform simple tasks, like placing calls on hold, storing numbers, and changing the volume.

Non-user-friendly phones don’t just waste valuable time. They also breed frustration, which lowers morale and saps productivity.

Don’t Forget Data Storage

In this digital age, everyone is obsessed with data storage.

But you might not realize how important your phone system’s storage capabilities are.

If you do a lot of business with companies in other time zones—especially international—a lot of your calls will be going to voice mail.

If your phone’s storage capabilities aren’t up to snuff, you can end up missing important calls because your mailbox is full.

VoIP vs. PSTN

There’s been a lot of talk about VoIP (Voice Over Internet Protocol) lately.

But what exactly is it?

The traditional PSTN (Public Switched Telephone Network) transmits calls through physical wires over a complex, outdated infrastructure.

VoIP, on the other hand, transmits call data over the internet.

Among other advantages, this makes it easily scalable. Additional phones can be added to the system without costly additions to infrastructure. Calls can also be forwarded to mobile devices when your staff works remotely.

Advances in internet technology have also made VoIP calls just as clear and reliable as PSTN.